The Difference Between a 'Job' and a 'Passion' – and How to Find Your Passion
There are three general approaches to work: having a job, having a career, and having a passion. I presume that most of us are looking for passions that can also equate to well-paying careers/jobs. Does finding your passion have to mean finding a million-dollar job? Not necessarily. Your nightmare job could be another person's passion, and vice versa. Finding your passion is a matter...
Read More
Are Your Adlerian Needs Being Met at Work?
While Alfred Adler is most widely known for his birth-order theories, his work was founded on the basic belief that we all are searching for a sense of belonging and significance. Family dynamics aside, there is no place where these conscious or unconscious forces are as prevalent as in your place of employment. As you progress in your career within a certain organization, those feelings, at...
Read More
How to Use Content to Build Your Personal Brand
We often talk a lot about content in the marketing world. Broadly defined, "content" means creating and sharing relevant information. It can range from business-related articles and blog posts to videos and podcasts. Content can paint a picture of a company, explain what it sells, create engagement, and do so much more. Many companies also use content to build their brands. Engaging...
Read More
Managing the Future of Your Career: Why Retirement Is Harder Than Ever
We are job-search campaign managers, which means we frequently work with senior leaders who are experts in wearing their public masks of confidence. But often, beneath those veneers is a profound despair. There are two variations of this despair: "My college roommate was able to retire at 64. I can't afford to retire. I feel like such a failure. What did I do wrong?" "I am looking...
Read More
Emotional Intelligence: Why Bother?
Recently, a client called and asked me to do a speaking engagement for a major insurance company on the topic of emotional intelligence (EQ). I explained that it takes a great deal of pain to convince people to accept input on the matter of emotional intelligence, and that they generally only do so if changing would create more of what they wanted from their careers. For example, if...
Read More
A Quick Guide to Giving Constructive Criticism at Work [Infographic]
Feedback is important in the workplace for a number of reasons, the most obvious among them being that your employees – and by extension, the overall organization – will never improve if they aren't aware of the ways in which they can improve. Another thing to note is that feedback is critical for employee engagement. Employees at all levels and of all age groups want to receive...
Read More
Your Employer Won't Always Be Loyal; Learn to Put Your Own Career First
Today, loyalty feels like a lost art. It's often hard to see where allegiances lie and who really has your back. Sadly, this is especially true in the workplace and in our careers. Over the years, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon. Even when we know things are going badly, many of us want to hang in there for the good of the company. In theory, it's good to be committed – but, in...
Read More
Thinking About Freelancing? Make Sure You Have What It Takes First [Infographic]
By some estimates, freelancers now make up about a third of the U.S. workforce. It's easier now than it ever has been to pay the bills as a self-employed worker, thanks to communications technologies that allow us do work wherever we are for whomever is paying. But that doesn't mean self-employment is the right path for everyone. As contributing writer Jason McDowell pointed out last...
Read More
6 Organization Hacks for Handling a Busy Schedule
If you – like so many other people – have a day job, a side hustle, and 50 other things on your plate, it is essential to be organized and on top of things. As someone who is always busy, I've come up with six organization hacks to help me handle my packed schedule, and I want to share them with you. Everyone is different, and because of that, some of these tips may be beneficial...
Read More
5 Signs You Need a New Career
Do you dread Mondays? Feel like Fridays can't come soon enough? It's normal to have a bad day at work from time to time, but if you hate your job week after week, that's a sign it's time for a change. But how do you determine whether you need a new job or an entirely new career? If you're on the fence about taking a new direction in your professional life, here are five questions to ask...
Read More
Being a Good Boss Isn't Easy – But This Flowchart Should Help [Infographic]
When you're the boss, the whole team's success is your responsibility, and its failures are (at least partially) your fault. That may sound like a lot for one person to shoulder, but that's the simple fact of the matter. Great leaders drive their teams to victory, and bad leaders can cause their workers to toil away futilely. But the question is – which one are you? Are you a good...
Read More
Why Some People Fail and Others Succeed
Article by Jim Rohn If we have a sincere desire for progress, then we are compelled to find every possible means to implement all that we know and feel. We must find ways to demonstrate on the outside all of the value that we possess on the inside. Otherwise, our values will remain unappreciated and our talents unrewarded. Why some people fail and others succeed can be baffling....
Read More
Being the Boss: Why So Many Leaders Fail
Nothing is more flattering than a promotion. When the executives choose you to be a leader, it sends a powerful message about your skills and knowledge. But if a promotion is proof that a person knows what they're doing at work, why is it so hard for so many employees to make the move from individual contributor to leader successfully? Leaders and Managers Need Soft Skills – But...
Read More
Learn to Use Strong Language at Work
Have you ever noticed that some people command respect when speaking while others don't? It all comes down to the power of strong language. Strong language is the difference between telling your boss that you need the day off and asking if it would be possible to take the day off. While it's never okay to disrespect your superiors, it is important to take charge and act on what you...
Read More
How to Become a Product Manager at Reebok: Andi Archer's Story
Reebok is one of the world's leading fitness brands. Have you ever wondered what it is like to work there? I spoke with Andi Archer, a product manager at Reebok, about her career journey at the brand's headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts. Bruce Harpham: What did you study in college? Andi Archer: I studied design at the Rhode Island School of Design and started at Reebok shortly...
Read More
10 Little Things Successful People Do Differently
Article by Casey Imafidon Successful people think differently, act differently, and distinguish themselves from unsuccessful people by taking a distinctive path toward their goals. Successful people all have similar traits and similar behavior patterns. The truth is that you can be successful, too, if you learn what other successful people do. And no, that doesn't mean you have to...
Read More
When's the Best Time to Ask for a Raise?
The best time to ask for a raise is the day after your boss and you have agreed to one. At that point, your boss will be exhaling for having gotten through a possibly awkward raise conversation that may or may not have left you feeling upset or disappointed. Ask your boss if you can sit down with them and ask a hypothetical question that has nothing to do with the raise you just received....
Read More
Are You a Good Listener? If Not, This Infographic Will Help:
According to multiple surveys, the skills gap so many employers face isn't just a matter of technical skills. A lot of organizations are struggling to find candidates with the right soft skills, too. In one such study from the Washington State Human Resources Council, 22 percent of executives said they were facing a shortage of technical skills – but 44 percent said they were facing a...
Read More
3 Easy Ways to Show Appreciation in Your Day-to-Day Work Life
With everything going on in the office, it can be easy to forget to stop and appreciate your team members and coworkers, but that doesn't mean it's okay. Workplace appreciation is critical to avoiding a toxic workplace. The following three tips are easy ways to make appreciation part of your busy workplace's culture: 1. Start Your Staff Meetings by Asking People to Report on the...
Read More
The Importance of Honesty: Lessons From an Olympic Untruth
Recent events have brought this very basic idea to the tops of many of our minds: Honesty should be a critical part of our professional and personal brands. Building and maintaining trusting relationships is an important piece of any successful career. News coverage from the Olympics was dominated by the actions of a few swimmers – and those actions had nothing to do with the years...
Read More
3 Reasons Why Going Abroad Could Be Good For Your Career [Infographic]
Want to take your career to the next level? You may want to consider heading overseas. If you've been thinking of starting a career abroad, then you're no doubt aware of the challenges ahead. Moving abroad for work is not the easiest thing to do – but the rewards for doing it are high. As well as being a brand-new experience and a significant life event, moving abroad for work could...
Read More
The Best Advice I Ever Heard From a Career Coach
I'm often asked for job search advice, and perhaps the No. 1 request I receive is, "What kind of job should I look for?" As a coach, most of the time, I answer this question – and other client questions – with a question of my own: "Why?" Most of us have more than enough people in our lives offering their opinions, whether we want them to or not. My goal is not to be one of those...
Read More
Don't Take the Counteroffer
You've had a good, long run at your current job, but you've recently started exploring the job market – just to see what's out there. Low and behold, you stumble across a position that is everything you've ever wanted in your career — more pay, good management, a challenging product line. Now, you're sneaking around, taking long lunches to move the interview process along, and after a lot...
Read More
Getting a Big Raise May Be Easier Than You Think
You've been at your company for years, receiving slim 2-3 percent raises after each annual performance review. You know you're falling behind your peers financially, but you're not sure what to do. Often, people in this situation will recommit themselves to their work. They decide that if they work hard enough and show their boss how great they are, they'll be rewarded in a few more...
Read More
How to Make the Most of Your First 100 Days as a New Executive Hire
Today, new executives have precious little transition time as they embark on their new leadership journeys and step up to the challenges of the jobs they've been hired to do. In our data-driven and highly competitive industry environments, a new executive's C-level colleagues have every expectation that the goals discussed during the recruitment process are a top-of-mind priority for that...
Read More
The Real Reasons Why Women Earn Less Than Men at Work
Statistically, women do earn less money than men do, but when you compare women and men in the same jobs with the same skill sets, the wage disparity is lower than you'd think, according to PayScale. Often, the gap between men's and women's salaries has little to do with skill set. Many times, it all boils down to how a person perceives themselves and their self-worth. Confidence plays a...
Read More
The Art of Negotiation: 5 Steps to Getting the Salary You Deserve
Salary negotiation early on in one's career has the potential to gain them anywhere between $500,000 and $1,000,000 throughout their working life, and yet only 37 percent of millennials report ever asking for a raise. Whether that's because they got a raise before they asked for one, were uncomfortable negotiating, or don't want to seem pushy, there's a ton of money millennials are leaving on...
Read More
Are You Addicted to Work? [Infographic]
Thanks in part to a booming tech industry composed largely of scrappy young startups making big things happen, entrepreneurs hold a privileged place in U.S. society. And while there's nothing wrong with a little healthy respect for people who have worked hard to chase their dreams and achieve there goals, there is a downside to all this pro-entrepreneur discourse: As more and more people try...
Read More
10 Stress-Reducing Productivity Boosters You Must Try Today
According to research, stress has a huge impact on your performance at work. Highly stressed employees have 50 percent higher presenteeism rates, and they also take more sick days than their less stressed counterparts: 4.6 per year compared to 2.6. Don't want to be one of the unproductive? Try one of these 10 ways to lower your stress – for your sake and the sake of your...
Read More
How Do You Spend Your Paycheck? [Infographic]
Woo-hoo! It's payday! But how do you spend all that money? Does your salary go straight out the door, do you have a bit of loose change to spend, or do you save as much as you possibly can? It's likely that first option, according to a new infographic from UK payday loans provider Wizzcash. The company polled nearly 1,000 people in the UK to find out about their monthly spending and...
Read More
Not Getting the Recognition You Deserve? Jump Ship
Many employees feel unappreciated at work. They feel their successes go unrecognized or that they are routinely overlooked for promotions and raises. It can be overwhelming, disappointing, and demotivating, to say the least. If you find yourself in this situation, what can you do about it? First, take an honest look at your performance. If you have a tendency to come in late or to miss...
Read More
Your Guide to Making Difficult Decision at Work and at Home
Who among has hasn't been paralyzed by decision before? Even something as simple as choosing where to eat on your lunch break can turn into a morass of multiple choice. And when the stakes are higher than gustatory satisfaction? Decisions can wrack us with agony, anxiety, and a slew of other counterproductive, highly stressful emotions. Have you ever found yourself almost sick with...
Read More
10 Insider Lessons No One in the Business World Will Teach You
It took me years to comprehend why people functioned so differently in the corporate world from the way I functioned – or expected them to function. On the one hand, my clarity of thought, determination, ambitiousness, and creativity helped me excel in my career because these traits were highly valued in the competitive business culture; on the other hand, I found that when it came to...
Read More
Take Those Vacation Days: It's Good for You and Your Employer [Infographic]
We have a vacation problem here in the U.S. By some estimates, about 40 percent of us don't take all our vacation time every year. Generally, it's because we're worried about what will happen while we're away from the office. Will the department fall to pieces in my absence? Will an insurmountable pile of tasks accrue on my desk? Will my boss decide I'm not a team player because I flew to...
Read More
12 Leadership Books to Add to Your Reading List
Article by YPO. No matter your business, leadership style, or level of experience, there is a book out there that will inspire you, make you think differently, and help stir change where it's needed. We asked members of Young Presidents' Organization for their top book recommendations and received everything from autobiographies and how-tos to ancient scriptures and rap-lyric...
Read More
3 Areas Where Your Communication Skills Matter the Most
One story I tell in my workshops is about how a former customer of mine improved communications between two warring departments. He told me that these groups were almost literally at war with each other and just couldn't play well together. He further explained that he would call members of the groups together and make them talk to each other. "I also observed their body language and...
Read More
Why It's Sometimes a Good Idea to Break Your Career Rules
Life lessons seem hard to grasp at first, but so obvious once you get them. I recently spoke with a former client who completely transformed his career. He went from working at a university in administration to working in corporate strategy at a Fortune 500 company. I asked him, "Looking back, how have you changed the most in the last few years?" He said something I wasn't expecting: "I...
Read More
Break Your Email Addiction in a Few Simple Steps [Infographic]
On the morning of July 5, 2016, shortly before I prepared this article for publication, I spent some time checking my email. By "some time," I mean two straight hours. This is not a rare occurrence. In part, that's because my inbox somehow seems to triple in occupancy overnight, every night. But it's also because I just have to know what's in those email messages. For all I know, the...
Read More
10 Ways to Find Your Ideal Mentor
Article by Benjamin P. Hardy Your ability to find mentors and harness those relationships is a key factor in the success you'll have in life. With a mentor, you can save years by skipping conventional career steps and walking through rare doors opened for you, giving you opportunities that few ever have access to in life or business. Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is the Way,...
Read More
Life After Law School: What You Need to Know About Starting a Career in Law
Take the LSAT. Go to law school. Pass the bar exam. Become a lawyer. Sounds straightforward, right? However, if you ask law school students close to graduation about their future careers, you'll get a much different reaction. Those approaching graduation have just dedicated three years of their lives to grinding away with high hopes and aspirations of becoming the next big lawyer. Now,...
Read More
Don't Be Afraid to Say "No"
For many professionals, saying "No" at work can be quite difficult. Whether your employer is asking you to stay late, come in early, take on a new project, or help another employee with their own workload, sometimes you feel it's impossible to decline – even if you really should. Oftentimes, it is just easier to say "Yes!" and hammer out the details later on – or stress out...
Read More
3 Easy Ways to Be a Better Leader
"Sometimes, you have to take a break from being the kind of boss that's always trying to teach people things. Sometimes, you just have to be the boss of dancing." - Michael Scott, The Office As clueless and annoying as Michael Scott could be, he did grow on the people he managed – and on all of us, too. When it comes down to it, he had one part of the whole package that makes a great...
Read More
How to Be a Great — Not Just Good — Salesperson
A good salesperson must be confident, good at listening, and relentless – even when things are not easy. But the cream of the crop usually possess a unique ability to simplify business and communication. Those looking to classify themselves as great, rather than good, salespeople must be prepared to simplify customer interactions — and simplification can be tough. Avoid the 'Learn by...
Read More
Calling It Quits? Do It the Right Way!
You've been unhappy for some time in your present position. It could be due to conflicts with your manager or coworkers, to lack of advancement opportunities, to salary concerns, or to any number of other issues. You've considered all of your options, have weighed the pros and cons involved with each, and have even considered the impact on your personal and family lives. You have finally...
Read More
Clean Up Your Career, Pt. 3: Your Morning Ritual
We're all looking for ways to be more productive in our lives and careers. But before redesigning your workflows and task lists, it's a good idea to start at the very beginning: your morning. Your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day and can have a big impact on your mood, effectiveness, and productivity. Us the three Rs to identify what's working for you and to help you make...
Read More
Nice Guys Finish First: Dave Kerpen on the Power of People Skills
Conjure in your mind the image of an archetypal businessperson. They're probably kind of a jerk, right? The kind of person who would do anything – and stab anyone in the back – to get ahead? Contrary to our received wisdom, being a heartless sleazebag isn't going to get you very far in life. That's according to Dave Kerpen, the CEO of Likeable Local and the author of The Art of...
Read More
How to Start Your New Job Off on the Right Foot
In the most difficult of cases, a job search can take a year or more. The process is grueling and emotionally exhausting. You spend many days and lots of money perfecting your look, networking with new people, and trying to find the perfect fit. Once you finally find that perfect, it's easy to think that things will be smooth sailing from now on. Your went through the difficult part...
Read More
9 Networking No-Nos You Should Absolutely Avoid
If you want to go places in the world, networking is a skill you need to learn. Take it from me: My career was relatively ho-hum until I began attending conferences regularly. WhileI traversed countless expo halls in heels and made small talk over spaghetti squash in banquet halls, my networking skills helped my career skyrocket. When I started Red Branch Media, I didn't have very...
Read More
