From the category archives:

Personal Effectiveness

Nourish Your Network

March 16, 2011

Do these four things and watch your professional network flourish   Last week I facilitated a conference break-out session on networking with a group of nutrition educators and health professionals. The conference was billed as “celebrating food, health and collaboration” so I titled my presentation “Nourish Your Network”. It was a fantastic audience. They were eager [...]

Read the full article →

Networking Resources for Choices Conference

March 10, 2011

Today I facilitated a break-out session on the topic of networking at the Choices Conference in Lansing, Michigan.  Many thanks to Paul McConaughy for introducting me to the Michigan Nutrition Network , the organization sponsoring the conference. While preparing for the session, I revisited some of my favorite books on creating connections. I also found several great [...]

Read the full article →

Doing Things the Hard Way

March 8, 2011

Workplace Interactions Aren’t Always as “Easy” as They Seem When was the last time you faced a tough choice when deciding how to respond to a co-worker? Chances are it wasn’t very long ago.  Tricky interpersonal situations crop up all the time.  As you consider your options, no doubt some choices seem easier to make [...]

Read the full article →

Mess It Up

March 7, 2011

Do you love to read? Me too. This love manifests itself in the way I treat my books—with caution, being careful never to spill coffee on them or in any other way soil them. Sure, I use highlighters and in a pinch, I’ll dog-ear a page or two. But overall—my books are to be treasured [...]

Read the full article →

The Snowball Effect: When Small Workplace Offenses Grow Out of Control

February 7, 2011

In my blog post, Avoid Snappy Comebacks with Snarky Comments, I advised workplace professionals to resist the urge to lob snarky retorts in response to a co-worker who’d just dished up the same. Human Resources executive Jay Kuhns remarked, “Small comments can turn into big problems so quickly. Great advice, Jennifer. ” Jay’s comment brought [...]

Read the full article →

Avoid Snappy Comebacks with Snarky People

February 3, 2011

Someone Googled “come back for want some cheese with that whine” and Google returned my post Want Some Cheese with That Whine? The person viewing the search was most likely disappointed, as the post was about how Human Resources deal with whiny employees.  However, it does raise an interesting question about workplace communication:  what would [...]

Read the full article →

5 Tips for Achieving Your Goals

January 20, 2011

We’re now three weeks into a new year. Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? How’s it going? Research suggests that by this time into a new year, nearly 30% of people have already fallen off the Resolution Bandwagon. Whether it’s living more healthily, resolving to improve your education, or establishing quarterly business objectives, one thing [...]

Read the full article →

Friends Don’t Let Friends Stay in Their Comfort Zone

January 13, 2011

  This weekend I posted the following comment on my personal Facebook page:     As so often happens with social media, my “posse” rallied to my side, offering lots of encouragement.  One note of encouragement was especially helpful to me. It was sent via private message, but I’ve received permission to anonymously republish it here [...]

Read the full article →

Surviving a Corporate Changing of the Guard

December 2, 2010

Imagine for a moment that there is a sudden change in leadership in your organization.  You now have a new Vice President overseeing your area and you’re unsure where you stand in this person’s esteem. This is exactly the situation my colleague Sally is currently facing. Recently Sally confided in me that she was feeling [...]

Read the full article →

My At-Work Gratitude List

November 23, 2010

  In my first-grader’s backpack last night was a completed assignment: “Five Things I’m Thankful For”. Along with her stuffed animals, bedroom and house, she’s thankful for her Mom and her Dad. It’s nice to know we made the list. Counting one’s blessings is a very grounding thing to do.  For years, I’ve kept a [...]

Read the full article →