Job shaming is when you make someone feel that what they do is less important or less significant based on your own values and interpretations. I have been job shamed and hearing Geoffrey Owens’s story about his recent job shaming while working at Trader Joe’s inspired me to write this blog post. You can check… [Read More]

I think Pamela Skillings says it best in her article, Cover Letter Examples That Will Get You Noticed, that she refers “to your cover letter and resume  as your handshake and your sales pitch all rolled into one.” While your resume tells your professional accomplishments, your cover letter tells your story. It’s a more personal… [Read More]

There it is. Your professional life summed up in one or two pages. Nothing flashy. Just a bunch of words that you, or someone you hired, created to express your impact as a working professional. When you are creating your next advancement opportunity, it is imperative that your resume accurately reflects who you are and… [Read More]

I admit it. I like buying stuff on Amazon. It’s easy. I don’t have to drive to the store. I don’t have to fight crowds, and in two days, the stuff shows up at my door. It’s wonderful! Recently, my husband and I took a trip to The Container Store because we bought new bedroom… [Read More]

Being persistent isn’t easy. For me, this theme has been prevalent in my career. Throughout my education, various jobs, career path, and now to running my own business, persistence is what has been key to my success. It hasn’t always been easy. Being persistent is about being mindful of what’s here and now to help… [Read More]

Did you hear the story about Walter Carr’s walk to work? If not, you can watch the video and read about it here. (It is worth the few minutes. You may need some Kleenex too.) Walter’s vehicle broke down the day before his first day of work at a moving company. He did not want… [Read More]

There have been a few times when I didn’t get the promotion. I was disappointed. I mean, I was really disappointed. And it took me some time to get my head around what that disappointment meant. It’s difficult being told you are not the right person for the position. After all, you invested a lot… [Read More]

You know who they are. They are the colleagues who frustrate the heck out of you. (Hopefully, we are not talking about you here.) They are the person who frustrates us for a variety of reasons. They don’t “pull their own weight.” They bring the team’s morale down. They are always complaining or making excuses…. [Read More]

I have interviewed hundreds of people in my career and have truly enjoyed every one. However, I must admit there are a few “interview pet peeves” that get me. I believe that no one wants to botch up the interview. However, there are a few things that you can do that would put you at… [Read More]

They want to meet you! Your palms might be a bit sweaty, and naturally, you are nervous because you want to make a great impression, but what if they don’t like you? What if you are not the right fit? What if someone is better than you? OK – calm down and take a breath…. [Read More]

Your job search is about putting one foot in front of the other. I mean, if we are going to create that next advancement opportunity, it’s about taking steps and taking action to get you where you want to be. So, I went to YouTube and found this clip from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”… [Read More]

We had no power in Yellowstone National Park. It was AWESOME! I had the chance to take a great vacation with my husband and a dear friend of ours to explore a part of the country none of us have never visited. We flew into Denver and made a big road trip out of it…. [Read More]

I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but the truth is, there will be times in your career where you will get disappointed at work. You will get looked over for that promotion; someone will throw you under the bus, and you will have something happen that will make you feel disappointed. Feeling… [Read More]

There are times when “Failure isn’t Fatal.” While the phrase is “nice,” the truth is that when we fail, sometimes things don’t work out as well as we hoped. There are consequences to failure. I watch a show called, “Air Disasters” on the Smithsonian Channel. I have always been fascinated by aviation. Each episode begins… [Read More]

I was in the OnCenter in Syracuse, New York. I saw the escalator in front of me, and I needed a win. I was with a friend of mine and said, “I’m going to do this.” What the hell was I thinking? I started to run up the down escalator. This was an average-sized escalator,… [Read More]

Have you ever heard the saying, “Give a gift with an open hand, so you can receive with an open heart”? Being grateful is a powerful thing. Gratitude allows us to come from a place where we show our appreciation to someone or something. It’s that moment when we pause to say “thank you” and… [Read More]

I like to compare a job search to dating because it takes time to get to know someone and determine if they are who you are looking for in a relationship. Dating is a process. It takes time to find your mate who is perfect for you. And just like dating, creating that next advancement… [Read More]

Our careers are important to us. We identify ourselves, in part, based on what we do, where we work, and who we help. But we are so much more than our job title! I recently heard a story where President Kennedy was visiting the NASA Space Center in 1962. He saw someone carrying a broom… [Read More]

I found my leadership voice through every experience that helped me evolve and ultimately, strengthen my leadership voice into what it is today. I remember being 14 years old and working as a church organist. To play an instrument way larger than you and use it in so many ways to express music that accompanies… [Read More]

New employees are starting!!!  Whoo Hoo!!! Your company has a lot of work to do, and you need excellent talent to get that work completed. Your company wants to set the expectation that they must produce quality work and it must be on time. After all, you’ve got projects to finish and customers to keep… [Read More]

I was recently listening to “The School of Greatness” podcast hosted by Lewis Howes. He interviewed fitness expert and transformational coach, Shaun T. You can listen to the podcast here, but if you want to get to the part that fascinated me, jump to the 44-minute mark. In a nutshell, Shaun T. says that when… [Read More]

Whenever I hear someone say, “I’m a good team player” I have no idea what that means to them. It is sooooo “cliché.” It was the “buzz word” for a while. But truthfully, it’s one of my pet peeves. And when I hear someone say it during an interview, I want to know what they… [Read More]

My goddaughter recently graduated from college. The day was filled with all of the usual pomp and circumstance and a few not so dry eyes. I am so proud of her. She is focused, driven, smart, and savvy. But when I think about her, her friends and classmates, as well as the people whom I… [Read More]

Growing up, I was told I didn’t listen enough. I was told things like, “You have two ears and one mouth so you should listen twice as much as you speak.” The message stuck. I am a curious, diagnostic, and intuitive listener. When I listen, I hear the message and the energy. It’s at that… [Read More]

When you hear people say, “I love my job” do you take a moment to truly wonder what it is about their job (and honestly, about them) that causes them to LOVE their job? I mean, LOVE is really strong word. It means you are “all in” and would do anything for that job. I… [Read More]

Recognizing valued employees is a powerful thing. Some people make it out to be something complex when in reality it isn’t. But when it happens and it is done well, it truly means a lot. So, as you think about (and yes, start to actively recognize valued team members), here are a few helpful things to… [Read More]

Were you angry? Were you happy? Were you just kind of feeling “eh”? When I talk about “showing up” it is ALL about energy. I mean, ALLLLLLLLLLLLL, about the energy you give off to your colleagues. One of the things that really “frosts my cupcake” is when I say “hello” to someone and they don’t… [Read More]

We create goals because they are important to us. They give us “motivation” or “drive” so we have something to obtain. People ask us, “What are your goals?” and we tell them. We are proud of our goals because we believe in some way they hold us accountable. And they do. “I want to get… [Read More]