Monthly Insights & Musings
How to successfully delegate to a persistent question-asker
Have you ever heard of the 1970s television show, Colombo? The detective in the series, played by Peter Falk, kept returning to ask the suspects questions until they practically confessed, just to get rid of him! Maybe you have a Colombo as an employee—you...
Coping with Chronic Complainers
For many years, I worked at a company with a person who greeted me every morning with some variation on, “You won’t believe what they’ve done now!” Part of my job was to listen to any complaints and recommend solutions to the owner of the company (my boss), or...
Dealing With People Who Seem to Fly Off the Handle
Wow. It must be “Difficult People Season!” I’ve never had more follow-up questions than I did to the article I posted two weeks ago, on dealing with difficult people. So, let’s continue the conversation over the next few weeks… One of the toughest difficult...
How to handle difficult people
Do you happen to have your very own difficult person? How many times have you ever wished your difficult person would just stop being difficult? Did that change their difficult behavior? How many times have you ever told someone else about your difficult person: “I...
Productivity “myths” that might be holding you back from being—well, more productive!
If you’re like most people, there are times when you reach the end of your workday, you sink back in your chair, you look at your still-cluttered desk, and you wish you’d been able to accomplish more (sometimes a lot more). Whether “the end of your workday” is...
For recruiters, hiring managers, and HR staff: my favorite interview questions (and why I like them!)
If you’re a recruiter, hiring manager, or an HR professional, you probably spend a good deal of your workday interviewing job candidates. And you already know that you must optimize the time you spend with each candidate by asking the most “telling” questions you can...
To share or not to share: Should your salary/benefits package remain confidential?
Today I’m going to address a question submitted by Marti G, a reader in the Midwest: Should a person share salary details with a co-worker? And if so, how should they go about doing this? Thanks, Marti, for the challenging topic suggestion! This one’s complicated, but...
Five sure-fire tips (plus a killer bonus tip) that’ll ensure your success as a Networking Ninja Master!
Networking! Now take a deep breath and remain calm. I know that for many of you, networking is the worst word in our business vernacular other than “micromanager,” but hear me out. At some point, I absolutely guarantee that you will be attending an event – either...
The Brutal Truth about Setting Goals: You just gotta have ‘em!
Yeah, right. You’ve heard it all before. Your mother told you. Your teachers told you. Your boss told you. You probably even attended a seminar or two, and the trainer told you: “You’ve got to set some goals if you expect to get anywhere.” Well, guess what? They were...
It’s not only second-hand smoke that’s dangerous—second-hand stress can get you too!
Have you ever been walking down the street when suddenly, someone in front of you gets knocked to the ground by another pedestrian, and your body instinctively tenses up like you’re the one who fell? And, because falling is only funny in a movie where a guy slips on a...
Six Leadership Traits Everyone Can Learn
When I speak with managers and supervisors in my workshops around the country, I’m often asked this question: “What skills do I need to take my career to the next level?” Obviously, if your job requires a unique set of technical or software skills, that’s...
My Best Career Tip? Keep Your Boss Happy!
I’ve been a professional trainer for most of my career, and I can give literally dozens of career tips off the top of my head that are proven and practical—and can be put into practice by just about anyone. But there’s one simple tip that works better than any other:...