You stumble out of bed, bleary eyed and only one resonating thought: coffee. You space out on the way to work, seemingly forgetting the drive in your haze. Enter the tortuous place (commonly known as work) that is responsible for this fog. If you are like the overwhelming majority of the population, you fit into this category rather than the chipper, happy to be alive, seize the day, almost alien-like other category: morning people. What is with these people? Where does their energy come from? Where does their will to live reside and how are they so happy at 8:00am? The truth is that I’m envious. I want to know their secret, so I decided to get some answers. Is it my fault that I hate the world early in the morning? Or are there factors outside of my control when I unleash on innocent and unsuspecting bystanders with my anger in the morning? What I found out is that it is a mixture of both. The morning person vs. night owl fits in quite well to the nature vs. nurture … [Read more...] about Not a Morning Person? Here is who to blame.
Career Advice
How the Best Leaders Build Trust
Almost everywhere we turn, trust is on the decline. Trust in our culture at large, in our institutions, and in our companies is significantly lower than a generation ago. Research shows that only 49% of employees trust senior management, and only 28% believe CEOs are a credible source of information. Consider the loss of trust and confidence in the financial markets today. Indeed, "trust makes the world go ‘round," and right now we're experiencing a crisis of trust. This crisis compels us to ask three questions. First, is there a measurable cost to low trust? Second, is there a tangible benefit to high trust? Third, how can the best leaders build trust in and within their organizations to reap the benefits of high trust?Most people don't know how to think about the organizational and societal consequences of low trust because they don't know how to quantify or measure the costs of such a so-called "soft" factor as trust. For many, trust is intangible, ethereal, unquantifiable. If … [Read more...] about How the Best Leaders Build Trust
Need a Job? Have a Little Faith
You're scrambling in a sweaty frenzy. You just got the pink slip at work, and you don't know where you can go or to whom you can turn. Your work buddies have already tapped your shared professional network, so that route is spent. What do you do? Jobacle readers would know to check out the Master List of Unemployment and Layoff Sites. However, Michael Butler went to church. In June 2008, Butler lost his job as a consultant. His first response was to join a free career workshop at a nearby church. The group met weekly and discussed job search topics like interviews, resumes, and networking. After getting this refresher course on the aspects of the modern-day job search, he connected to some old contacts and eventually landed another job. Gerry Crispin, a career consulting firm owner, encourages workers to keep up network contacts even after landing a job. He says, "Are you ever 100% out of the market? Yeah when you're dead." I think this is a fantastic story of … [Read more...] about Need a Job? Have a Little Faith
1 Week. 2 Job Offers. What Recession?
Two job offers in one week, and I'm not even looking. I'm not bragging or gloating. My purpose in sharing this information is to illustrate two critical truths.1) The will of the universe is unpredictable, always delivering the unexpected at random times.2) You should not, under any circumstances, get caught up in Recessionitis.I sit here in awe when I think about the dozens (hundreds) of unanswered resumes I experienced when the economy was thriving. Now, amidst dire economic turmoil, and the fact that I am pleased at my current gig, cosmic forces want to have some fun with me. I can't help but laugh at the sheer irony.So what was the secret to getting two job offers in one week? Nothing! There is no secret! Unless you can read the stars or have a highly-effective Zoltar machine, there's no rhyme or reason to this stuff. Much of it is out of our control, regardless what career 'experts' like to tell us. Your job is to take care of the things you CAN control.Good athletes often talk … [Read more...] about 1 Week. 2 Job Offers. What Recession?
When Employees Train Managers…
I’m not one of those bosses that has to have all the answers. I like to empower my employees, make them feel intelligent and help them find fulfillment and purpose in their position.Instead, I’m talking about how to handle when your employee has the answers because they are TRAINING you. There are many situations in which this could arise, and it can be a tough pill to swallow.In my case, I am a brand new manager being trained by my employee that has been with the company for...28 years. Not a particularly ideal position to be in for a new manager. At first I simply went with it- I treated her as if she were just an objective trainer.But she is not objective. She is critiquing how quickly I catch on, how I react to her instructions, and how I manage her answers. And the toughest part of the process is somehow maintaining authority throughout the training, because technically, she is presently the expert on the subject matter.I can hear you already, Jobacle readers. … [Read more...] about When Employees Train Managers…
Are You a Thief? Nearly 60% of Exiting Employees Are
In a recent news story, an astounding 59% of employees that were laid off or fired last year admitted to stealing data from employers. Among the data taken were employee records (35%), financial information (16%), and customer information (39%). And get this: 79% of them admitted that their former employers didn’t allow that sort of information to be taken off-site. I don’t know about the rest of you, but that sounds pretty crazy. If your employer finds out that you took proprietary information for your own personal gain, then you could have some legal troubles on your hands. In my company, we have fairly tight restrictions on data storage and transfer. While I could probably go in and burn a CD with data on it today, I could not use a flash drive, because the USB ports were all locked down sometime last year. Whose data is it? This is an interesting question. Basically, anything done on a company computer is property of that company. However, with things like … [Read more...] about Are You a Thief? Nearly 60% of Exiting Employees Are
5 Signs That You're About to Get a Pink Slip
It seems no occupation is truly safe these days. With major corporations from almost every financial sector reducing their workforce to survive the recession, it’s best to keep your ear to the ground to avoid getting caught off guard. Official budget cuts, business mergers and sharp drops in stocks are all obvious precursors of corporate downsizing, but there are more subtle indications that your job may be in danger. The following clues can send a variety of signals, but in the current economic climate they constitute warning signs that you’re about to be laid off.There are rumors of impending layoffsManagers typically try to hide the decision to cull their workforce for as long as possible so as not to affect employee morale and risk having their better staff members jump ship prematurely. However, secrets can be hard to keep in an office. That’s why it’s important to heed any talk of company downsizing and consider the rumor one of the signs you’re … [Read more...] about 5 Signs That You're About to Get a Pink Slip
New Hire Orientation – Waste of Time?
If you have been reading my latest blogs, you know that I have recently started a new job. And with a new job at a large institution or corporation comes a new hire orientation.As I was spacing out during the most recent video installment of this particular institution’s history, it dawned on me that orientation is not necessarily the most effective way to integrate a new employee to a company’s culture. It is certainly a nice gesture for the executives and top management to speak to the group about customer service and how great the company/institution is to work at.But c’mon. Can you really capture a company’s work ethic, culture, positives, negatives, and more in a few hours or days (depending on how much time is allocated)? The answer is no. The majority of new hire orientation is spent droning on about benefits, retirement, and why this is the best company you will ever work for.Which begs the question: Why are companies desperately seeking approval from … [Read more...] about New Hire Orientation – Waste of Time?
CAREEREALISM: Because Every Job is Temporary
This week, I had the opportunity to review the CAREEREALISM site, and I have to say that the place is pretty amazing. First off, I want to say that J.T. O'Donnell is a career coach ninja. When I asked her for an email interview, she latched onto my mention of a personal job search, and she was quick to provide me with some tips and advice that I can't wait to use. Her personal feedback and quick response lead me to believe that customer service is going to be a strong point over at CAREEREALISM. There is plenty of advice and help over there, but there were three things that I liked as a job hunter. Getting SHOTs That acronym stands for Short, Helpful, On-Target video posts. And you better believe that CAREEREALISM has some good advice. The YouTube videos from the creator (J.T. O'Donnell) are helpful and interesting, because she puts her whole heart into the presentation. You can tell that she really wants to help others with their careers. It's difficult to find that kind of … [Read more...] about CAREEREALISM: Because Every Job is Temporary
Paranoia on the Way to the Vending Machine
The journey from my desk started innocently enough. I was on the prowl for a bottle of water and something sweet. As I traversed the fluorescent-lit hallways, debating between Twizzlers and a granola bar, I couldn't help but notice all of the closed doors.This was no coincidence. EVERY door was shut--indiscernible voices leaking through the door jams.Something was up.My first inclination is normally to be thankful that I am not behind closed doors. But in this instance, I felt like the kid left off the dodgeball team. What the heck is everybody talking about?Perhaps this is a symbol of the new, weakened economy.Read more of Andrew G.R.'s blog post at US News & World Report. … [Read more...] about Paranoia on the Way to the Vending Machine