Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Dan Oswald, CEO of Simplify Compliance, writes about management, leadership, and the workplace. Occasional guest articles are written by other leaders and C-Suite executives from BLR.
by Dan Oswald Last week, my wife’s grandmother passed away at 98 years of age. She was a special lady who remained alert and curious until her last days. She was active on Facebook, keeping up with her great-grandchildren’s lives. So my family and I made the trip back to the Midwest for the funeral. […]
by Dan Oswald Sometimes it’s not about how you win but how you lose. That was the lesson Coach Dave Belisle taught his Rhode Island baseball team last year when they lost 8-7 in a Little League World Series elimination game. This video clip shows the story of the team and the words the coach […]
by Dan Oswald Comedian Jim Carrey is well known for his high energy and incredibly silly impressions and comedic routines. His movie roles have included characters such as Ace Ventura, the hapless pet detective, Lloyd Christmas, one-half of the Dumb and Dumber duo, and the Grinch from Dr. Seuss fame. When a colleague shared this […]
by Dan Oswald I recently saw two photos that caught my eye. The first, from 2005, was taken when Pope Benedict XVI was introduced as the new pope. The second, taken in 2013, was from the unveiling of Pope Francis. While less than a decade had passed between the two events, there is a notable […]
by Dan Oswald Have you ever seen a sign that says something like “lack of planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine” hanging in someone’s office or retail establishment? If you think about it for a minute, it’s surprising how often an unplanned or unanticipated event for one person turns into an […]
by Dan Oswald It’s often said that being a parent is the world’s toughest job. Not all of us are parents, but most of us can appreciate what a difficult job parenting is. I found it fascinating that Boston-based advertising agency Mullen created an ad for a nonexistent director of operations position. The requirements included: […]
by Dan Oswald The other day, a colleague passed along an article from Inc. magazine titled “35 Habits That Make Employees Extremely Valuable.” Whether you’re an employee trying to figure out how to make yourself indispensable to your employer or a manager looking for the right type of person for your team, this piece, written […]
by Dan Oswald Does your team know what the ultimate objective is for each project they work on? Do they know what the purpose is—what they’re trying to achieve? Are you confident that you consistently communicate exactly what the goal is for each and every project? Knowing what you, their leader, want to ultimately achieve […]
by Dan Oswald Believe it or not, as I write this, the first half of 2015 is coming to an end. That’s right, the year is half over, and it’s a good time to mark your progress. Are you well on your way to achieving the goals—both personal and professional—you set for yourself this year? […]
by Dan Oswald President Woodrow Wilson was once asked how long it took him to prepare his speeches, and his answer was quite telling. “That depends on the length of the speech,” said Wilson. “If it is a 10-minute speech, it takes me all of two weeks to prepare it; if it is a half-hour […]