Organizational behavior. Taking responsibility.

Someone in the chain of production made a mistake, and a customer received a sub-par product. Quickly, team members started pointing fingers about who was possibly to blame.  Time was wasted, morale was deflated, and hours later the problem was no closer to being fixed. Sound familiar? This is common behavior in many organizations.  Imagine, though, if the first person who learned of the error instead said, “Am I willing to take full responsibility for this situation?”, and then took action to resolve it? Leadership development expert Nancy Kepner with Crafted Leadership explains that would...

A Second Chance – Tips for entering the workforce after incarceration.

In response to a well-written letter from an inmate who will soon be eligible for employment in Larimer County. Her background is as an administrative assistant, customer service and horticulture work, but she’s also interested in fast food opportunities. Her crime was possession of methamphetamines, and she says this experience has changed her life. A handful of friends and colleagues shared these suggestions about felon-friendly employers: Robyn L. Feldberg shared a link to a list of employers: http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-companies-that-hire-felons/business-and-company-info...

The Graduation Cap – Tips for your future ahead.

Kudos to those who just received their diplomas. Considering that only about one quarter of adults ever receives a bachelor’s degree, it’s an impressive accomplishment. But now you’re facing the transition from a fairly prescribed path to forging forward with no set plan. The iconic symbol of completing your program—the cap—can guide you ahead: C – Clarity: For most grads, their major doesn’t define their vocational choice. Over 70% complete commencement without a career goal in mind. Yet without one, they may quickly end up feeling aimless and frustrated. Even if it may not seem 100% on...

Driving around town after our recent spring snowstorm, I noticed that areas west of College Avenue seemed much harder hit than those east of it—more fallen branches and remaining drifts. I mentioned it to my husband. “That’s the difference one degree can make,” he explained. Closer to the foothills the slightly-colder weather caused more snow to freeze on branches, resulting in more weight and breakage. Just a single degree created that much difference. It got me thinking, how many one-degree shifts were driving positive…and negative…shifts in my own life? “Shift” has been my theme for...

Cooking Up Job Experiments!

A friend loaned me her copy of Julie & Julia. I’d seen the movie years ago, yet reading the book reminded me of the delight and value that can come from diving into a career experiment. A career experiment is a short-term, low-risk experience that exposes the experimenter to an aspect of a profession that intrigues them. Career experiments can help with career planning, and, in author Julie Powell’s case, to satisfy a craving. Powell had been fascinated with cooking and Julia Child for years. If you’re familiar with the story, you’ll recall that Powell challenged herself to cook all of...