Most of my ruminations on women and career tend to land over at the Women of HR site. This week, the site is wrapping up a great Women of HR Career Series. My post on the Four Myths of Self-Employment was featured last week. Following the myths theme, here’s a little “bonus track” to go…
Professionalism
Sometimes You Just Gotta Suck It Up and Carry the Goat
We live in a Midwestern suburban area surrounded by pockets of farmland. When my son was in kindergarten, I chaperoned a field trip to The Critter Barn, an educational working farm with livestock. I grew up in a farming community. My family didn’t farm, but many of my friends did, so I’ve seen the inside…
4 Workplace Communication Tips for Twenty-Somethings
Patti Lamberti is a professional in residence who teaches courses in journalism and new media at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Communication. In her post Tech Savants, she gives us the rundown on what twenty-something’s think about a mainstream workplace communication tool: “Email is for old people.” Ouch. Anybody who’s had a conversation (or more…
Are You Cut Out for Self-Employment?
In 1995 I started the consulting company SkillSource. Early on I made the strategic decision to function as a home-based solopreneur, meaning I am the primary service provider. When projects require it, I sub-contract out training delivery and consulting services. For the administrative side of my business, I make use of a cadre of skilled…
7 Questions That Help Conversations Move Forward
The other day I attended a webinar led by Al Switzler, co-author of the books Crucial Conversations and Influencer. During the webinar Al made this point about interacting with colleagues: If your response to frustrating conversations is to increase the frequency of your key point or the volume of your delivery, but you don’t change…