The Pros and Cons of Working Offsite

Your company is rather small, and management usually doesn’t approve of people working offsite. However, some significant changes in your life now make it necessary for you to work from home for 6-12 months. You have been an excellent employee and you know they don’t want to lose you. Besides that, you love your job and are good at it. You carefully prepare your request and argument. Then you meet with your boss and explain the possibility and how you feel you can be as ... Read more

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How Useful is Rethinking?

You’ve been the lead on a big project. You inspired and encouraged your team. You planned carefully and stayed within budget. You’ve tried to be a big thinker while paying attention to details. All seems to be in order for the final presentation, but you have an uneasy feeling that something isn’t quite right. Are you just tired, or is there really something you missed? You and the team are anxious to have the project finished and on your boss’ desk, You don’t ... Read more

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What’s Your Higher Purpose? Do You Still Have One?

Think back a few years ago to the moment when you decided what your career path or life work would be. Perhaps it was the day you declared your college major or when you were offered your first job. Is what you are doing now what you expected to be doing two or five or ten or more years later? Did you set out with a purpose—with a higher purpose? Has that changed? You may now work for a nonprofit (a for-purpose) organization, and, on a daily basis, be involved in helping to meet their ... Read more

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Thoughts Have Power

Recently I found a copy of “The Magic of Believing” by Claude Bristol. It was written in 1991, but I had never read it before. One phrase, in particular, stood out: thoughts have power. We know we can talk ourselves into (or out of) doing something. We can use our thoughts (and our self-talk) to bolster our confidence or undermine our efforts. While most of us can’t actually project our thought power and manipulate others (or a ouija board) simply with our minds, we can ... Read more

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How Do You Work with the Office Tweaker?

You probably know someone who can never let well enough alone, who always has a way to do something better or differently or more? These individuals drive friends, family, and coworkers crazy because their projects and plans never quite get finished. They are continually tweaking things. Tweakers struggle with minutiae. For them, the big picture gets eclipsed by the details, and instead of controlling the project, they get stuck trying to control relatively unimportant tasks. These are the ... Read more

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Don’t Wait for Inspiration

A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper. –E.B. White The most prolific artists, writers, and otherwise productive workers do not wait for inspiration in order to begin their work. They simply begin. They may adhere to a schedule they’ve set for themselves to sit down and paint, practice, or put pen to paper. They may reward themselves once they’ve reached specific goals. They often set boundaries with friends and families and ... Read more

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Are You Really Asking for Feedback?

One of the criticisms that we hear repeatedly is that the millennial generation wants constant feedback. Frequently, an accompanying statement is that they can’t handle criticism. So what are they really looking for? Praise? Direction? Attention? Mentoring? Access? Clarity? Context? Validation? All of these? Something else? While generalizing about any group is always dangerous, are there some commonalities that can be identified? We know that those in the younger workforce tend to be ... Read more

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Is Face-to-Face Networking Really Necessary?

You’re a networking whiz. You have “likes” and followers galore—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, even Pinterest. Everyone knows you, everyone that is except for colleagues throughout your organization or professional field. You remember them. They are the ones who identify the up-and-coming talent, and who make decisions about promotions and opportunities for growth and advancement. They don’t spend their time trolling the web or evaluating personal posts of ... Read more

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I’m Really an Imposter

Scenario One The boss asks you to attend a meeting in her place. At first, you were pleased, but as the meeting room fills up, you realize that you are the youngest and least experienced person there. You’re an impostor. Scenario Two You spent years finishing your professional degree as a therapist. You landed the agency job you wanted, and now you are sitting across from a very troubled client. All of a sudden, you have that nagging thought that you’re not qualified to be a ... Read more

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Should You Care More Than Your Boss?

You’ve been in your job for awhile and you have a pretty good understanding of how things work and when the office is the busiest. Your new boss has only been there a few weeks and seems to be fairly low key. While you admire her approach, you are concerned about several looming deadlines for projects. For instance, the renewal for your agency’s primary grant funding is due next month. You know how important that is and how much time and energy it takes to complete it on time. ... Read more

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