Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
Stanford University professor Bob Sutton, whose work I admire, authored the book “The No Assholes Rule.” Good book, great topic, and some wonderful thoughts about how to work with and / or avoid workplace assholes.
Unfortunately the “rule” doesn’t work in most firms. And even while asshole behavior is corrosive and cancerous to the effectiveness of most companies, here’s why jerks and assholes will continue to exist in the workplace.… Read the rest
The line from former US President Harry Truman, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” came to mind immediately.
“Would I do a reference call with my prospective new boss?” my former colleague “Kim” asked.
Though Kim had worked for three years at a division of a major US company, her potential new boss in a sister division wanted to talk with employment references from before her time with the current firm.… Read the rest
Given the choice between career success and career failure I’ll likely take success. Heck I’m like anyone else; who do you know who hates succeding?
The trouble with success – one of many – is that most of your learning comes from the bumps of failure, not the sweetness of accomplishment. The biggest derailer in my experience as an executive coach is a lack of smaller mistakes and failure early in someone’s career.… Read the rest
My 96-year old mother died last week after a 12-month bout with dementia, and a much briefer tussle with pneumonia.
While I had been fortunate to spend good time with her in Portland earlier this year while she mostly remembered who I was, I missed her passing by an hour Thursday. The flight that I had scrambled to move up a day from Friday due to a steep decline in her health the previous afternoon was landing at the PDX airport when she passed away peacefully in the presence of my sister and my younger niece.… Read the rest
The current job market is generally a seller’s market: qualified applicants significantly outnumber available openings. Unlike the early part of the decade – a buyer’s market – it means that employers can be (and usually are) very selective in whom they hire, and buyers – job applicants – don’t have the ability to be very highly selective due to the undersupply of job openings.… Read the rest
Comebacks, from Carly Fiorina (and Jerry Brown), to Mickey Drexler, Henry Blodget, Martha Stewart, and even Steve Jobs, are in full form and fashion these days. What do all these people tell us? They tell us that you can make mistakes, get sacked, and like the nine-lived cat still return to center stage another day.
Hit a career bump (or mountain) or two?… Read the rest