Tag Archives: Attitude

Stop Looking in the Rearview Mirror and Focus Ahead

December 22, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
If you only focus on where you’ve been and what you’ve left behind, you won’t see what lies ahead. All she could talk about was how stuck she was; how she and her business, both successful, had slowed, then ground to a stop. “My customers once had money to throw around and they loved to throw it my way,” she wailed. I had a high end business and my clients didn’t have to worry about Continue reading →

You’ll Get the Outcome You Have in Mind

November 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
What outcome do you have in mind? You need to know, because that’s the outcome you’re going to get. By means of illustration, I have a story for you. It’s called, “The Pineapple.” One day Alice (I’ve changed the name to protect the bold) went to her favorite grocery store to buy a pineapple. She took it home and sliced it open. It was one bad piece of fruit. Rotten to the core. She called Continue reading →

Networking Your Way Into a New Career

November 17, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Networking: the expression is abused, misused and under-explained. What is it and why should you care? Networking is the best way to find a job, change jobs, or even change careers. Doing it right takes time, patience, and persistence. Doing it wrong is a waste of effort, energy, and opportunity. Networking means having focused conversations with individuals who can directly or indirectly influence the direction of your career search. Networking means finding people whose character Continue reading →

Steps to Making a Successful Career Transition

November 10, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Are you in the wrong job? Maybe the wrong career? That’s an alarming thought if you don’t have a clue what the right job might be. What’s the point of leaving if you don’t know where you’re going or what you’d do once you’d get there? The last thing you want is to end up in the same sorry mess you’re in now. There are plenty of reasons people stay in the wrong careers: They Continue reading →

Take Charge of Your Career

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Hugh Dooit is a personable, intelligent fellow who by all conventional standards should be enjoying a reasonably successful career. He isn’t. He’s blocked by an outdated expectation that others will guide his career and provide the criterion and access he needs to reach his goals. Hugh, there was a time that your boss, your human resources rep, and if you’re lucky, an internal mentor would work with you, charting your course as you worked your Continue reading →

Little Things That Count Big

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
  When you’re looking for a job in a market as competitive as this is, everything counts. Your outbound voice mail message should sound professional: When prospective employers call, they don’t want to hear an outbound message sung by your children or barked by your dog. They’re off-put by messages that sound menacing, mysterious, seductive, poetic, funny, or just plain strange. Simply put, employers want to know they’ve contacted the right person and that person Continue reading →

Lonely Layoff? Get Moving!

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
It’s easy to get stuck between lonely and cranky when you lose your job, particularly when your neighbors and friends still have a job to go to. You know you have to get on with life and start interviewing, but you’re having a tough time getting off the couch and putting on your shoes. If that’s your situation and you have the energy to read this column, I have some ways to remedy your situation. Begin Continue reading →

Are You a Greater Risk Than a Reward?

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
How’s this for a cautionary tale? “He is so blatant in his demands it’s just breathtaking. That’s his style; impolite, self centered, arrogant, dismissive. I’m not alone in this opinion but I may be the only one willing to take what he dishes out. I’ve been working here ten years, the last five, for him. I’m one of the few still standing. He intimidates everyone, including our company’s President. We’ve had constant churn since he Continue reading →

Career Fair in Town? Make the Most of It!

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
There’s a Job Fair coming to town and opportunity is coming along with it. Unlike most fairs, this one won’t cost you a dime. You’ll have a chance to meet company representatives from across the state who set up booths and organize materials with the express purpose of meeting people like you, hard-working, dedicated, skilled people who have the potential of making a difference in their organizations. If you want to maximize that opportunity it’s Continue reading →

Presentation Counts; Count on It

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
When getting a job is job one, presentation counts. If you’d like an example of how important that is, read what Linda Stanton, President of Selective Staffing, Inc. writes on the subject: “Ms. Richman, I am the owner of a local staffing service here in the city. I am amazed at the people who come to us seeking employment who do not see us as an employer. We are, in a lot of cases, the Continue reading →

Feedback Can Create the Ultimate Win-Win Situation

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
“When I give performance feedback to employees, I want them to listen to what I’m saying. If they argue, get defensive, or give me body language that indicates a bad attitude, I’m not going to waste any more of my time. If they mess up again, I’ll just fire them.” Is that the gospel according to Donald Trump or is it Simon Cowell sounding off on American Idol?  Neither. It’s your garden-variety supervisor, manager, or Continue reading →

Rejoining Your Life After an Unexpected Layoff

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
I bet you know him. He goes to work early and stays late. He’s known as a company man. He’s dedicated, loyal, with a work ethic that challenges the most diligent. His only fear is failing health even though he’s never taken a sick day. (He’s never had a day that he stayed out sick. He’s had several sick days.) He’s just been laid off and never saw it coming. He was starting to think Continue reading →

Don’t Just Work Hard and Be Smart: Work Smart!

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Carolyn (not her real name) comes to work tied up in knots and goes home the same way. She’s worried that she won’t have enough time to get her job done. She’s worried that someone will ask her a question that she can’t answer. She’s worried that she’ll never be as smart as she needs to be. If Carolyn were the only victim of her angst, that would be difficult enough. But she isn’t. Everyone Continue reading →

Economic Shifts and Challenges

September 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Like it or not, employed or not, you’re in the middle of the busiest business intersection you’re likely to experience. It’s hard to know whether to wait for traffic to clear, cross against it, or jump in and go with the flow. One thing’s for sure, you can’t stay in one place for long, so what do you do? Let’s look at the possibilities. Wait for traffic to clear: The last time the economy went south Continue reading →

Be A Team Player

September 21, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Most people consider themselves team players. Many of their team-mates disagree. Patrick Lencioni, in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, does a deep dive into what produces highly functional teams as well as what creates dysfunction.  He lists behaviors that derail the best of intentions as 1. Absence of trust. 2. Fear of conflict. 3. Lack of commitment 4. Avoidance of accountability and 5. Inattention to results. In For Your Improvement, A Guide Continue reading →

The Benefits of Social Capital in the Workplace

September 17, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
When Harvard University professor Robert Putnam authored the book “Bowling Alone” in 2000, he wrote that social capital (the collective value of all social networks) had seriously declined, that we weren’t visiting as much, joining as much, gathering as often at our churches, lodges, PTA’s and community socials. As a result, we weren’t as trusting, sharing, or cooperating. Several weeks ago his concerns were echoed in national surveys that sounded the same notes of concern: Continue reading →

Know Who You Are

September 10, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
In your quest to find the right job you’ll need to maximize every interaction and leverage every opportunity. You can do that if you know who you are, what you want, and a good match when you see one. To know who you are requires an understanding what’s important to you and an inventory of your intrinsic beliefs and extrinsic rewards; what you do best (strengths); what you want to accomplish (potential); and how you’re Continue reading →

Do’s and Don’ts in Your Career

September 7, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
If you like self-help articles that give you five ways to do this and five ways to do that, today’s column doubles your pleasure or diminishes your fun: Ten ways to get derailed and ten ways to stay on track. 1. If you expect your workmates to understand your bad moods, tolerate foul language, and ignore big blunders, you’re in for a bumpy ride: they can’t, they don’t and they won’t. Instead, clean up your Continue reading →

Meeting the Basic Needs of Your Employees

September 3, 2009 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Whether you’re fifteen or fifty, the new recruit or a veteran of employee wars, you have needs as basic as they are essential: A sense of worth, physical security and productivity; a sense of relatedness and responsibility:  a need for challenge and affirmation. If your needs are met, you feel in balance; at one with yourself and the place where you work. If they aren’t met, with consistency, you fight burn out. To assess your Continue reading →