[How to Improve Your Leadership Skills] “Everything On One Calendar Please”

Just as  former basketball superstar Michael Jordan, investor Warren Buffett, or businessperson Oprah Winfrey wouldn’t handicap themselves by taking their second-string game to work (e.g. imagine Buffett: “No, we just invest in companies whose names begin with M-Z), you want to take your best self to work and life. It means bringing the whole you – not just a part of you – to life.Read the rest

[Forks in the Career Road] An Early Thanksgiving

I had lunch with Littler Mendelson’s Lindbergh Porter today, an early Thanksgiving of sorts.

Seeing him reminded me that career choices and life opportuniities come to us in all sorts of ways and at times both convenient and awkward. Each choice you make has some consequence, both foreseen and unknown.

Lindbergh and I had worked together in the ’90’s when I was his client as an SVP of Human Resources.Read the rest

[Through the Glassdoor] Layoffs (Still) at McKesson – cont.

Reader “S” follows-up with a note from my earlier post on why the Back West blog is getting hit with people doing searches using the keywords “McKesson layoff”:

“I’m not sure if your recent post on McKesson was a bait for info about layoffs, but I have a feeling why there may be an increase in searches recently. The layoffs that were announced just after the end of the fiscal year triggered the searches a few months ago.Read the rest

[New Rules] Did You Flunk the Test?

You have a testing problem – you probably just don’t know it.

As noted earlier [here , here and here ], the use of psychological and personality tests to make hiring and promotion decisions is on the uptick. With the recent US Supreme Court Ricci vs. Stefano decision, any number of ill-advised HR types will likely increase the use of these tests.Read the rest

[Career Planning: Mergers & Acquisitions] What Do You Do When the Rumors Start?

Nothing’s guaranteed except change, and in business (as well as more than just a few non-profits) that means a churn of possible mergers, consolidations, and acquisitions. Across the country biotech companies, financial services firms like asset managers, hedge funds, venture capital and private equity firms, and any number of companies in other sectors are all scrambling – some to stay alive, others to grow by acquisition.Read the rest