Good job with great benefits, nice place by the ocean, active social life with lots of friends, what more could you want?  Isn’t it everyone’s dream to be financially secure, live in a nice house, and have lots friends? The term “golden handcuffs” is often used to describe a state where apparent benefits hold us […]

There are a lot of articles floating on the web questioning the value of a college degree.   Several try to answer the question of the value of your degree based on earning power versus cost.  The rational is that as the cost of attending college rises, the financial burden may negate the benefits of a […]

It’s a slow day in a small West Virginia town.  The sun is beating down, and the streets are deserted.  Times are tough, everybody is in debt,  and everybody lives on credit. On this particular day a rich tourist from out west is driving through town. He stops at the motel and lays a $100 […]

Every office has one. The person who comes in first and leaves last, accomplishes little or nothing, and professes to be the office go-to person. Their omnipresence makes them appear as superstars. How do you compete with work aholics? The first task is to properly identify these tactics and learn the pattern. There are several […]

Opportunity often appears at the worst times and in the strangest places.  Sometimes they are disguised and hard to recognize.  For example, one day I got on the elevator at work to go down from the seventh floor for lunch.  The car was empty and I thought I might have a chance for a non-stop […]

Most of us talk a good game of wanting to climb the corporate ladder and assume leadership roles.  We discuss education, skill sets, and career strategies to achieve our goals.  For most of us our strategies never seem to achieve our objectives.  In many cases we choose too narrow of a career path to follow.  […]

Every office could use an office cowboy (See the video on the welcome page) to take care of the office loudmouth. I am not sure why, but no matter the make up of the group someone always emerges to fill the role of the office loudmouth.  Perhaps it is an unwritten law of human nature […]

We often think we have very little power in challenging situations, but perhaps a change of perspective could improve our position. There is a joke making the rounds on the Internet about girls at a private school putting on lipstick after they got to school and testing it on the girl’s restroom mirror leaving scores […]

Last week’s post “Difficult Boss” discussed the importance of getting along with the boss.  Many of us fail to consider that managers also answer to bosses.  There is often a misconception that management is a club where once you are a member everything becomes easy.  Managers get paid more for doing less.  All a manager […]

Shelly’s wrote: Dear Practical Mentor, I have been working under my current boss for 1 year. His management style is one of a kind. I’m writing in for any advice that could help ease my frustration and view the situation from a different perspective. My boss has a Jeckel & Hyde personality. You never know […]

Professional image is how we are perceived in the workplace.  Most jobs require interaction with customers, management, and coworkers. Every interaction leaves an impression, and collectively these impressions make up our professional image.  A good professional image is important in advancing your career.  There are several strategies in developing a professional image.  In most cases […]