Sometimes the concepts of entrepreneur and employee are described as two sides of a coin–that is, you can be one or the other, but not both. In other cases, they’re positioned as not so mutually exclusive. I tend to support the latter view, at least much of the time.What does that mean to you? For one thing, you might find that even a bit of entrepreneurial spirit gives you an edge over your competition. It sets you apart f...

Or should that be “Learner-Leader”? Anyway, the question basically is, as a leader, are you pretty much always learning or have you decided that you already know what you need to know to get your job done?I just had a client describe herself as a lifelong learner–and this isn’t the first time I’ve run across that concept. In fact, I’ve applied it to myself as well. To me, learning new things helps keep my brain energized an...

Maybe the question should really be, “How can you negotiate your salary for a New Job?”Recently an article titled “Negotiating Employment Agreements or the Real Reason Jennifer Lawrence Got Paid Less Than Bradley Cooper,” published on LinkedIn’s Pulse, talked about negotiating your salary from a different slant than I’d seen before. It definitely caused me to think about some of the assumptions we tend to make that might no...

Whether you’re in the 55+ job seeker category yet or not, the job search and career resources available for that group will undoubtedly become important to you at some point. That’s especially true if the tendency of too many companies to base their hiring decisions on perceived age-related drawbacks stays as active as it has been in the past.Job Search Challenges for 55+ Job SeekersAccording to Experience Works (formerly G...

Career missteps are nothing new–you might even have made one or two yourself. However, if you made a mistake that involved ending up on the wrong side of the law, you’ve probably discovered that it can have a hugely negative impact on your employability–especially in senior-level positions and/or those involving sensitive areas of a company, such as finance.In too many cases, you never have the opportunity to explain the si...

Perhaps the only task harder than reaching a C-level position in the first place is recapturing that rank after you’ve had to step down a rung on the corporate ladder. How did this happen to me?One or more factors probably play a key part in this situation, including:• Your company has closed.• Another company acquired yours.• Your management approach clashed with the executive board’s views.As long as you weren’t fired “fo...

Probably most of you could agree on some of the characteristics of a good boss or a bad boss, but other elements might well differ depending on your particular perspective. The main thing is that you need to determine what makes a good or a bad boss for you, in order to have a reasonably satisfying and productive experience in your job–now and in the future.What Makes a Good Boss?In my opinion, a good boss needs to fit at l...

So you say you’d rather have a root canal than engage in job search networking? Then you’re probably looking at networking from the wrong angle!As I said a couple of posts ago, networking represents a key element of successful job searching and career management. Also, of course, it’s not just a “when I’m in job-search mode” activity, but rather, something you need to do more consistently than that. The question then become...

How do you react when someone tells you that you need to be networking to have a productive job search? Do you say, “Network? Oh, no, I can’t do that!” or just throw up your hands in horror? With all the technology-fueled job search trends around these days, you might think, “Hey, I don’t need to network. I can just put my resume online and email it to people.”Sorry, but you can’t get out of it that easily. Technology can s...

A while ago I published a post about experiencing stress on your new job. Today I came across a post about “Top 10 Ways to Help You Stay Calm under Pressure” that I felt could be helpful if you’re experiencing stress and pressure either during your job search or after you land the new job. (I found this post via a an item shared by Edward Harrison, a member of the LinkedIn group, Top Leaders/Executives, which I also belong...