Women’s professional golf made a monumental error in judgment recently when it announced a new rule requiring that all its players must speak English to be eligible to play. Golf Magazine reports that by the end of 2009, the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) will require all players who have been on the golf tour for two years to pass an oral exam to prove their English skills. Those who fail will not be allowed to play. The LPGA has 121 international players, and by all accounts... Read Full Story
A human resources friend once told me, “People don’t quit jobs; they quit supervisors.” A recent survey seems to support her assertion. The 2008 survey, conducted online by the human resources consulting firm Right Management, lists the most common reasons that employees change jobs in their careers, in this order: - Downsizing or restructuring (54 percent) - Sought new challenges or opportunities (30 percent) - Ineffective leadership (25 percent) - Poor relationship with manager (22... Read Full Story
Awhile back, the U.S. Surgeon General listed the most impactful psychological and social stressors in an adult’s life. How many apply to you? - Breakup of intimate romantic relationships (including divorce) - Death of a family member or friend - Economic hardship - Racism and discrimination - Poor physical health - Accidental or intentional assaults on physical safety - Loss of job/loss of income - Disability... Read Full Story
Awhile back, as I took a long drive to nowhere in particular, I rolled my windows down and turned my radio up, listening to Bob Seger belt out “Like A Rock.” This was way before Chevy co-opted the song and promptly played it into the ground.It was a great song, but I smirked when Seger sang the lyric “Twenty years now, where’d they go?”I was about 20 at the time and couldn’t fathom how 20 years could slip by anyone. Twenty minutes, yes. Twenty days, I guess. But 20 years? What was he smoking... Read Full Story
In the working world, most of us know what to expect when accepting a promotion within the same department. But what are the nuances of transitioning into a different department within the same company? I learned many of the answers first-hand. After 11 years of intense public relations work in my company’s corporate communications office, I transferred last year into our marketing department. I spent several months planning the move, which I requested to round out my work experience. Here... Read Full Story
I learned long ago that a career in public relations means I rarely work only 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to business hours, I work when I’m needed, which could be 4:30 a.m. or 11:00 p.m. (usually not the same day, though.) It’s been a far cry from what workers experience in the European Union, where – except for the United Kingdom – employees may work only up to 48 hours per week. In France, the law allows a maximum 35-hour workweek. Despite my strong work ethic – and I enjoy my work... Read Full Story
Getting married and becoming a parent aren’t the right choices for everyone, but they’ve been wonderful decisions for me. My wife and young daughter have taught me more about myself – and about living life in the moment – than I realized I didn’t know. I’ve always wanted to get married, but candidly I didn’t always know if I wanted children. It was after I married my wife, when I was 34, that I gladly became a father at age 36. It was a big leap for me because I’m not much of a risk taker... Read Full Story
Since the Internet’s invention, people online have blurred fact and fiction. Over the last couple of years, the blurring has grown quite inventive. Many Internet tall tales are benign – people on dating sites listing themselves as “29 when they are closer to “40” – while in rare cases, they can be dangerous. Consider these examples: In the harmless category, I think of lonelyGirl15, who back in 2006 purported to be a 16-year-old girl named Bree with a bedroom webcam posting gossipy... Read Full Story
If you plan to fly this summer, buy your airline tickets now. Rising fuel costs and the usual summer demand are driving ticket prices higher and higher, so the longer you wait, the more you are likely to pay. For example, a week before Memorial Day, I checked roundtrip airfare from Orlando to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a July departure. Travelocity quoted me $215 roundtrip on Spirit Airlines (nonstop, after all taxes and fees). Although this was an excellent price, my plans were uncertain... Read Full Story
As I watched my young daughter play with a friend this afternoon, I overheard her playmate say, “We’re best friends forever!” I smiled and thought about a few of my own childhood “forever” friendships long since ended, then remembered a poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes that begins “Youth fades, love droops; the leaves of friendship fall….” Friendships, I reflected, usually are not forever. For me, it’s been one of life’s most melancholic lessons. My father was in the Navy, so from the... Read Full Story
