I must say I get more phone calls from professional IT staff looking for new opportunities this year than we did last.  I was asked by one why we do not call every single person that applies back.  I thought about it a moment and actually believe that it would be a huge difference between us and other companies if we simply called each and every applicant.  But the time involved with the amount of applicants would pull key staff away from tasks that are essential to the operations.  I looked…

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Empowerment of employees - does it work and should you do it?  Being part of an integrator gives me a view into the minds of some of the most interesting managers, some great, some just poor.  What makes the difference, empowerment?  Every company has a different calling for the people they empower, from SMEs to HEROs, etc. but they all do the same thing, they are trusted professionals in their field capable of making decisions and ad hoc adjustments for the benefit of their customer base…

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I read this amazing article yesterday on one of my favorite blogs (glassdoor.com).  Take a quick look at the survey that was conducted by AOL - According to an AOL Jobs Survey,”22 percent of the respondents have personally felt threatened or bullied at work. Of those, 57 percent state it was from their manager, while 47 percent say it was from a peer, and 79 percent say that the abuse they experienced was verbal. Twenty-five percent have witnessed someone being bullied at work. Out of those…

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I went home this past weekend and I felt like Dr Phil for about the whole time with my brothers and sister.  Not about feelings and family issues, but about career management and decision making.  Not the position any of else wishes for however turned out to be a good way for us to bond.  With a large family, six siblings spread across 17 yrs there tend to be some lost communication and relationships differ.  That being said, this weekend in career counseling might be more difficult than…

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Technology is becoming an increasingly strong asset in all areas of business.  As companies become more complex, the need for technology grows and management is turning to technology for answers in all verticals.  Have we asked ourselves - is technology the answer at all?  Managers look to technology approaching issues with the question "What technology will solve this issue?"  They need to ask if technology is the answer at all, and then ask what technology might be the appropriate…

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I laugh continuously at the tenuous debate over what to where and when reference work.  Is this the red carpet, are we attending a formal reception, do we need to know the dress according to what time of the day the marriage ceremony is?  It is simply another issue to add to the useless list (that is becoming exceedingly long) that are thrown on to the shoulders of workers across the country by mindless drones in corporate America that think up what is the formal dress code for their…

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The constant motto when people graduate college or the whispers over the years from concerned parents is "Do what you love!"  Well, let us just put it out there - that is wrong!  Do what you love is such a generic phrase it nearly applies to all situations and to pin that upon one of the most critical parts of your life - career choice - let us just say is not a wise decision.  Why don't people say "Do what you are good at"?  Does it sound corny or mean spirited?  I don't believe so and I…

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After you understand the big picture of what you have been communicating with your audience about, the essential next step is to truly understand and empathize with your audience and their motivations.   Communications are far more than verbal, one must be in a position to read non-verbal signs and understand the motivations that are driving the communications.  True motivations are far more difficult to understand unless a foundation of trust has been established between the parties. …

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We discussed yesterday the need and understanding of your audience, and how that plays a foundational role in ensuring the success of any communications made within the workplace.  The rest of this series is based and built on the previous pieces, so 2 building on 1 and so on.  The next major step in becoming a better communicator is that of understanding the big picture.  That is a widely used expression however few people actually define the big picture in the manner in which it is meant to… Continue

As the head of operations for a systems integrator, communications in all its forms are key to the most challenging obstacles we face daily.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with and watch first hand great communicators, professionals capable of bringing together all groups and sides to a common goal and objective.  In the same, I have… Continue

We operate under the impression that the past continues to repeat itself and therefore patterns can be traced and the leveraged to make more informed decisions when a similar scenario presents itself.  But what if the scenario is the same but the architecture that has repeated itself…

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