Recognize the signs and decide what to do about it.

It’s an easy trap to fall into. You tell yourself in the beginning that it is just for a little while until you get caught up. You’re a hard worker and the work you do is really important. Soon the extra becomes the normal and you might not even notice for a while … and then you’re caught.

This brief post talks about how it happens, how to recognize the signs, and most importantly how to start to escape the cycle.

30 Small Steps

Finding a new job is not something many of us do well or fortunately isn’t something we get a lot of practice doing. However, when we do find ourselves having to look for a new job, there is help available and it is a learned skill. Consider this post to be a short introductory guide to thirty small steps that can help you or someone you know.

MORE TEACHABLE MOMENTS

I work assisting people who are experiencing barriers to employment overcome them and find jobs that either accomplish their goals or take them to the next step on their individual journeys.

My role as a coach and mentor constantly reminds me of the lessons shared with me during my career, this post is the next chapter on “lessons learned” from my November 24th post.

“Yes” and so do many other hiring “practices.”

Have you ever considered how biased our hiring practices are toward people who do not experience barriers to employment. How difficult it is for people who are from outside the “colonial bubble” most of us never even notice?

When you start to see and think about those barriers you can see the intrinsic discrimination that happens every day.

Why would anyone work for free …

I am writing this on a Saturday.  I did two hours of work today and two hours last night. I have already worked many hours over my allotted workdays this week. It is unlikely I […]

Seeing all the people, seeing all the possibilities

When you or your organization goes looking for new people, what do you see? Do you see everyone who could meet or exceed your requirements? Do you include people from different backgrounds, ethnicity, cultures, people who experience barriers to employment. Hiring people is about seeing people without bias, misconceptions; it is about seeing the humanity behind the cover letter or resume.

I was involved in Human Resources for most of may career, I made mistakes; but with help I learned some lessons that might help you and your team.

An Insider’s guide to being a good Career Advisor

There is a special group of people who are making a difference to help people help themselves. I would like to dedicate this post to them, what they have taught me, to the people they help, and to the employers who work with them.

What ailments are you causing or ignoring?

Organizations experience major and minor ailments just like people do. Many are the result of external pressures; however, some like “Meeting Narcolepsy” are internally generated. Left undiagnosed and/or untreated these ailments can limit growth, cause decline, and even cause the organization to “die.”

Simple Truths – Nobody is born with a good work ethic.

This past week I attended a meeting where some people were lamenting that their new hires didn’t have a good work ethic and they seemed not to know how to function. Their comments inspired this post because “work ethic” is a learned skill and knowing what and how “to work” is also something that organizations should teach rather than assume.

No one is where they were supposed to be.

Are we just the sum of our good and bad decisions? Labels and simple equations do not begin to adequately describe us and how we became who we are. In a world that increasingly uses simple rhetoric to explain how to solve our problems; we need to understand the complex interplay of variables that shape all of us.
If we can understand and appreciate, then we can begin to tailor individual courses of action.