Each year brings with it scores of new business books filled with secrets. Become a better leader! Start a million dollar company! Be your best at work! they tell you, We’ll show you how! Even if you maxed out on vacation days, it would be impossible to read them all. But wouldn’t it be nice […]
The path to success isn’t always straight. There are often bumps and turns and forks in the road. But a little bit of guidance can help you find your way. In fact, many of the most successful leaders are where they are today because they took advice from people they trusted. Eric Schmidt, executive chairman, […]
Countless books and articles have been written about what might be termed “the grander aspects” of leadership – the need to have a vision, the ability to decide on and execute a strategy, the importance of communication, the crucial role of motivation and such like – but rather less attention is paid to the “nuts […]
There isn’t any topic about the workplace that brings up more anger and frustration than office politics. “It’s just not fair!” is what I hear over and over again when addressing this topic in presentations and workshops. Women especially find this an emotional issue. Why? Because women are more likely than men to avoid the […]
Alan Buckelew, chief operations officer of Carnival Corp., moved to Shanghai last September so he could help the world’s biggest cruise-ship company expand in China. He still supervises five executives at its Miami headquarters. A heavy workload forced Mr. Buckelew to conduct year-end performance reviews for three of those deputies via videoconferencebut he wasn’t happy […]
Employers want to know who has one foot out the door. As turnover becomes a bigger worry—and expense—in a tightening labor market, companies including Wal-Mart Stores Inc.,Credit Suisse Group AG and Box Inc. are analyzing a vast array of data points to determine who is likely to leave a post. The idea, say people who […]
Anxiety gets a bad rap. We often talk about it as something that needs to be “cured.” But according to “Anxiety Toolkit” author and psychologist Alice Boyes, that’s over-simplifying. With a little mental finesse, anxiety can be an ally. Boyes herself uses a simple thinking exercise to put her anxious nature to good use. “I make […]
The body speaks volumes. But what it says depends on the culture you’re in. Facial expressions, gestures, mannerisms, and degree of eye contact vary greatly across countries. For example, “Arms, which are used little by Nordics during conversation, are an indispensable element in one’s communicative weaponry in Italy, Spain, and South America,” writes Richard Lewis in “When […]
Some people just can’t accept change. Others thrive on it. Some hunker down and try to avoid it. Others face it head on, embrace it and climb up the next rung of the ladder because of it. The news of change provides them the incentive and the energy to prevail over some challenge. Employers generally […]
Today on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone celebrates the Luck of the Irish. On the other 364 days each year, the rest of us (without this Irish heritage) seem to lament the few who are always lucky, catching big breaks out of nowhere and being in the right place at the right time. However, […]