Knowing which companies are hiring is meaningless if you're unsure about which career path to take
Knowing which companies are hiring is meaningless if you're unsure which career path to take. Everyone knows dabblers who have tried their hands at countless jobs yet never settled permanently into one they really love. There are many reasons for job wanderlust. It often stems from impatience. The result is never sticking around long enough…
Seven reasons why it is still hard to know when you are being lied to
"You're next in line for a promotion." "Let's have lunch sometime." "I'd love to read your report." "No, those pants don't make you look fat." We get lied to all the time. People are dishonest out of politeness, to avoid punishment, to protect others, or to deliberately mislead for personal gain. Some years back, Tim…
Creative hiring strategies can be the big difference between success and failure
Hiring employees has been difficult for many employers in the current job market. This is a result of a number of factors, including an aging workforce, the "great resignation," and a booming economy. While this will change in time, here are five things you might consider that will improve your chances of success if you…
Short of standing behind them with a pitchfork, what can you do to get the best from others?
Motivating yourself can be difficult at times, but motivating other people offers a different kind of challenge. Short of standing behind them with a pitchfork and an evil grin or offering them a gazillion dollars, what can you do to get the best from others, be they employees, colleagues, or even family (although that’s a…
It only takes resiliency, persistence, focus, empathy and curiosity
According to a Computing Technology Industry Association analysis, nearly 240,000 new tech jobs were created in the U.S. in July of this year alone. Information technology (IT) has added 143,700 jobs so far in 2022, an increase of 55 per cent year-over-year. The CompTIA now estimates the tech jobs unemployment rate at just 1.7 per…
Employees are keen to learn new skills. That is a positive for business leaders
The importance of employee upskilling has been heightened since the pandemic. The world of work has changed faster and in more fundamental ways than any of us have experienced before. However, the speed at which digital transformation has taken place has not been matched by the supply of talent available for these roles. This is…
Your performance and the performance of those around you are often the results of conditions that are within your control
Unless you are a manager complaining about your employees' lack of performance, most of us don't consider our own performance on a regular basis. But we should. Our performance is typically defined as the level at which we can accomplish our tasks and goals as they relate to the expectations of our employers. If we…
Instead of asking which single attribute fosters leadership, we should be asking which patterns of human qualities create the best outcomes
Look up any list of bestselling books and chances are at least one title deals with leadership. People have pondered the topic for millennia but are still chasing a clear answer to the question: what makes a good leader? That may be because we’re asking the wrong question, says business professor Ian Gellatly. Human beings…
Collaboration begins by building on those positive qualities that already exist in your team
Several years ago, I was in Germany working with a group of high-potential employees worldwide. Their organization had identified them as valuable candidates for leadership development. It was quite an event – a week of various topics and speakers with dog sledding as the team-building event the afternoon before my program. (Which was quite a…
Not everyone is designed to thrive in the traditional workplace
Had the COVID-19 pandemic ended sooner, there’s every possibility that office life would have returned to ‘normal.’ In 2021, we were all hoping to go back to the office. Today, office workers are putting their foot down en masse and refusing to return. Having adapted to remote work and proving themselves capable of being productive,…