If you are one of those people who really believes no good deed goes unpunished, then you might find very little value in kindness. I, however, believe most people see kindness as a pretty good thing. But is it essential to the success of your business? Is it more than just a morally good best-practice? Does it have, you know … monetary value? Absolutely. Kindness, you might recall, is part of the love-at-wo...

Rule #1 in the Heisenberg Rules is ACKNOWLEDGE HIGH PERFORMANCE: The biggest transformation you'll find in Breaking Bad is the growing confidence of Walter White (WW). Once a high school chemistry teacher working a Walter_Whitesecond job where he's routinely berated by a car wash owner with a unibrow and 3 fewer degrees that what he holds, Walt's transformation into a capable meth producer delivers one import...

Greetings from SXSWedu! This evening, I will have the privilege of moderating a panel titled Tech Skills Gap: What Can Employers and Educators Do? I'm representing DeVry University's Career Advisory Board and will be joined by Robert Paul, president of DeVry University, Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, and Sara Ley, digital learning and technology leader at GE. Without giving too much away,...

One of the things I learned while writing one of my books, Greater Than Yourself, is that finding a mentor can be difficult — but finding a protégé is even more daunting. And, I would argue, far more important. There’s no perfect way to pick someone. But since we’re in the closing days of National Mentoring Month, this is the perfect time to start figuring it out for yourself. How?...

Companies are moving away from the traditional annual performance review process, much to the delight of employees and managers everywhere. The annual performance review process, as well as goal and objective setting, has long since ceased to be a meaningful process that improves productivity and morale. Instead, it is viewed as a bureaucratic time suck that is of little value. If we want to change that and make it a truly...

The year was 1998. I had just graduated from college and was working as an entry-level account coordinator in a large PR agency in New York City. I worked hard, but my days ended at 6PM when I left the office. Within the next year, though, Ethernet access at home had become a reality. Suddenly, I was expected to be on call for my boss for any and all client needs. I was irate. I felt I did not make enough money for this. I...

How hard is it to be a manager of people at McDonalds? Hard. Like riding a bike on the freeway hard. This week found me for almost 2 days at Exit 11 off I-20 in Georgia, stranded because of the South's Snowpocalypse, which was caused because when you don't own a snowplow, salt or sand, 3 inches of snow and ice in hard freeze temperatures can screw things up. So I got the last room at a Microtel (no lobby res...

This week, my organization the Career Advisory Board announced the results of our sixth annual Job Preparedness Indicatory survey, which identified gaps between the skills and traits candidates have and the skills and traits employers seek to fill open positions. Gaps were measured by assessing skills that are most important but least common among entry-level, mid-level, and senior-level job candidates. This year’s...

I’ve never liked open offices. Never. I remember the first time my CEO announced that we’d all be giving up our private offices. A part of me felt like I was about to lose my home. The next step? Goodbye cubicles. Now, we all sat together like one big, happy family, and any illusion that you could have a confidential conversation or crash on a deadline without interruption was shattered. I wonder sometimes if th...

For most people, the end of the year signals that it’s time to start calculating and reassessing your employees’ compensation. But for those who have followed the growing number of companies that have ditched the annual performance review for continuous, 360-degree and/or ratingless reviews, there may be more confusion and concern around this process. I spoke with two experts, Professor Edward Lawler, Director o...