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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...
read moreA 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...
read moreThe 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...
read moreCooking 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...
read moreCareer Wisdom from Mom!
Happy Mother’s Day! From the mouths of great mothers come these words of career wisdom: Consultant David Mullaney’s reminded him to, “Be a-lert, the world needs more lerts!” Artist Jennifer Spencer’s advised, “If someone has hired you, you must do your best whether you want to or not.” Retail specialist Sandra Hezlitt’s told her: “Work just as hard as your fellow employees, and employers, work just as hard as your workers.” Business owner Ann Clarke’s said, “You don’t need someone else to make you happy or take care of you. It’s within YOU!” College Professor Jim Vernon’s...
read moreStress Relief through Journaling
“So the week begins anew. That sense of dread is with me again. I still haven’t figured out a solution to this business dilemma. Not sure what I’ll do from here…” This was the start of my journal entry on Monday last week. Lately I spend a few minutes each morning transferring the thoughts in my head to paper. I’ve known for years that journaling helps me deal with stress and speeds me more quickly toward fixes to problems that are taking up my headspace. It turns out that aside from my anecdotal experiences, there’s also science behind the value of journaling. Psychologist and expressive...
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