If you catch the right seat at Cafe de la Presse, you can get a full view of the Dragon Gate, boldly guarding the entrance from the shopping area along Post and Grant Streets to San Francisco’s Chinatown. When I took my seat to collect some interview data in my coaching consultant role I had more than the conversation at hand, and the Dragon Gate on my mind.… Read the rest
[Sounds of Silence] What Do You Do When No One Says a Word?
We’ve all been there: chairs are out, snack food is plated, some – or no – people show up, and after your presentation you’re greeted by the sounds of silence.
Such was the case with my first gratis (read “no fee” aka “free” ) master executive coaching session hosted by professional development web portal and facilitation firm partner KnowledgeCrush this week.… Read the rest
You Are Your Message: How to Speak / Present Well in Public
Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message” and advanced a number of prophetic ideas – all from the vantage of the 1960’s. McLuhan’s thoughts apply to you – including predicting the over extension of technology, and the intensification of the world community to its present expression as a “global village.”
McLuhan’s quip regarding message and medium was the thought of my morning at WordCamp San Francisco – an event for blogging geeks that is akin to baseball fans attending spring training – and experienced how presenters such as Scott Berkun, Vanessa Fox, Matt Mullenweg, et al.… Read the rest
Job Hopping? Why Your Next Job is STILL a Temporary Job
Corporations make decisions for all sorts of reasons. You may benefit from some of them, but it’s unlikely you will benefit from all of them. And because of that it’s important that you manage your career and your life rather than hope that someone else will manage it well for you.
And that means you need to think of any job where you work for someone else as a temporary job.… Read the rest
[Palm’s Employee Retention Handcuffs] Can They Stop the Exit Hemorrhaging?
Palm, the maker of mobile products, is losing talent.
Tech journalist Kara Swisher has commented that Palm is a company with nine lives. This, by my count, is number ten.
Michael Abbott, SVP of Software, and Caitlin Spaan, VP of Carrier Marketing, have both left Palm. Abbott landed at Twitter. SEC filings indicate that CFO Doug Jeffries and Global Operations Senior Vice President Jeff Devine both were paid $250K bonuses and provided stock options as part of a formal retention plan (bad news when a company’s CFO has to be paid more to stay).There’s … Read the rest
4 Steps to Hiring Brilliantly: Step Four – The Hiring Process Never Stops
Almost every exec and manager hires people – even in the flat organizations common today. Yet few do it well, and many put it down low on their list of favorite things to do. This post is the last of series of four on how you can – with some simple, common sense practices – hire well, get a great return from your hiring activities, and frankly enjoy a reputation for hiring brilliantly.… Read the rest