How to Court an Informal Mentor
An informal mentor can be a great career development resource, whether you are trying to manage work/life balance, navigate career decisions, or develop new skills.
Career
3 Non-Defensive Tricks For Dealing With Tricky Coworkers
When I got my first career-path job after college, there was a lot I didn’t know about working in an office full of people who came from different backgrounds. I’d just moved to California and my New York communication style could come off as brash and blunt. I was often defensive and I unintentionally put people on the defensive.Read… Read more »
10 Ways You Can Manage Across Generations
There are four different generations working in government today—Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. When approaching working outside of our own generation, we often have a tendency to rely on stereotypes (i.e. Traditionalists will never accept change and Millennials are unreliable job hoppers) and that can ruin great partnerships before they ever get started.Read… Read more »
How to Leave Behind a Legacy
It’s amazing how many professional insights we can gain just from a presidential transition. Last week, we discussed measuring the drapes before getting to the office and the importance of planning management and administration tactics ahead of time. This time, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the people lined up to take our placeRead… Read more »
“Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit”
This nontechnical riddle took me a while to figure out. This saying floats around in the halls and offices of every building. For me, it resounds on all occasions when I have met with management. Agencies’ management is whipsawed between necessary compromise to face budget cuts and changing priorities at the same time. Compromise, inRead… Read more »
Naked, Afraid and in the Spotlight
Last night, I sat on the floor pretending to be a sheep. No, that is not the punch line to a horrible joke. It is my life. Well, my life recently. You see, eight weeks ago, I embarked on a transformative experience. I entered the world of the uninhibited, the unplanned, the unhindered – theRead… Read more »
7 Songs That Get Me Through Big Projects
“Picture it: Sicily…” (If you get that reference, we’ll be best friends.) But seriously. Picture it: You’re crashing on a big project. The deadline is coming up. You’re running a little behind. (This may be off, because you’ve probably got excellent time management skills and don’t know the meaning of the word “procrastination.”) You needRead… Read more »
3 Tips: Great Advice from My Mentors
When speaking to a group last week, I was asked to share the best advice that I’ve received from mentors. Here is what I shared . . . Focus on asking the right question instead of having the right answer. A mentor told me this very early on in my career and it has stuckRead… Read more »
10 Reasons You Should Enjoy Writing Your Cover Letter
For a lot of people, writing the cover letter is the most excruciatingly painful experience of applying for a job. It shouldn’t be. Here’s why: 1) Cover letters are stories. Everyone loves stories. 2) Cover letters are stories on your favorite topic. You can write a story about yourself, and enjoy yourself while doing so,Read… Read more »
Stop Micromanaging Your Team – Lead Them Instead
As a manager, your strength is in directing and guiding your team – yet it can be easy to fall into the trap of micromanaging. A few missed deadlines or sub-par results may have spurred you into paying closer attention to your team’s work, or maybe you’re just naturally someone who likes to be involved atRead… Read more »