Leadership & Mindset
Archives: The YOU brand
I will be posting links to older articles that seem to be fairly popular. Hopefully some of the newer readers will find the articles interesting and helpful. A 2010 blog post that explains what the You brand is and how to use it to succeed. You are only as successful as your personal brand so this should make for some pwoerful reading. Read the full article here.
Archives: A New Model To Consider When Hiring Employees
I will be posting links to older articles that seem to be fairly popular. Hopefully some of the newer readers will find the articles interesting and helpful. A 2010 blog entry that discussed the rent before you buy employee hiring model. Although this isn't anything new, many readers found it useful and some even started to apply this in their own companies. You can read the full article here.
Archives: Leveraging The Paradox
I will be posting links to older articles that seem to be fairly popular. Hopefully some of the newer readers will find the articles interesting and helpful. A popular 2010 blog entry about companies using the paradox strategy of management to drive competitive advantage. Read the article here
Clench your hand to improve memory
A study published in journal PLOS One indicates that clenching your right hand (aka making a fist) may help improve your memory. Later clenching your left hand will help remember that memory. "The findings suggest that some simple body movements -- by temporarily changing the way the brain functions -- can improve memory," Ruth Propper, researcher, Montclair State University. Additional research will have to be conducted to determine if this action can help with other functions.
You set your own limits
Continually push yourself to grow and improved or be pushed out. That is the nature of business.
If you can't then you must
If you feel you absolutely can't so something then you must do it to grow
What should your 2013 raise be?
Most employees over-estimate their value to their company and therefore expect too much of a raise. In 2012, the typical raise was between 1.9 – 2%. Highest performers seem to receive around 4%. What does this mean? It means you should set realistic raise targets so you’re not disappointed when your boss gives you that raise letter. The best thing you can do is to continually touch base with your boss (over the year) to ensure your evaluation of your performance is in-line with your boss’ evaluation.
Do more than your boss expects
Many colleagues I have coached overestimate their worth to the company and almost always think they are underpaid. The key message is that your company pays your salary to do your job. You only deserve a raise if you are performing to a higher level than that expected from your boss. To add value to your boss (and become raise worthy), make your boss’ life easier: Ensure you deliver on all of your commitments on time and to the exact expected quality Keep your boss updates on the items you are working on for him/her Volunteer to take on additional more challenging responsibilities Be attentive to issues experienced by your boss and come up with creative ways to solve them (even if it isn’t your job) Make yourself indispensable and a raise will usually follow.
How to find what really matters in YOUR life.
In January, I wrote an article entitled “Do Less, Accomplish More” where I stress the importance of asking “What’s most important to you about […]”. This is an extremely powerful question that will help you make the right decisions. I recently used this question to help a former colleague and wanted to share that experience. Recently I had an interesting discussion with a former colleague who seemed exasperated and overwhelmed with life. He was so swamped he didn’t know what to do next.
Why working from home may harm your career
When you hear about non-traditional work arrangements, you probably think about a hot tech startup where employees come to work on Segways wearing Hawaiian shirts but most companies now offer some type of non-traditional work arrangement. The most common is flex time and work from home. These arrangements benefit the employees & employer. The employee gets a comfortable home work environment that is distraction free and saves dozens of travel hours. The employer gets a more productive employee and considerably reduced secondary costs (office, phone, internet, etc).