"Not Hermia, but Helena I love. Who will not change a raven for a dove?" ---Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream Years ago, Julie worked for a Raven. This Raven was a mean, nasty lady who was sour to the core and was bitter about life. All the Raven had was her career, and it was common for others to feel bad for the Raven---until she bore her true colors---then they didn't feel sorry for her any longer. Julie, unfortunately had to deal with the Raven day in and day out. Snide... Read Full Story

"There is no better gain for mortals to win than foresight and a prudent mind." ---Sophocles in ELECTRA I wish I had a nickel for every person I've met who described him/herself as a 'visionary.' Just last week someone was droning on and on about how keen his foresight was, but when I asked him if he remembered to bring the documents I requested, he, of course, did not! Foresight and seeing the horizon works if---and only if---you also have your eyes on the dashboard. I also wish I had a... Read Full Story

"Always consider whether the urgency of the end may compensate for the disagreeableness of the means." --Nathaniel Hawthorne How many times have we, as managers, been burned by asking for a subordinate to 'fill-in' or to take on a one-time-only, responsible duty---only getting severely burned for having faith in that person? "Too many times!" is clearly the answer. Yet, we continue to let it happen. As managers, we WANT to encourage our staff to grow. We WANT to give our staff more... Read Full Story

"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better." ---Shakespeare in Twelfth Night When was the last time you were promoted, or even given a raise and it was a complete surprise? How about never!? The truth is, most Americans don't know what it's like to be given a raise or a promotion without having to scratch, kick, bite, scream and bleed for one. Why is it so uncommon for us to get 'a little love' without forcing the issue? IF (and that's a BIG if) we are lucky enough to get a... Read Full Story

"The ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function is the sign of a truly intelligent individual." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald I'm not so sure people aspire to get to the point Mr. Fitzgerald is making, but it does happen; and according to him, if we can still function in spite of being torn, well......we must be special. When problems like this are presented to me, it's either because a colleague has a dichotomous conundrum regarding a... Read Full Story

"All my possessions for a moment of time." --Queen Elizabeth I (Her dying words.) It's possible that QEI was describing flex-time, and she didn't even realize that she was on to something big! As technology makes the mobile office more viable and effective, more of us are begging and pleading for flexible work schedules. There's nothing like freeing the oppressive chains that bind you to a corporate cubicle after you've gone through a grueling 2 hour grind in traffic. The first day you... Read Full Story

"The master's madness without the squire's stupidity wouldn't be worth a cent." ---Cervantes In the work world, there is an algorithm which one can easily prove that, as a person's responsibilities increase, their is an exponential increase in forgetfulness, complacency, mistrust, waffling, and impetuousness. In other words: Sheer Madness! Over the years, I've coached hundreds of clients who had major 'madness' issues with their supervisors. "My boss has me running in circles and I... Read Full Story

"Predictability is a quality people find reassuring." ---Alistar McAlpine One of the undeniable truths to getting ahead is to be predictable. Not boring, just predictable. When there are times of doubt, stress, uncertainty, anguish, hostility, frustration, a lack of instructions/guidelines, or even chaos--- your boss and your staff will only feel reassured IF they know what to expect from you. But how could they possibly know what you'll do or how and when you'll do it? From watching... Read Full Story

"If you must be a servant, seek him who you can serve best." ---Nietzsche Bosses, you can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em. We spend 2/3 of our lives with them, yet how much time do we REALLY spend in making sure we're selecting the right one? Think about the last time you grilled your boss-to-be during an interview. Did you even have a chance to do that? If you had the time allotted, what did you do with it? I'd bet you sat there waiting for questions from him/her instead of... Read Full Story

"The masters' works I look upon And I see what they have done; When looking upon this or that by me, What I should have done is what I see." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe One of the most common problems clients bring to me is an inferiority complex. They don't describe it that way, but they talk about their symptoms in a variety of ways: 1) I don't feel appreciated at work. 2) I feel like a loser. 3) I wonder if this is the best it's going to be for me. 4) Will I ever amount to... Read Full Story