“The Next Gen Leader” –Cutting Edge Strategies to Make You the Leader You Were Born to Be- by Robert C. McMillan – The PracticaL Mentor’s book review I am thankful for the invitation from Career Press to review: “The Next Gen Leader” – Cutting Edge Strategies to Make You the Leader You Were Born to […]

Graduation is almost here. If you are graduating from high school there are several decisions facing you. Do you plan to go to college? Get a job? Stay at home? Move out on your own? If you are graduating from college are you going to go on to grad school? Get a job? Move back […]

When faced with a challenge it is good to take time to analyze the situation. Often our first impression is not the clearest or most detailed. In our haste to reach a conclusion we over look details, which may make a difference in how to best approach the challenge. While watching a colony of ants […]

The main reason we go to work is to make money. One of the primary goals of most workers is to increase their income. In most jobs pay increases come from raises and promotions. In theory the better we become at our jobs the more valuable we are to the organization. This especially true of […]

Among the many New Year Resolutions you make this year improving your  networking and interpersonal skills should be near the top of the list. Developing  a strong social and professional network of friends and associates is essential to    achieving most of your career goals. Almost everything you want in the workplace  depends on other […]

Many of us are caught up in situations that are less than ideal, and sometimes Thanksgiving highlights the negatives rather than accentuating the positives. So instead of giving thanks for all we have, we dwell on the negatives. Perhaps I am an idealist and think that Thanksgiving should be like a Norman Rockwell setting in […]

This week there were several questions on Yahoo Answers related to working under adverse conditions. There were several categories, bad boss, nasty co-workers, critical adversaries, and the list goes on. Although the scenarios differ the common thread is a toxic situation with no apparent remedy. The most common answer posted in response to these questions […]

For the past nine days I was on New England cruise to view the fall foliage and tour several ports of call. During the voyage, by chance, I met a semi-retired physiologist who specialized in helping patients who were having difficulties facing challenges. The bottom line to his clinical observations is many people in challenging […]

One of the greatest clichés is that there are no mistakes or failures only learning opportunities.  While I do believe we learn from our mistakes, I am not sure that we always learn the most beneficial lessons.  More often the lesson we take away is DON’T TRY THAT AGAIN!, instead of learning how to succeed […]

All of the career guidance literature I have seen over my years study says we all have a special talent, and if we develop that talent, work will seem like play and we will magically excel in the workplace. Sounds great! Problem is after 50 years in the workplace, I haven’t found my special talent. […]

Forging alliances at work may be the most beneficial strategic career move a person can make.  Alliances are more than casual friendships, and are formed to advance common goals or interests.  These bonds of common purpose can provide a shield against adversity, and a conduit for opportunity.  Making and keeping alliances can improve and maintain […]

Confidence is a necessary skill that is often neglected in the development of a career strategy. There are different kinds and degrees of confidence, and finding the balance that best suits your personality and goals is often difficult. As many people suffer from over confidence as lack of confidence not only in themselves, but also […]

Most of us spend more time working than at any other activity, but we manage our working relationships less than in any other situation.  In our personal relationships we usually seek and obtain a level of interaction that permits us to enjoy ourselves and grow our skills.  Even in our casual relationships, like recreational activities […]

I am not sure exactly what causes it, but every year at the end of August or the beginning of September, I get the urge to go back to school.  Perhaps it is the realization that summer is drawing to a close as the days get noticeably shorter and there are hints of autumn appearing […]

I re-learned a lesson the hard way this week.  This summer I took a temporary job. When I was hired I was told the job had a definite term, and there would be no more work after the term was over. I accepted the job.  There were several people who were hired to accomplish the […]

This week there was a lot buzz about Psychometrics and other job screening techniques.  questionsIt is probably a sign of the times, as employers are flooded with applications for all available jobs.  The idea of psychometric testing and correlating traits with aptitude and performance is becoming main stream.  So how do you prepare for psychometric […]

This week there was a lot more bad news for the economic recovery. Although some companies reported huge profits, the overall conclusion is the U.S. economy is sputtering, and there could be even more lay offs. For those of us already unemployed the hopes of finding work seems to be fading even more, and those […]

Perhaps the best definition of closing a deal is when a commitment is made.  The classic business definition is when money changes hands, but in our careers and life in general we make a lot of deals that do not involve money.  Deals are a social concept where one side gives some thing in exchange […]

This week there seemed to be a lot of questions regarding resumes, applications and CVs.  What was unusual this week is most of the questions were about getting caught in a lie.  The biggest culprit was grades.  Some added a few points to their grade point average. Others just flat out copied the scores from […]