I’ve been looking for a new job. During a recent job interview I was asked a question that shocked me. Actually it wasn’t the question itself that shocked me. What shocked me was that only one interviewer has asked me this question.
I’m going through a rough patch
I’ve been going through a particularly rough patch in my professional life over the past two months. The situation isn’t of my making but I’m the one who has to live through the consequences. I’ve been doing what I can to get back on track but it’s never enough. It’s not entirely within my control … Continue reading I’m going through a rough patch
Home truths about stress and burnout
I’ve experienced burnout myself and watched others pull themselves out of burnout. What I’ve learned is that prolonged stress doesn’t always cause burnout.
What sort of company do you want to work for?
I worked for a US Fortune 500 company for 8 years. I hadn’t planned to work for a large American corporate - the small company I worked for was acquired and assimilated by the corporate machine. Unfortunately working for a US corporate wasn’t everything it cracked up to be
Own your decisions
A sure-fire way to frustrate your team and ensure they lose confidence in you is to flip-flop on your decisions.
Empathy is something to get worked up about
I get a little worked up about “empathy” because I’ve had some bad experiences in this area. In my professional life I’ve worked under leaders with varying levels of empathy. The most challenging have been leaders who honestly believe they show empathy but in reality, don’t.
Mid-Year goals checkpoint
It’s that time of the year when the dinosaur companies that haven’t evolved beyond the monolithic annual performance review process kick off their 6 monthly performance checkpoint. I work for one of these dinosaurs and with this in mind I thought I’d share progress on my personal goals for 2019:.
Two little words
One of the most uplifting things you can do for someone else is to say “thank you”. The simple act of showing genuine gratitude to someone can change their whole demeanor and have a profound impact on your own state-of-mind.
Feedback conversations don’t need to be difficult
Feedback conversations are labelled “difficult” and require “candor”. Unfortunately these labels set the scene for adversarial encounters where neither party feels they’ve been heard.
Squeezing five days into three days
I’m a budgetary liability. I have 49 days holiday accrued and have been “strongly encouraged” to take 2 days off each week to reduce my leave balance. So for eight weeks I get a four-day weekend. I still have the same workload to manage so treat my time as a valuable commodity.
Sideways Trajectory 