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.
For all of us who pride ourselves on being in control of things at all times, Mother Nature served up a big reminder — in the form of Hurricane Irene — that we’re not in control of as much as we would like to think we are. A lot of executives mistakenly believe they’re in […]
A colleague shared this poem with me the other day: The Habit Poem I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half of the things you do you might as well turn over […]
After last week’s post I received an email from a reader who had a suggestion: You need to write about the “flip side” of Mr. Naysayer. Her rationale? I once had a job where I became the Mr. Naysayer. It was uncomfortable for me — uncomfortable for all around me — and it was a […]
The other day a colleague shared this Dilbert cartoon with me: My initial reaction was that the message of this cartoon sums up the way the two parties in Washington, D.C. approach one another. ” Everything you said is right, but I have a reflexive urge to disagree with you.” Sounds very much like something […]
People want to know what’s going on where they work. They want to know what the organization is trying to accomplish — the mission thing. They want to know how the business is going to get there — the vision thing. And, most of all, they want to know how the company is doing at […]
Try this one on for size. A number of years ago, four to be exact, we were enjoying a successful relationship with a company we had contracted with since 1995. By all accounts, the firm was doing a good job for us. In 2007, one of the key people employed by the firm decided to […]
To live life is to negotiate. If you’re married, you negotiate daily with your spouse. It might be over what to have for dinner or where to go on vacation. If you have children, you certainly negotiate with them. I’m constantly bargaining over curfews, gas money, and the definition of a clean room. (Are hospital corners […]
Recently, I advised that to engage and retain the young professionals on your team, you must make sure you provide ample opportunity for them. But what about the rest of the team? They’re just as important, and without them there is no team. Let’s face it, it takes a variety of talents, skills, and experiences […]
I’m not much of a golf fan. I certainly can’t play the game and only have a passing interest in it as a spectator. Like the rest of the world, however, I did notice when young Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open a couple of weeks ago. It’s amazing to see a 22-year-old at the […]
This past Sunday was Father’s Day. Not surprisingly, it got me thinking about my dad. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do on Father’s Day? My dad, coincidentally, passed away almost 17 years ago to the day. So mid-June is a time when I tend to have him on my mind more than others. He […]