Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
Annette Simmons is the author of Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact. She wrote the book to help people bring storytelling back into their repertoire of persuasive tactics, and she offers many tips for telling better stories. One of her most important ideas … Continue reading Validate Before Trying to Persuade
Almost every team has one: the negative personality whose poison is starting to affect everyone. Whether it’s snide comments in team meetings, passive-aggressive information withholding, or acid emails, a negative team member can quickly cause irreparable damage to productivity, comradery, and, eventually, retention. But containing – or removing – a toxic team member can be … Continue reading Don’t Let Negativity Spread
Annette Simmons is the author of Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact. Her book is intended to help you get into “story thinking,” using stories as tools for persuasion in your personal and business life. She defines stories as “a reimagined experience narrated … Continue reading Telling Better Stories
Annette Simmons is the author of Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact. Her book is intended to help you get into “story thinking,” using stories as tools to bring emotion back into the decision-making process. She writes, “We know everything will change tomorrow … Continue reading The Stories We Tell Ourselves (and Others)
A recent survey conducted by HR consultancy Gartner of nearly 3,500 respondents found that 50 percent of candidates accepted a job offer between May 2022 and May 2023, backed out, then started working for another employer. SHRM’s blog says among nearly 2,000 respondents who recently started a new job, 47 percent said they were still … Continue reading 50 Percent of New Hires Change Their Minds
“I’m afraid being a jerk isn’t against the law, even if we wish it could be.” That’s a quote from yours truly when I worked as an executive for a regional nonprofit organization. I sometimes heard from employees outside my division, asking for advice on whether they should file a formal grievance about their boss. … Continue reading Being a Jerk is Not Against the Law (even if we think it should be)
For many workers, the pandemic lockdowns meant they had to set up home offices overnight. Most believed (and hoped) that the setup would be temporary, so they carved out a place in the bedroom, on the dining room table, or the living room coffee table to call their “home office.” Others, with more means or … Continue reading The Best Home Office Setup
What time does a meeting start? The agenda may start at a specific moment (give or take 10 minutes, in my sad experience), but you can be very productive in the minutes before a meeting actually begins. Those of us who are always early know this. In fact, we’re early for two reasons. One is … Continue reading The Meeting Before the Meeting
When I entered the field of workforce development in 1997, I confidently predicted the demise of the 4-year degree. I spoke to anyone who would listen (employers and jobseekers) about the idea that employment trends were changing quickly, and that the pace of change was accelerating faster than universities and colleges could ever aspire to. … Continue reading A College Degree is Not Required for Success
In fact, everyone should have a side hustle, but that’s another post. Most parents encourage their college students to get a job, but a side hustle makes more sense – both now and for the long-term. First, let’s talk about the difference between a job and a side hustle. The difference is important. A job … Continue reading Every College Student Should Have a Side Hustle
