What makes a good employee? While the response may differ from manager to manager and company, one constant holds true – employers want employees who are dependable, trustworthy, and good at their jobs. Great employees share certain characteristics and these are the ones that employers seek above and beyond the ability to fill a job description. If you are looking to position yourself as a great employee, make sure...

If you're one of the millions of American workers, mark October 16th on your calendar to earn some extra brownie points at work. That's the day that bosses everywhere are nationally recognized for their efforts throughout the year. The history of Boss's Day began in 1958, when Patricia Bays Haroski registered 'National Boss' Day' with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Haroski was working as a secretary for St...

As we move into the 6-month mark recognizing how COVID-19 has changed our lives, the stress is palpable. Many parents and students are struggling with online learning, childcare, and trying to work from home while also supervising virtual education for young children. That challenge intensifies if those parents have returned to a place of work beyond the home. Those who have work are adjusting to the new normal of perpet...

Many years ago when I was in my corporate life, I happened upon the powerful book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and I was very drawn to its simple yet transformative principles and strategies. To me, they just made perfect sense and those rare people whom I found to be great leaders were naturally applying these principles in their lives and work. On the other hand, I saw all around me certain behaviors of colleag...

What is the 'perfect job?' Unfortunately, it doesn't exist. This is not an alarmingly pessimistic point of view, but rather a real one. Every man and woman in the work force has different strengths, weaknesses, opinions, personalities, and an unfathomable amount of other characteristics that, when combined and utilized, can help in the search for a position that is a good fit. When you focus on finding your job fit, suc...

First impressions are always important, and never more so than on the work-front. The reality is - and will always be - that people make an assumption of you within the first few seconds you meet. This can include everything from the way you dress, to how you speak and your general attitude. At work, the first impression can not only impact short-term perceptions of you - but your long-term reputation and career success. Ou...

The old mantra – 'there is no I in team,' although overused should be considered a sound philosophy all employees need adopt to succeed in today’s work environment. A streamlined workforce, mergers and acquisitions and countless other shifts in business necessitate that employee’s foster a sense of community with their peers. There are some simple steps you can take to build this team environment. Start...

Is everything really that important? Sometimes it may feel that way whenweighed down with both work and family life. The hardest part when this happens is to determine what is the real priority, and what tasks can be relegated to a later time. Unfortunately, when you reach a point where everything seems like a fire drill, this is usually when you may already feel overwhelmed. So how do you determine what projects take pr...

I’m sure you’ve noticed the ubiquitous statements against racial inequality in recent days. Such statements are being issued by public organizations, educational and nonprofit institutions, and for-profit companies. These statements are, sorry to say, generally mealy-mouthed in nature. It is very unusual for any entity to come out publicly to disavow both explicit racism and microaggressions. (Kudos to Ben &...

You may have seen them on social media…the memes and articles about how our lives will be forever changed due to Coronavirus. One of those memes, from Brené Brown, recently appeared in my social media feed questioning the whole idea of “normal” and pointing out that “normal” in the current age has had a very low bar. Brené Brown observes… “We will not go back...