Real-life Leaders, Their Shortcomings, and How They Overcame Them "A business owner has to realize that, as the saying goes, 'A skunk stinks from the head down,' and a business does too," writes Bill McBean in his book The Facts of Business Life. That’s why, McBean posits, behind every great leader is a successful business. But just because you’re sitting in the leader’s chair doesn’t mean you excel at managing and motivating a team. Plenty of highly-placed executives lack essential people skills, or worse, rule with a bully’s iron fist -- it’s their way or the highway, a la TV bosses Donald T... view article details

Summer Presents Unique Opportunities for You to Advance Your Career Summer is No Time to Slack Off at Work And suddenly, Summer. Coats go into storage, you’re buying sunscreen by the gallon, and your mind instantly shifts from spreadsheets and status meetings to suntans and sandy beaches. However, while kids might be screaming "school's out for summer" and racing for the playground, things don't quite work that way as an adult in the business world. But don't worry, the tips below won't be as painful as summer school. So here are 5 ways you can use summer to your advantage professionally. ... view article details

Learn Which Hiring Red Flags to Spot During the Job Interview Process If you're a hiring manager or a small business owner who has gone through the hiring and job interview process, you know how difficult it can be finding the right person. Mainly because you first have to sort through all the wrong people. But how can you tell right from wrong? While there's no secret code or magic bullet to figure out the good from the bad, there are some general tricks and hints to point you in the right direction. And if you're a grizzled veteran of conducting job interviews, you probably already know some... view article details

With the unemployment rate hovering at 4.5 percent, "calling in sick" or taking unplanned time off has fallen out of fashion to such an extent that experts have invented a word to describe it -- "presenteeism." The phenomenon results in employees coming to work even when they shouldn't. That's right -- there are legitimate reasons to call off work. The rules below apply whether your company has combined paid time off (PTO), or separate sick, vacation, and personal days. Valid reason 1: Contagious illness, such as the common cold or flu. There's no better reason to stay home than legitimate si... view article details

Weigh 'Need vs Greed' When Negotiating Salary at a Nonprofit Nonprofits are a Different Animal When you’re an employee at MegaCorp and the CEO travels to the shareholder meeting in his private jet to announce that they’ve exceeded Q4 revenue predictions by $200 million, it’s not too difficult to look at the company’s success, negotiate hard for a raise, and say “How about a little something for me?” But what happens when you work for a nonprofit and you’re not dealing with mergers and acquisitions, but rather microfinance loans to empower women or access to clean drinking water in developin... view article details

Over the last two years you've heard it: "Consider yourself lucky to have a job." Whether coming from the manager sugar-coating furloughs and four-day work weeks, or the family member who needs help with the rent -- again! -- going through the same routines, when what you really want is to move on, can be soul-destroying. But on balance, are things so bad? Does leaving really make sense? You decide… This job doesn’t challenge me anymore Stay: In today’s job market, it is unlikely your boss is concerned that you might walk, so why should you? Keep plugging away and allow yourself the time and s... view article details

Find Out Why You Get Along with Certain People at Work Have you ever wondered why it is that you seem to get along with some people and not with others? Or why it is that you can’t seem to get through to another? The answer lies in your personality style, a predictable set of behaviors that defines how others see you as you go about doing what you do. Your style -- a preference for behaving one way rather than another -- governs the way you lead others, participate in teamwork communicate, make decisions, and manage change; it even governs the way you learn. Personality style influences the ... view article details

What Not to Do One Google search will turn up a plethora of articles out there discussing what to do if you want to be a great salary negotiator. But even though it's vital to know which traits you need to emulate for success, it's equally important to know which behaviors to avoid.There is perhaps no other endeavor so fraught with anxiety as a salary negotiation. You're dealing with your own feelings of inadequacy, wondering if you're good enough, if your employer likes you enough, and worrying about feeling rejected should you ask and get denied. But at the same time, you're also wo... view article details

Make the Best of a Good Situation In many ways, it is an ideal situation. Looking for a job while you already have one has many benefits. You can take your time to find a job that you love without feeling the pressure of having to pay the rent. You get to bone up on your interviewing skills, and discover if the field that you’re interested in is really a fit for you.That is, if you don’t get caught.The one huge caveat about job hunting while you have a job is just that…you already have a job. And if your boss or catty colleague catches wind that you’re interviewing for another positio... view article details

First Impressions Matter You’ve made enough of an impression with your resume and job experience to get an interview, and in that first seven seconds when you walk through the door, research suggests the person on the other side of the table is going to size you up.And as we all know, first impressions matter. A lot.What you wear – and, perhaps more importantly, what you choose not to wear to that job interview – could make all the difference in whether you get your foot in the door. “The person should not notice your clothes,” Barry Drexler, an interview coach with Expertinterview.co... view article details