You don’t learn anything by doing things the easy way.

Growing up I had this friend who was always trying to make money by doing every get rich quick scheme he could think of.  Remember when stuffing envelopes was the thing that sounded so easy and profitable?  All you had to do was stuff envelopes and you could make millions! Needless to say, he never got rich off of doing that or several of the other things he tried.  He had to, reluctantly, actually work in order to make money.  Life isn’t easy. If we could, we would naturally want to take the path of least resistance. If someone offered you the opportunity to make more money and be more successful by doing less work, we would all jump on […]

Read the room!

One of the most important things in being a manager of people is the ability to connect. Not just with your employees, but with your peers and customers.  If you are not able to create an environment that breads inclusion, you end up missing the mark with people and this then creates exclusion and confusion.   I, as a manager of people, try to find common ground for education.  I try not to use examples or lessons that wouldn’t make eye contact with everyone.  I don’t like to use analogies that wouldn’t connect with certain people because of their background, age, race or sex.  It’s often a challenge, but one of the keys to being a good manager is the […]

What ifs, greener grass and burning bridges.

Recently a great friend of mine called me for some career advice.  He was weighing his options on wether or not to take a new job or stay with his current employer.  When the new company offered him more money than he was currently making, his old company matched it in an effort to keep him.  He was on the fence and too close to the situation and needed an outside opinion to help process everything.    It’s amazing how that happens.  You work at a place for years and suddenly, when someone else shows interest in you, you finally get offered the amount of money you wanted or you feel you should have gotten prior to another company showing […]

Be memorable, but don’t be Chris Farley.

I meet a lot of people in my profession.  I shake so many hands in a given day, that it is a necessity to have a vat of hand sanitizer on the corner of my desk.   I would like to think that one of my better qualities is my ability to be memorable.  Whenever meeting someone new, especially in business, it is important to leave them with a lasting impression.  If they too meet tons of new people in a day-how will you stand out from the pack?  What makes you memorable?  They need to walk away with at least one positive takeaway from the brief or extensive conversation.  Not Ten. They just need one.  It’s important to be […]