Workplace Smarts
February 16th, 2010
Limping Leadership
What happens when a team, a group, a company or an organization loses its vision, its organization, it energy, its leadership and/or its passion? Simply, it dies. Some deaths are sudden. Most are prolonged.September 29th, 2009
Finding the Right Job When Business is Broken
Business is Broken ... and the way to seek/search for a job is not writing a resume nor contacting HR.May 17th, 2009
Being Realistic in a Job Quest
In case you’ve missed the news, times are not great. Unemployment is creeping up. Google’s recent announcement of a layoff post the DoubleClick acquisition has splashed across the nation’s news outlets. Now, it’s not uncommon for a company to do some housecleaning when a merger or takeover occurs. The ...May 17th, 2009
What is Seen is What You Say
Have you ever been at a function, be it with a dozen or many, many more, and you’ve done one of those brain-dead things … you’ve forgotten the name of someone you were just been introduced to?You painstakingly try to remember the guy’s name, hoping that someone will come along ...May 17th, 2009
What To Do When the Boss is a Steam Roller
You're beat. It’s been a long month. You note the clock says 3:10. You need a break. Your boss walks into your cubicle and drenches any plans of you roaring at a game. Another project has become urgent. One that you knew was out there, but your boss didn’t ...May 17th, 2009
You’ve Been Fired!
When the dotcoms went dot bust a few years ago, employees celebrated their inclusion to the jobless ranks with pink-slip parties. Your entry ticket was showing your termination notice at the door. No notice, no party. Being fired became a badge of honor—if you hadn’t been, you just weren’t in. Fast ...May 17th, 2009
You May Talk Too Much . . .
During the past month, I’ve had several queries about personal information, as in, how much should be revealed within the confines of the workplace? Consider this—you are the parent of a driving teenager, a challenge that post teen parents will empathize with you on. Your son has been practicing his independence ...May 17th, 2009
The Unwritten Rules Rule
There’s a classic scene in the movie, A League of Their Own, when manager Tom Hanks sees one of his outfielders approaching the dugout and she’s crying. He says (actually yells), “Crying?! There’s no crying in baseball!”Hmmm … now where would that be in the player’s policy manual? It’s not. Our ...May 17th, 2009
To Embrace, or Not To Embrace Change … That Shouldn’t Be Your Question!
Nursing is pretty lean. I suspect it will be made leaner. In other departments, there are a lot of management people; there could be some streamlining done there. In nursing, we have always bit the bullet and found out later that other departments haven't reduced their personnel. Any type of ...May 17th, 2009
The Great Communicator
For Seinfeld watchers, one of the classic episodes starts in Monk's Restaurant. Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and his girlfriend of the month are at their regular table. Kramer gets up to make a phone call. Both Jerry and Elaine attempt to engage the woman in conversation to no avail. All she ...May 17th, 2009
Terrorism Brings New Challenges to Work
Since September 11, people are talking more—in the workplace; in their homes; with their friends; and with strangers. I fly a lot—I’m one of those road warriors who routinely logs in excess of 100,000 miles each year and working on my second million miles with United Airlines. Since the 11th, I’ve ...May 17th, 2009
Surviving the Toxic Workplace with Sabotage Savvy
"I didn't want to believe it was happening. It was one of those times in my life that I didn't listen to myself. I kept pushing it down, saying, 'This isn't true. It can't be happening. She's really not like this.' When I finally opened my eyes and ears, I ...May 17th, 2009
Sometimes You Have to Restart Your Engines
What do you do when you feel that your career may be flushing down the drain? Hit the Internet sites with an updated resume—after all, everyone knows that there are zillions of jobs posted, right? Start calculating how much time you’ve accrued when the ax falls—with accumulated sick and vacation time, ...May 17th, 2009
Red Ink Behavior and Zapping Conflict in the Health Care Workplace
Brenda has been late for her shift at least once a week for the past six months; Patricia knows just about everything possible about a patient’s family; Dennis doesn’t respond to any issue until it becomes chaos; Caroline consistently withholds information from her coworkers; Martha is cryptic in her communications, leaving ...May 17th, 2009