Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Those who’ve been around me much have probably heard me say, “Your greatest strength is also a weakness.” It’s something I believe wholeheartedly. If a person has boundless energy, it may cause him to move too quickly and not pay attention to the details. If someone is an incredible strategic thinker, she may not have […]
I don’t consider myself old, but I think I might be getting a little crotchety as I age. Recently, I’ve found myself frequently annoyed with people. The cause of my crankiness? An apparent lack of concern about being on time. People today don’t seem to concern themselves with being on time for appointments, meetings, or […]
Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, April 5, in the “Skills” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. The Art Of War by Sun Tzu. A seminal work on the philosophy of successful leadership that is as […]
I was reminded recently that it isn’t the next great talent that you find but the one that’s already in your organization that you’re able to keep that really counts. Think about all the time you spend writing the perfect job ad to attract the best candidates. Then you must screen dozens, if not hundreds, […]
Recently, I spoke to a group of Vanderbilt University students. The university has a class for aspiring entrepreneurs that regularly brings in business owners to share their professional experiences. When I inquired what it was they would like me to speak about, my instructions were to “just tell your story and share the lessons you’ve […]
In its 133rd year of publication, Library Journal is the oldest and most respected publication covering the library field, with review sections evaluating nearly 7000 books annually, along with hundreds of audiobooks, videos, databases, web sites, and systems that libraries buy. Recently, Library Journal released its list of the 32 best business books of 2009, dividing the books into nine categories. Here are the final three categories.
Last week I wrote about the importance of employee recognition and described our company’s version of the “employee of the year” award. I got to thinking about our most recent award recipient and what set her apart from her peers. What was it about this award winner that caused her coworkers to nominate her and […]
Employee recognition is an important, and often overlooked, part of management. Everyone likes to know that their contributions are recognized and appreciated. Yet, as managers, we all get wrapped up in the day-to-day activities of the business and can lose sight of the need to show our appreciation for the efforts our people make. And […]
I came away from last week’s health care summit scratching my head. What exactly was accomplished that moved our country one step closer to resolution of the health care debate? From what I can tell, absolutely nothing. There was certainly plenty of posturing. Both Democrats and Republicans pretended to be interested in working with the […]
Remember, the “Where’s the beef?” commercials Wendy’s restaurants began running in 1984? The advertising slogan soon became a catch phrase anytime someone wanted to question the substance of an idea or product. It seems to me, with apologies to my middle school English teacher, “Where’s the jobs?” is an appropriate slogan for the current, so-called […]