In the past, contingent workers were looked at as last-minute, stop-gap measures, something to plug a hole to keep things running. But that is not the case any longer. Companies are using contingent workers in increasing numbers for all kinds of jobs, integrating them into their business operations like never before. As this process has… Read more »
Sometimes when the HR department at your company tries to apply a best practice in use somewhere else, it doesn’t seem to work out quite the way the department had planned. That was the experience at one HR shop, where they were having trouble with succession planning and talent management. Human resources managers had spent… Read more »
Do you start projects with great gusto, work consistently for a few hours or days and then peter out as the project continues, losing interest and steam? Many people are just like you, paying attention to the beginning of a task but ignoring its ending. We lose focus. We procrastinate, missing deadlines. So how can… Read more »
In business and elsewhere, we sometimes get into a situation where we find that the methods or strategy we are using aren’t working. When this happens, it is often difficult to admit failure and try something different. This has been evident with the military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, where inappropriate strategy led to cries… Read more »
Corporate culture. It’s the kind of thing that companies too often only talk about but do little in the way of action. Establishing a culture and keeping it running are too often not taken very seriously. One of the reasons culture may get short shrift is because of its nebulous kind of nature. Trying to… Read more »
A lot of self-help books and motivational speakers have a simple message when it comes to optimism – if you believe in yourself, then you will achieve success. But there is one problem with this little mantra, according to psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson – it’s not true. The focus on achieving success almost effortlessly, if… Read more »
When you are facing a really big, complex challenge, it may look impossible to achieve. But before becoming too discouraged, the best course to take may be to break the project down into a series of small tasks, to make it more manageable. Each task then has a specific, achievable goal. By doing this, you… Read more »
When managers give performance reviews, they sometimes praise, but they usually offer criticism, looking more often at the things that employees did wrong, or where they fell short. That is only natural – it’s something we all do. And many believe that criticism leads to better performance than praise. After a critical review, an employee’s… Read more »
How can you as a leader help your employees realize their capabilities? Here are a few ideas from one business analyst. 1) Perhaps one of the most important things to do is listen. Listen to your employees’ ideas, and to their career goals and aspirations. You may not have the same opinion that they do… Read more »
The pursuit of wealth is something we are all actively engaged in – after all, it’s part of what we define as the American Dream. Yet, all too often we see news stories about people whose lust for wealth leads them to do stupid, unethical and even criminal things. Some of the more well-known stories… Read more »