For many, working from home seems like a luxury. It’s a flexible benefit that costs the organization virtually nothing, but gives the employee countless perks. As someone who has worked from home for 12 years, I am positive I couldn’t transition back into cubicle-life. Working from home allows employees to save gas money, reduce their carbon footprint, and reduce their morning stress thanks to a no-car commute to the “office.” While they do have to buy their own coffee, they usually save money overall and eat healthier because they’re not limited to (or tempted by) the fast food options near … Read More
How Leaders Can Defeat Imposter Syndrome
It’s very common for first time leaders to go through a stage where they feel like they fooled people into believing they’re ready for the job, but they aren’t; and it’s only a matter of time until everyone learns the truth. Surveys show up to 70% of the population experiences feelings of fraud at some point in their lives, including musician Chris Martin, actress Natalie Portman, comedian Tina Fey, executive Sheryl Sandberg, and even poet Maya Angelou. For most people, that feeling goes away after a few months on the job. For others, Imposter Syndrome is a core part of … Read More
Six Things That Are Every Leader’s Responsibility
If you’re part of a large organization, chances are you were required to complete an annual data security eLearning program from your company’s LMS in the last month. I went through one myself last week, and paused when I read the question “Whose responsibility is data security?” The answers were: a) the IT team, b) the IT team and front desk security guard, c) management or d) every employee. The answer is obviously every employee, but that got me thinking about what other key corporate responsibilities rest on every leader’s shoulders. Here are six corporate needs that are every leader’s … Read More
Eight Resolutions for a Healthy Leader
Whether you call it a resolution or a goal, it’s all the same thing. We’re all looking for that one thing we want to do differently in 2018 to make it our best year yet. The vast majority of personal New Year’s Resolutions involve becoming more healthy (eat less, work out more, etc). When we think about health, we think about the things that are easily measured: pounds, inches, calories, grams of sugar, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Rarely do we measure our mental health or consider the impact it has on our physical health. The role of a leader is … Read More
Keep the Change – Pump Your Own Gas
The only thing more constant than change in this world is how much people hate change. Regardless of how well researched the change is or how much it will benefit others, people will naturally resist giving up what is comfortable and familiar. A great example of our illogical resistance to change became headline news this week when new gas pumping laws took effect in Oregon. Even though residents of 48 other states are capable of (and perhaps prefer)
Fixing Your Sunday Blues
If you’re like 76% of the population, when Sunday evening rolls around you begin to experience a sense of dread. Sadness, anxiety, and even hopelessness dominates your once relaxing weekend. This pervasive problem eats away at the precious time we reserve for relaxing, enjoying family, and refreshing our batteries. But to fix the problem, we must diagnose it first. Not all Sunday Blues are created equal. You hate your job. The first, and easiest trigger to identify is pure job dissatisfaction. If you hate your job, you will spend every minute counting down to when you have to go back. … Read More