Beating the pavement does more than wear out your soles. It can wear out your self-confidence.Rejection is strength sapping. When the reward for trying hard and staying the course keeps netting a big fat zero, we become frustrated beyond belief, plagued by that nagging question, “Why?”Hiring decisions are the great unknown. When we walk out of a job interview, we usually have a sense of “how it went.” If we think it went we...

I hear a lot of excuses, justifications, and whining from people looking for a job. It’s always the same things:-“I hate networking.” -“I followed up on a bunch of leads and nothing!” -“I’ve got my resume out there but don’t hear anything.” -“I don’t know what to put on LinkedIn or how to use it.” Come on now!Face reality. Jobs rarely find you. They don’t call it a “search” or “hunting” for nothing. The process requires re...

Regrets—they’re inevitable. Some people say they don’t have them. That seems hard to believe. There are so many “dumb” things that we do throughout our careers, often without thinking or knowing, that we’d like to take back. Take stock I bet you can think of a few things that you’d like to do over like: Something said—I once let an F-bomb fly at an executive staff meeting. (They understood I had strong feelings, but ugh!)...

"Supervising would be easy if there were no employees.” Well, at least, that’s the old joke! Most employees come to work ready and willing. Unfortunately, a few others come with negative baggage rooted in authority-figure, entitlement, or attention issues. Now the supervisor has his/her hands full.Keep a watchful eye and well-tuned ear The worst thing a supervisor can do is miss the clues or dismiss negative actions. Bad b...

It’s unnerving to be out of work. Starting the job hunt can be gut-wrenching. We can even get confused about how to answer these simple questions:What do I know how to do? What jobs should I apply for? How do I get started? The temptation is to slap together a resume with a chronology of past jobs, titles, and duties. Then, with guns blazing, fire them out to every job board, classified ad, or on-line posting. Ugh!And the...

Why does this happen? Career-minded people knock themselves out to achieve positions of leadership. But when they get there, they don’t lead or just get it very wrong. That’s the scandal!We expect our leaders to lead, not just sit in their offices waiting to be addressed as Your Leadness!Leadership isn’t a crown.There’s a big allure about “position power.” Why? Because it comes with more money, a better parking spot, a pri...

“I’m speechless!” Ever said that? It usually pops out when we’re given unexpected praise or are caught unaware.Being “speechless” is a problem when we’re expected to say exactly the right thing when something important is on the line.Keep your foot in your shoe.We rightly expect our bosses to be good communicators. We need them to solve problems and motivate us by saying the right things at the right time.Being a good commu...

Jobs are what we make them. When we bring nothing, they become nothing. When we use them to unleash our spirit, they become an adventure.Jobs give us a chance to show what we’re made of, what we stand for, and what we care about. When we take them to heart, there’s no hiding it. We do the work with an eagerness that spills over to others.No spirit. No drive. No fun.I’ll grant that a lot of employers do all they can to take...

High wire acts. Acrobats. Human cannonballs. Circus careers come with big performance expectations and high stakes. The consequences of failure can be dire.Successful circus performers are masters of precision, flexibility, teamwork, and consistency. They own every move they make for their own good and the safety of others.Flying through the air on a trapeze with no net below is the measure of a career that you own. When yo...

Ever been in a tight spot at work? Over your head? Out of your league? I sure have.Terrible thoughts start to take over:• I’ve lost all credibility.• My career is toast.• I’m going to hear about this.• This is my last shot.If we could yell, “HELP!” we would. But would anyone throw us a rope?“Hey, Boss, I’m over here.”If we’re lucky, we work around leaders who are willing to step forward when we’re in a pinch. They may be ou...