I finally got around to reading Before Happiness by Shawn Achor over the holidays. It’s an insightful book that describes how we must learn to see the world through a more positive lens which allows us to summon the motivation, emotion, and intelligence necessary to...
Career Matters
Forgetting Frivolous Feedback
Can I just rant for a moment? Have you ever noticed how asking for feedback sometimes invites frivolous, nonsensical, and insignificant information? Do some people believe that ‘I don’t have anything to offer’ is not an acceptable response? Why do they feel compelled...
Transforming While Performing
I’m always surprised when leaders explain to me why it’s hard to make development a priority. They invariably say that it comes down to time. It’s not uncommon to hear some variation of: “My people are so maxed out, over-burdened, and under-resourced, that they don’t...
Unconscious Competence or Catatonic Complacency?
If you’ve attended more than a workshop or two in your career, you’ve likely been introduced to the four stages of competence or the four stages of learning any new skill. Developed in the 1970’s by Noel Burch, this model describes the process by which new skills are...
Career Development Today: Is Your Head Screwed on Straight?
Surviving and thriving in today’s dynamic workplace demands one thing above all else: having your head screwed on straight about career development. The mixed messages and ever-changing expectations have left many employees genuinely befuddled. So, here’s a guide to...
Hard Data about the Soft Skills Gap
Which of the following do you feel best defines the ‘gap’ in the US workforce skills gap? Lack of soft skills Lack of technical skills Lack of strong leadership skills Lack of computer-based technology skills NA - I don’t think there is a gap in the US workforce This...
Instigate Insight: A Constructive Conspiracy
Guest Post by Karen Voloshin, DesignArounds In their book Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want two of my favorite colleagues Julie Winkle Giulioni and Beverly Kaye stress that compelling conversation is at the heart of career...
Belief Opens Doors
In your quest for career success, suppose you had to choose just one of the following: perfectly-honed skills, ideal opportunities, or someone who really believes in you. Which would you pick? This is the question a friend recently posed, thinking it would spark an...
Holding the Mirror Up: 6 Practical Truths about Career Development Today
Guest Post by Karen Voloshin, DesignArounds Whether you call it "developing a talent pipeline", "employee growth", or "career development", the aim is the same: helping everyone develop and bring their best strengths and talents to the organizational table in a way...
Common Career Advice That’s Well-Intended, Well-Worn, and Well – Full of It!
Over the course of your life, how much career advice have you given? Received? Acted on? How much of it was right on the mark? How much of it well, full of it? Too frequently well-meaning individuals, in an effort to share their experience and inspire others, offer...
