Productivity

This post was originally published on Third Sector Today and is being posted here with permission. You curled your hair and put on your patent leather shoes. You even put on lipstick without your mom’s permission. You are ready for your first junior high dance. Will you ask Bobby to slow dance or stand near the wall with friends? Will you go near the chip bowl, or do you not want to run into Mr. Smead, the algebra teacher/chaperone? This dance was supposed to be fun, but it is turning into one awkward night.   Do you notice any similarities to [...]

Networking has been an industry term for quite some time now. And there isn’t a professional organization in existence that hasn’t hosted a networking event for its members. In a world as connected as ours, networking should be one of the easiest ways to get ahead in your career.   But believe me, there are plenty people who totally blow it at networking events. Here are a few I’ve witnessed firsthand:   The business card collector. Look, we all know you’re just trying to get people’s email addresses so you can spam them with your marketing emails next week. Do you [...]

We’ve all sat in those meetings. You know, the ones that take place at the last minute and go on for hours without an end in sight, and without food in sight. However, we still need meetings. Right?   RIGHT?   Forbes notes that even before you hit the send button calling for a meeting and putting a damper on staff members’ day, you must establish why you need a meeting. A good rule of thumb is if what you have to say can be stated in an email, then ditch the meeting. Otherwise, consider the precise purpose of the meeting [...]

  My freelance roles give me a whole new perspective to many different companies and industries. And the beauty of being the freelancer is that I technically don’t have to deal with the nuances. But, of course, I still have to be on my best behavior, or else I could drastically damage my reputation and put my career in jeopardy.   I’ll be honest when I say that I’ve left past jobs because I couldn’t mend a damaged reputation. This is something many of my millennial friends have struggled with, as we navigate through a working culture that doesn’t quite like [...]