My dear friend Amy and I were debriefing my TEDx talk recently (Why You Should Stop Searching for Work You Love). She was there to see it live and in person, and had given me the equivalent of a standing ovation when I spoke with her after the fact—she loved my talk (of course she did, she’s a good friend, remember?)
Read MoreReflecting upon an internship with Wal-Mart last summer, Daniela*, an MBA student, raved to me about her manager and how much she learned on the job. She was encouraged to keep a running list of questions about how the mammoth retailer’s operations worked, and she discussed them with her manager during weekly calls. Then, whenever feasible, the manager put her in touch with the people directly related to her inquiries. By the end of the summer, Daniela had a strong handle on Wal-Mart, and had built up a stable of contacts and connections internally to help her think strategically about next steps in her career.
Read MoreRecently, the marketing director for a tech start-up told me that her CEO was furiously drafting job descriptions for a half-dozen summer interns. She was planning to bring a small army of youngsters on board to help push her business into overdrive this summer. As the director of marketing looked at her CEO quizzically, she asked, “you know you need to manage all those interns, right?”
Read MoreIf you took a poll of critical skills most important to business success, you’d be hard pressed to come up with a list that didn’t include vision, leadership, drive, ambition, or intellect. You’d be equally hard pressed to find one that included, much less led with, generosity. That generosity is important and valued isn’t news — but a key driver of success? That’s not often where it lands.
Read MoreThe litany of leaders who’ve founded and built their companies in their twenties and thirties is long and storied. It’s hard to read much of anything in the news these days without Mark Zuckerberg, Biz Stone, or Andrew Mason weighing in. But more and more today, even the average young professional, the Millenial, is taking on increased responsibility at work, and managing and leading others far older than themselves.
Read MoreIt may come as news to some (young) people, but business and pleasure are not synonymous. With the Millenials’ exodus to social media platforms from good old-fashioned email accounts, the lines between our business and personal lives are increasingly blurred. We live on our smart phones or blackberries and technology has enabled us to multi-task to such an extent that the once-clear delineations of personal life and work life have all but disappeared.
Read MoreBack in the days of Mad Men, there were clear delineations between administrative and professional roles. Secretaries, as they were then called, existed expressly to type memos, fetch coffee, serve lunch and schedule meetings.Today, the once-clear lines between administrative and professional roles have changed. While it would have been unthinkable to ask an assistant account manager to schedule a meeting at Sterling Cooper in the 1960s, today it is not only common, it arguably commands a degree of respect and aptitude.
Read MoreBob Bowman, longtime coach of swimming phenom Michael Phelps, was once asked why Phelps did not swim the languorous distance sets that were part of some other competitors’ regimens. “We don’t want him to swim slow in meets,” he said, “so why would we have him practice swimming slow?”I am often reminded of this distinction when I’m asked about the difference between communicating with a client and communicating internally, with your team
Read MoreI’m always amazed when I hear about smart, talented people going to their supervisors to ask for guidance using phrases like, “What do you think I should do?” Or, “How should I…?” As a young professional or junior executive, it’s not crazy to think you won’t know what to do all of the time. Having limited or bad information is a reality many of us face on a regular basis. What we do in that situation, however, is up to us.
Read MoreHow do you decline to make an introduction on behalf of someone else without sounding like a jerk? The truth is, you should never make an introduction you don’t feel comfortable making. If you can’t vouch for someone’s qualifications or don’t feel confident that the introduction makes sense, than you owe it to all parties not to move forward — it’s never a good idea to waste other people’s time or your own political capital. If you can’t in good conscience move forward with an introduction, here’s what you should do instead.
Read MoreAlex, a summer intern in public relations, found herself facing the end of a successful summer internship without the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Alex was smart, talented and well regarded by her colleagues. Her agency, however, simply didn’t have a full time job to offer her at the end of her internship. So Alex’s manager took it upon herself to help Alex find a full-time job. Unfortunately, she’s the exception, not the rule. Only 37% of students say internships are a good job search resource.
Read MorePeople often ask me to introduce them to others who are well connected or well respected in their fields. Strategically, when it makes sense, I’m all for putting them in touch with whomever I think can help their cause, personally or professionally. And yet, while I love making meaningful connections for people, I am extremely thoughtful about protecting colleagues’ and friends’ time or best interests — I don’t want to damage our relationship by pulling a fast one on you.
Read MoreAccording to Elon Musk, a good way to tell if a candidate is fibbing about his or her qualifications is whether they can use a personal story to illustrate a particularly telling experience. “If someone was really the person that solved a problem, they’ll be able to answer the question on multiple levels,” he says. “Anyone who really solves a problem never forgets it.”
Read MoreIt’s hard to argue that a primetime network T.V. show that debuts after the Super Bowl has any mission other than to entertain the masses. It’s perhaps unfair then to ascribe any further responsibility to “Undercover Boss”.
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