Whether you’re feeling age-insecure at your current job, planning a reinvention or trying to get back into the workforce this guide should help. Getting Started Getting a job isn’t easy. Especially a good job: a job you enjoy, that pays fairly and with good co-workers and bosses. Those jobs […]
Blog
16 posts
These things are so basic, it’s scary. But what’s truly frightening is how many candidates don’t take the trouble to do these simple things. Punctuality Be on time for calls and meetings. If you are going to a meeting in a new location, find it at least one day previously. […]
Smart employers keep it simple. They want to know: Can you do the job ? Do you want the job ? Will you fit in with the team workwise/culturally/socially/chemically ? Smart candidates work out ways to answer “Yes” to each of these questions. Can you do the job ? Confident […]
The best business advice I ever heard came from Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso, former underboss of the Lucchese crime family, “Do the big things. Forget about the little things.” Make a list of tasks. Two categories jump right out. First, the defensive things you must to do try to avert or […]
Can they do the job ? If they can’t, it becomes clear pretty quickly. But some people require too much investment; for example when the person’s manager and teammates have to ante up seven ergs of energy to get five ergs of product back. Worse, others do a just-good-enough-to-lose job. […]
There are as many kinds of bosses as there are breeds of dog or Americans. Basically infinite. The first step is to understand your boss. What are his/her key goals, fears and problems ? What is he/she like as a person: calm, wroth, happy, insecure, proud, ambitious, trusting, greedy, disrespectful, […]
Stepping in as the new leader of a pre-existing team is a delicate situation. Opportunity and risk are entwined and closely balanced. Be Alert You don’t usually get hired to manage a smooth, well-oiled machine. It’s a rescue, and your first job is to figure out where the problems are. […]
Decisions drive actions. Some decisions must be made right away. Others should wait until you get more data. Some should be shared and some should be delegated. Some should be collective, while others are yours to make alone. Often these decision-framing choices are as important as the decision itself. The […]
Understand yourself What are your marketable attributes ? Stress them. What are your areas of concern ? Prepare to defend them. Write out verbatim and practice saying out loud very precise short answers to the questions you fear the most. Understand the marketplace What jobs are out there ? What […]
Conflict in the workplace is usually not all that common, but it tends to absorb a disproportionate part of our emotional energy. Recognize when not to fight. If it doesn’t really matter, don’t fight. If the prospective opponent is two or more levels below you in the organization, don’t fight. […]
Smart leaders realize that almost every business is at heart a people business. Success very often depends on finding a couple of top 1% performers and facilitating their success, primarily by staying out of their way and allowing them to win. You don’t need a whole team of All Stars. […]