BizBuzz
By: Mary Lee Gannon, CAE
I find in the people that I coach and teach that the number one reason
that many people are conflicted, unhappy and living without inner peace
is that they are living a life outside of their values. It is difficult to live in
accordance with your values if you first do not know what they are. Our
lives are full of so many decisions that need to be made for practical
reasons that we often prioritize in order of what is immediate just to get it
done as opposed to looking down the road and putting a little more
thought into “What can I do today that will bring my actions in line with my
values?”
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By: Christina Damiano
In working with successful (and not so successful) entrepreneurs over the years, I have found some common characteristics that go beyond the traditional tasks we normally talk about (e.g. having a business plan, access to capital, and a good group of advisers).
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
The Grammar Nerd: Like vs. As – Than vs. Then – Infer vs. Imply
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By: Mary Lee Gannon, CAE
A Vision Board reflects vivid imagery to remind you every day of where you are going. Not sure where that is? Read along.
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By: Mary Lee Gannon, CAE
It is well into January and I am wondering how you are doing on your New Year’s Eve resolutions? Terrible? Most people find resolutions hard to keep. Why? Because they have no foundation to support your desired change in habit.
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By: Mary Lee Gannon, CAE
As the leader of a meeting, organization, committee or project team one of your challenges, especially when dealing with a heated issue, is to be able to channel the emotions that may arise into a productive entity for the group. When an emotion is expressed you must help the person who is expressing the emotion identify the emotion and its source. Then facilitate a discussion that leads them to express the emotion in a way that contributes to – rather than detracts from – group goals and effectiveness.
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By: Ann L. Begler
Here we are at the holiday season. I was talking with a friend the other day as I was thinking about what the Anti-Antagonist might offer this week. “There’s some message about conflict that’s embedded in this particular season,” I found myself saying. “Maybe I’ll write about that.” “Join the writing crowd,” my friend said, “as everyone who writes about anything right now is trying to figure out the same thing. ‘What shall I write about the holidays?’”
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By: Ann L. Begler
Originally posted in the Post-Gazette
Thanksgiving, for many people, is the beginning of a long stretch of the holiday season when they gather with family, new and old friends, and colleagues who haven’t been quite as available during the hectic pace of work life. For some, it can also be a time of real loneliness that comes with remembering people who have passed on, or struggling through moments of deciding whether to reach out to others. Within my sphere of professional work clients frequently talk about the kinds of conflicts that emerge during the holiday pace and within a climate where multiple expectations can create stress amidst the times of joy. And, some of my colleagues write articles and their own blogs about managing family conflicts during the holiday time.
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By: Beth Slagle, Esquire
To give the boss a gift or not, that is the question that I ask of thee.
Actually, it’s the question that came up when I spent a day playing with one of my close friends who is an administrative assistant for a female attorney. The choice for her was simple — yes, she would buy a gift, but she labored over what to give and how much to spend. Is it too personal, am I spending too much or not enough?
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
With unemployment at all-time highs and a lot of competition for available jobs, job seekers need all of the advantages they can get in that arena.
Sure, your education and professional experience paint a pretty good picture of the employee that you may one day be, but the way that you communicate—both in writing and in speaking—could say more about you than what is on that resume!
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By: Nancy Stampahar of Silver Lining Solutions
The crazy, hustle-bustle holiday season is approaching. By learning how to occasionally say “no” and treating each other with respect, you can take control of the demands at work and home you are facing. You must learn how to not fret over your own feelings of guilt, fears of rejection or possible repercussions. You can still be helpful and considerate of others, but you must take care of yourself first.
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By: Nicole Yelich
Ladies, we all need our beauty sleep. But these are though times and I’m not sure if there is enough concealer out there to tackle the dark circles this recession is causing for women (and men, no doubt) across the country.
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By: Hilary Daninhirsch
My grandmother was my biggest fan, cheerleader and beta reader. Most of my childhood creative writing fell under her gentle scrutiny. The comment was always the same: “You’re going to be a writer.”
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By: Emily Bush, Chelsey Hennemuth & Beth Slagle, Esquire
Jennifer Cairns leads a double life – she is a fierce litigation attorney for McGuireWoods LLP, and she is an equally fierce defensive back for the Pittsburgh Passion, the full contact women’s professional football team. Not to mention she recently added another big life change into the mix – the role of mom.
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By: Demetria Pappas and Lisa Iadicicco
Mother, May I has been bombarded with the netiquette faux pas—It seems that not a day goes by without someone losing their job or causing a big stink when it comes to hitting the wrong key..
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By: Wendy Maletta
Millions of individuals and companies around the world hire professional coaches to provide them with objectivity and support in improving their careers, businesses and lives. But how does coaching work, and why should you consider hiring a coach?
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By: Kirstin Kennedy & Beth Slagle, Esquire
Lisa Corbett is inspiring. She’s gorgeous, strong-willed, savvy and intelligent. You know the type — the kind of person women get jealous of. She is also the epitome of reinvention, something to which many aspire but do not have the courage to follow their dream.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
For this article I chose topics that cause me to pause whenever I encounter them in writing or speaking. I have to stop and think about the rule before proceeding. I hope that these reviews will be helpful for you as well.
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By: Beth Slagle, Esquire
Altruistic reasons aside, being a do-gooder can boost your resume in big ways. Showing employers or prospective employers that you’re involved in volunteer efforts is an indicator of your willingness to give back to the community and may give you the opportunity to demonstrate a skill set that you haven’t yet been able to showcase to your employer. Also, giving your time to others speaks volumes about the type of person you are. A big thumbs up for volunteerism all around.
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By: Beth Slagle, Esquire
Have you ever done the hug me or shake hands dance? You know the one — you’re meeting up with a business associate with whom you’re on friendly terms and figuring out whether to hug or shake. Or, even more awkward – have someone lean in for a hug when you don’t really know them? Been there way too many times. For my business life, I shake and hug (that sounds like a dance, doesn’t it?), depending on what hat I’m wearing and the environment I’m in.
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By: Demetria Pappas and Lisa Iadicicco
If your morning routine involves ignoring your co-workers, breezing by them without so much as a hello, you might want to consider what message you’re sending.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
My grammar nerdery began, oh, probably around fourth grade, when we learned how to write the phonetic pronunciation of words. From there, I progressed into diagramming sentences and Business English in high school with much enthusiasm. All of this combined to lay the foundation for a little research project that I conducted years ago.
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By: Jill Revitsky
Working in a traditional office (or at your dining room table) can be challenging if you are distracted by existing paperwork, emails, and texts from colleagues, customers, and other important contacts. I often hear from my clients that they wish they could have a day to clean up their office so that they “can think”. Non-important papers or completed project folders often get pushed down to the floor, and begin gathering dust at our feet. When I work with individuals in small to large offices, the first thing they say to me when we are done is that they feel like they can finally be productive. How do we get to that point?
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By: Beth Slagle, Esquire
The blank stare is an art form. You know what I’m talking about – the look you give when you want to intimidate or show confidence. That “look” in which you’re attempting to convey zero emotion; but the emotionless stare itself speaks volumes. It can make people uncomfortable, appearing confrontational, rude or intimidating. Mastered correctly, it can also be a useful tool.
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By: Beth Slagle
Many busy small-business owners spend all of their time thinking about the here and now, with little focus on the future. However, the long-term survival of your business – as well as your own retirement security – depends on establishing a realistic and workable exit strategy. Planning allows you to control different aspects of your business.
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By: Beth Slagle
Do you suffer from vacation guilt syndrome? Any type A personality knows what I’m talking about — feeling guilty for leaving work to take a vacation. Having just come back from a week long trip to Ireland and Spain, where the nonstop blackberry messages told the tale of mini explosions, I questioned whether it was worth it as the guilt pangs sharpened with each “ding” of a new message.
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By: Elaina Smiley
One of the biggest mistakes an employer can make is assuming that because an employee is paid a “salary” that no overtime pay is necessary. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, there are only certain categories of employees who are exempt from overtime pay. In determining whether an employee qualifies as exempt from overtime pay, the job duties of the particular employee must be carefully considered.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
One of the things that I see quite prevalently on the grammar Oops! list is question marks after sentences that are not questions. Writers get confused, because a word is in the sentence that usually indicates a question. Here is a real-world example:
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By: Kirstin Kennedy
According to Slate Magazine, last year females made up the majority of the workforce for the first time in our nation’s history. Currently, the breakdown of college enrolment falls with 43% male and 57% female.
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By: Cathy Davin
Is your office speaking to you? Is it saying, “Good morning – great to see you! Come in, sit down, and enjoy the day!” Maybe not, because too many offices say, “Help me! Save me! I’m confused and stressed!” Most business professionals spend more time in their office than they do at home, but often consider home as their comfort zone.
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By: Sheryl Johnson
Everyone talks about delivering the perfect elevator pitch, but what does that really mean? And better yet – what exactly is an elevator pitch?
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By: Beth Slagle, Esq.
The old adage that “there’s a good woman behind every man” has been bandied about for decades, but is the opposite true as well? Is there a good man behind every successful woman? Research shows that there very well could be.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
Anyway, any way, sometime, some time, everyone, every one… These are just a few examples that can cause writers and readers confusion. Do you have trouble deciding when to use which form?
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By Beth Slagle, Esq. & Kirstin Kennedy
The arrival of warm weather, graduations and kids getting out of school also brings with it the biggest time of year to say “I do.” Couples all over the world are busy preparing for the vows, cake, and kissing. Steeped in tradition, June happens to be one of the biggest wedding months out of the year, perhaps because of nice weather and school breaks, but some suggest that June celebrations are actually rooted in ancient Roman religion and practicalities.
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By: Chelsey Hennemuth
Google, Yahoo!, and Bing have become household names over the years and it’s no wonder how that has happened. Search engines make surfing the Internet extremely easy by helping to find the correct web address and useful, relevant sites.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
You know that you see this one often enough in daily and professional communication. I certainly do! What may seem simple to some is confusing to others. The Grammar Nerd is here to try to take away some of the confusion!
Go to your favorite on-line dictionary resource, and you will find pages of uses of these words! Not wanting to rewrite the dictionary, and choosing to provide a little education of the words, I opted to focus on the general, primary uses of these words.
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By: Beth Slagle
Employers and their employees disagree on whether or not companies should monitor what their workers post on social networking Web sites.
The Deloitte 2009 Ethics & Workplace Survey reports that 60 percent of business executives think they have the right to know how their employees profile themselves and their company on social networks.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
Ah, I can just see the head nods out there! This is a pain point for so many of us. I know that many of you struggle with this one right along with me!
Let’s start with the easiest one first and then work our way up from there.
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By: Beth Slagle & Kirstin Kennedy
Just because the Reply All button exists doesn’t mean you have to use it. Let’s think about that — there are lots of superfluous or irrelevant things in life that are available that we don’t use or need for one reason or another. Yet, Reply All seems to be one of the most miss-used and over used computer “things” ever. And, it’s a button that has the ability to cause embarrassment and frustration with the potential to wreak havoc on careers.
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By: Demetria Pappas and Lisa Iadicicco
Works little annoyances…
So how would you rank the following bothersome behaviors?
Colleagues who ask for a meeting, and are late or multi-tasking when the meeting is to begin?
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By: Beth Slagle
Although each business will have different insurance needs, at a minimum here are the types of insurance that a business must have or should consider:
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By: Beth Slagle
“I’m having a moment”, is my typical “recovery” statement upon trying to regain dignity from the office gaff, goof, misstep, or blunder. We all have them, or at least I’m hoping that we do. Some are more memorable than others, and my bigger ones seem to revolve around shoes, fainting and falling.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
Different From vs. Different Than…Fewer vs. Less…Who vs. Whom
I just love these requests that come to me! It gives me joy to know that there are indeed other grammar nerds out there!
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By: Beth Slagle
A study of internet social networks finds that there are well over 700 million profiles on the four most popular social networks.
While many are high school and college students, there are millions of employees, and offensive material or images in these profiles may hurt their employers.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
You may have noticed that most professional writing (brochures, websites…) includes only one space after the period. Those of us who grew up in the typewriter age and were taught “period, space, space” are wondering…what happened? Where did that come from? When did that rule change? Well, I have an answer, and I suspect that it is not the answer that our reader will like. I know that my friends certainly didn’t like it!
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By: Beth Slagle
As the number of companies doing background checks increases, so do the number of legal actions in which potential employees claim they were unfairly treated. Many such claims occur when a company withdraws a job offer based on something revealed by a background check.
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By: Linda Klingman
Therein lays a major issue for older job seekers. They have knowledge. They have wisdom and they have experience. But they must also show that they have the positive energy to get the job done. Here’s some interview advice for 50 and over job seekers to demonstrate that they can run with the younger crowd.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
Continuing down the path of professional communication, in this article I want to speak of words that are used incorrectly, and that could really convey a bad message.
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By: Linda Klingman
So, you’re not a techie but you want to use the Internet effectively in your job search. Although several forms of social networking exist, the most effective platform for job seekers is LinkedIn. Here is a primer for the job seeker who needs some marketing help.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
I know that I have trouble with some of those grammar rules, like when to use your and you’re. Could you please help me?
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By: Cori Swidorsky
Okay. Let’s go back to basics. Staying up-to-date on new – an oldie but goodie – trends can help you beat the competition and find your next job.
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By: Beth Slagle
Need directions to the hot new spa you want to try? Google it. Need a review of the must see chick flick out for the holidays? Google it. Need background information about a prospective employee? Be careful about Googling it.
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By: Pamela M. Golubski, PhD
At some point we have all probably written a chronological resume. This type of resume lists information using a timeline approach. Information is listed using the standard headings of objective, education, work experience, honors, and organizations. For new college graduates, individuals with limited work experience, or those who have held the same position for 10+ years, a chronological resume may suffice.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
My friend told me that I should ask you for some help with apostrophe’s. I don’t always know when its correct to use them. Could you write a column to help me?
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By: Mary Lee Gannon
Your emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to control and use your emotions in a constructive and productive manner. It is essential to leadership and for successful relationships.
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By: Beth Slagle
So, what’s an employer to do when the personal and intimate Internet postings of an employee cause harm to the employer’s reputation – can the employer fire an employee for off-site, off-duty activities?
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By: Cynthia Cavendish-Carey, Networker-at-Large
Regardless of your business or your situation, this guide offers practical guidance to help you boost the health of your business … and your sanity despite a down economy.
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By: Beth Slagle
It used to be that you could live by the maxim that good work flows to good people. But in this competitive business world, that just isn’t the case anymore.
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By: Sydnee Bagovich
I get so confused about when to use “I” and “me.”
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By: Emilie Ridge
Just as the word “niche” can be pronounced in two different ways, focusing on a niche in a poor economic market can take your career in two different directions.
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By: Bernadette Smith, Fifth Third Private Bank
Planning now could help prevent potential pitfalls near the end of the year.
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