Survival of the fittest is an appropriate term in the climate of our global culture today. Not just America, but overseas – only the strong survive. Phil Gerbyshak from Slacker Manager features an article written by Tony Wagner author of The Global Achievement Gap, called Hiring the Right Skill Set and Motivating the Millennials. The article is excellent, whether you are a millennial, a baby boomer, or any other generational job seeker. It doesn’t matter where you are on the life line of employment. If you are a job seeker and you want to survive these challenging times, you need …read more

Ethics means a set of principles of right conduct. The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession. Ethics in the workplace in its simplest terms means doing the right thing. Everyone of us was raised knowing the difference between right and wrong. Someone said to me once, “do what you know to do.” I live by this principle. I am tempted to lie, in fact have lied, but I know not to do it. I have been tempted to steal, in fact, I have stolen, but I know not to do it.
Ethics …read more

Did you know that every time an organization has a job opening, they are looking to solve a problem, not a person that will be a problem.
A Problem: A situation, matter or person that presents perplexity or difficulty. As an employee, you don’t want to be a person that presents perplexity or difficulty to your employer, do you? Of course not. You want to be a problem solver.
A Problem Solver: Well, let’s define a problem solver first. A person responsible to solve or find a solution for situations, matters or people that present perplexity or difficulties to organizations.
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Many of you I am sure have been following the Presidential Primary process here in the United States at some level no matter where you live in the world. The impact of the decision we make as a nation will ripple through and impact nations, not just the United States.
I am very interested in the process of interviewing, whether it is an entry level, hourly position, a manager or leader, or the President of the United States. As a citizen in the US, you get to hire the next President. You …read more

“Do you see what I see?” Do you see what I see? Go ahead and sing. I know you want to… Visionary is a core competency for leaders. Though we could sing the Christmas song, I thought given the season, it was appropriate to talk about vision. According to Stan Toler, Leaders are visionary.
“Leaders not only have an eye on the horizon, they can see beyond it. Their firm grasp of the present is based on their never-ending hope for the future… Leaders look at vacant land and see a thriving business.
According to the Denver Business Journal, Good leaders create a …read more

I know you have a couple of minutes to take this leadership class I am offering. The names of your instructors will be familiar to you. Review this video clip I found on You Tube called “From the Mouth of Leaders”. Just some food for thought given my topic of Leadership over the last week. Enjoy your weekend!

Stan Toler wrote a handy pocket book called Minute Motivators for Leaders. It is a good, quick easy read for anyone wanting to understand leadership principles. The book if full of quotes, short narratives and inspirational writing. According to Stan Toler “Leadership is about gaining enough knowledge and wisdom to move people and plans from obscurity to excellence.”
Here is a list of some of the principles Stan Toler outlines in his book:

Character – Leaders do the right thing
Affirmation – Leaders make everyone feel valuable.
Communication – Leaders are good communicators.
Insight – Leaders understand people.
Endurance – Leaders accept pain and disappointment in stride.
Movement …read more

Hiring managers have a responsibility to interview effectively, to find the best candidate for the job. Given our topic this month on Core Competencies, I want to continue to discuss leadership for the next couple of days. One of the questions rolling around my head today is “how do you demonstrate leadership in an interview?” How do I help you prepare effectively enough that you feel some level of comfort walking into a job interview and discussing your strength in leadership. Can you do that if given an oportunity right now to interview for your dream job?
Hiring managers must understand your leadership style based on the answers …read more

Who are you following? Or… are you leading? Leadership is one of the core competencies I will be writing about in this series. So what is it anyway? Leadership?
By definition leadership means: the act or an instance of leading. That is a simple definition you will find in Merriam-Webster. In it’s simplicity, the bottom line is, if you think you are a leader, take a moment and look over your shoulder. What do you see? Is anyone following you? Nope? A leader with no one following is a man out for a walk, by himself. But, if you take a …read more

How important is individual accountability to your success in the workplace? Before you answer, let’s talk about what accountability means. By definition accountability means: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions. That is a powerful definition in our day and age. How many people are willing to accept responsibility for their actions in the day to day decisions, tasks, behaviors exhibited in the workplace? In my effort to highlight core competencies for those of you in search of employment, I want to lay a foundation to build this information on. Individual accountability is a foundational …read more