Category: Career Advice

You show up 15 minutes early each morning. You’re loyal and hard-working. You meet your deadlines and annual objectives. Coworkers think you’re great to work with. Well, guess what? Nobody’s impressed by that. This is your job, and if you’re merely fulfilling the basic requirements, don’t expect anything more than the basic paycheck. If you’re…

Or are you an ostrich with your head stuck in the proverbial sand? There’s a reason so many idioms about “facing the facts” exist: Sometimes, it’s really, really hard to do! But as Eric Barker so astutely observed in his recent post, “4 harsh truths that will make you a better person,” denial is a…

“Oh, I try to reserve judgment until I really get to know a person.” “Me? I’m not judgmental by nature; I keep an open mind when I meet someone.” Heard statements like these before – or maybe uttered them yourself? We all have! We’re humans, after all, and humans simply cannot keep from making snap…

Ever met a “social chameleon”? You know, one of those people who acts one way around a certain group of people, but entirely different around another? Now here’s a tougher question: Have you ever been a social chameleon? To a certain extent, all of us wear “masks” in social situations. We often feel a need…

They’re disciplined. Tenacious. And remarkably resilient. They’re mentally strong people, and their grit helps them overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve their goals. Whether it’s personally or professionally, we all face challenges in our lives that test our mettle. Do you have what it takes to succeed, even when the going gets rough? Make sure you’re…

Ever had to lead a dull meeting? Give a presentation on a dry topic? Teach your team something that’s important but incredibly boring? Then you know how tough an audience can be. By now you’ve probably heard that statistic from Microsoft saying that the average human attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s. Regardless of…

Ever hear of dead butt syndrome? It sounds creepy, but it’s a real medical condition! Also known as gluteal amnesia, the condition develops when the gluteus medius (one of the three main muscles that make up your behind) stops firing correctly. Left untreated, it can lead to lower back pain, hip pain, as well as…

Fact: People judge books by their covers… …and emails by their subject lines. You may have great news to deliver. An unbelievable offer to share. Or an urgent request that can’t be ignored. But none of that matters if your recipients never open their emails from you. And the secret to getting your emails opened?…

It’s cold. It’s raining. You’re tired. And in 45 minutes, you’re headed into another day of that firestorm/3-ring-circus you call work. The question is: Is it going to be a great morning or a fantastic one? That’s not a misprint; it’s an example of choosing a positive outlook to improve your experience – and it’s…

Half a trillion dollars (yep – trillion, with a “t”). That’s the estimated annual cost of work stress to U.S. employers, according to this 2017 Mental Health America study. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This eye-opening survey includes dozens of disturbing statistics that quantify the extensive impact job stress has on today’s…