It’s Wednesday and your manager gives you a new task: write and deliver a speech for 100 people at a public event in two days. You will either react in one of two ways: thrilled at the professional development opportunity — or fearful of speaking publicly in front of large crowds. Fear of public speakingRead… Read more »
Last week, I wrote a post listing nine things federal employees can do to reach their income potential. This week, I list the last 12 habits based off the book, Rich Habits – The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals, by Tom Corley. They are: You Reject Self-Limiting Thoughts – Successful people command their thoughts andRead… Read more »
I stumbled into the federal government by accident. When I quit swimming after my sophomore year of college, I waited tables to help pay tuition. As my senior year progressed, I realized I needed to gain some accounting experience. A local tax preparer called and asked my roommate if she was interested in a job.Read… Read more »
We’ve all seen one of these great PowerPoint presentations – the lights go down, the screen lights up with a high resolution picture of an elephant in the middle of a river spraying water on its back and the speaker weaves a story around it, teaching you important lessons and inspiring the bejeezus out ofRead… Read more »
Complex problems require new thinking, and sometimes that means stripping the question down to simple components. The New York Times detailed how Apple uses a series of Picasso’s lithographs to teach this concept. The artist moved from a full sketch to a minimal outline through the course of 11 prints. A spare collection of linesRead… Read more »
How do you learn? Do you take classes? Use Internet tutorials? Read books? Do you find useful tips and ideas on blogs and websites? Guess what? You have something to share, just like the authors of the blogs and sites that you gain new information from. Your experience, your perspective, your frustrations are all thingsRead… Read more »
Learning how to succeed in business can come from a variety of diverse sources. It may include mentors, managers and multiple teams of staffers that you meet during your career. Inspiration for solid business practices may also result from other life experiences, including sports. The three business lessons I learned from the batting cage coverRead… Read more »
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to hear the Dalai Lama speak when he was in Calgary, Alberta. At the conclusion of his talk, he took a few questions from the audience and I was fortunate enough to be able to ask him about public engagement. I asked, “What, if anything, should weRead… Read more »
Last time, we discussed life in a Rubber Room. It can feel like the dead end at the corridor of a career, a padded cell, a cul-de-sac, or a waiting room where the waiting never ends. But escape from a rubber room is possible. Workers retire, take a job with another governmental or private sector organization,Read… Read more »
The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of Buddha and serves as a path to obtain or reach enlightenment. Buddha defined enlightenment as the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. From my experience, public service can cause a lot of suffering at times and Buddha’s teachings provide a great toolsetRead… Read more »