3 Strategies to Avoid Career-Killing Behaviors & Mistakes
Often, it’s the new hires who need the most help navigating corporate politics and office dynamics – but not always. Even seasoned employees can have career-hurting missteps. Here’s a story of the former… A colleague’s college-senior son – let’s call him James – had a...
Advocates Can Help Your Career
One of my past coaching clients recently reached out to me to reconnect. He was proud of his latest accomplishment -- moving from a sales role to a marketing position within the same organization. Greg felt he would have a better opportunity for advancement and less...
Generation Why … Don’t They Get It?
Never before have American workplaces seen such generational diversity – there are Baby Boomers working alongside Generation X and Millennials (aka Generation Y), and even some working past typical retirement age. This wide mix of employee age groups can result in...
Business Dining Manners Matter for Top Level Jobs
At a recent networking event, a young man named Tony told me he edged out the competition to land a plum job at a Fortune 100 firm. He’d interviewed first with an executive recruiter, who told Tony he only had one other candidate in mind to recommend for the position....
Accountability Starts With Taking Responsibility for Your Actions
The other day I was in the kitchen making lunch, when the building shook. I immediately asked my colleagues in the back office if they were OK – as the accompanying loud “thud” I heard sounded like it came from their offices. They were both OK but looking out the...
A Costly Gesture: Extend Workplace Professionalism Well Beyond the Workplace
Are courtesy and professionalism just facades that you show in the office, or a true reflection of the authentic you? Let me share a true story … An embarrassed coaching client, a top sales representative at her firm, once told me that she’d learned an important...
Presentation Skills Lessons from Tarzan
How can a classic cartoon impact your business success? A story from Tarzan... In the first scene, Tarzan just learned that Jane is in the jungle and he’s excited to meet her, but very nervous -- just like many of us are before an important meeting or...
Why You Didn’t Get That Promotion – Could This Be You?
Yet another story that proves the importance of visual signals and polishing your package… While the story below happened a while ago, it’s one that still resonates -- and is relevant -- to this day. The managing director of a large financial services firm approached...
Your Presentation Package Counts: the Power of the Visual Message
I’m always fascinated by things that people don’t realize about themselves, things that might be significantly impacting their careers in a less-than-positive way. These bad mannerisms, wardrobe “malfunctions,” etc., all seem so obvious to us, don’t they? Yet often...
Communicating Via Social Media – Avoid Posting Pitfalls
In social media, one wrong click of a button can have potentially career-damaging consequences. Let me share a story that Bill, a colleague of mine, told me. He was very excited to be venturing into LinkedIn for the first time. Sure, he had a profile, but that was it....