Women as Leaders in the Corporate World
With the release of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, the role of women as leaders has been prominently in the news. It seems that Sandberg is trying to start a movement; perhaps we could call it feminism 2.0? Her...
Advocates — Your Secret Weapon for Professional Development
Are you lucky enough to have a business mentor? It could be someone who is either successful in your particular field or generally successful in business, or who takes you under his/her wing. If so, that relationship can be a huge boon to your success. Being mentored...
Personal Marketing Quandry: Toot Your Own Horn at Work?
There’s a huge difference between being humble, and being passive, mousy or timid. It’s OK to let the world — and more importantly, your superiors — know what a great job you’re doing. You also can do so without being full of yourself, a braggart, or an arrogant,...
Is Fear Inhibiting Your Professional Development?
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ~~ T. S. Eliot We all know people who are risk takers ... they take large leaps in a single bound, fearlessly bounding up corporate ladders, while we watch from the safety of our...
Women — Break the Glass Ceiling Within
Time Magazine recently ran a fascinating interview with Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, and undoubtedly one of the most successful and influential female corporate executives of all time. The piece was timed to coincide with the release of Sandberg’s new book, Lean...
Are You Taking Advantage of All Professional Development Opportunities Your Company Offers? (part 2 of 2)
This blog is the second of a two-part series written by guest blogger Sean Conrad. The first part of this two-part blog focused on the use of multi-rater feedback, performance reviews and assessments as an aspect of professional development (for oneself and others)....
Are You Taking Advantage of All Professional Development Opportunities Your Company Offers? (part 1 of 2)
This blog is the first of a two-part series written by guest blogger Sean Conrad. While most of us want to develop and progress in our careers and know that it’s ultimately our own responsibility to take charge of our own development, few of us take advantage of all...
A Business Presentation Without Humor is Like a Job Without a Paycheck — And That’s Not Funny!
You may be hesitant to incorporate humor into your business presentations, but the reward outweighs the risk. Here are eight reasons to consider taking the risk and including humor in your speech, introduction or presentation: It helps you break the ice, connect with...
A Business Presentation Without Humor is Like a Job Without a Paycheck – And That’s Not Funny! (part 1 of 2)
“Every speaker has his moment. The problem is, most of them stretch it into an hour.” --unknown If you’re serious about your professional development and really want to gain the competitive advantage in your career, business presentations are likely in your future –...
Create Apt Analogies for Brilliant Business Presentations (part 1 of 2)
There’s nothing worse than being stuck listening to a dead, dull, dry presentation on an important topic -— a topic that you need to learn about. It’s hard to say who it’s worse for: the presenter who sees audiences members’ eyes glazing over, or the audience members...