workplace

Social Media: Does It Help or Hinder Productivity?

Ray Williams — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:53:37 -0500

Does the use of social media in the workplace benefit organizations and educational institutions and help productivity or hamper productivity? That's a question many leaders and educators are debating in organizations, even while students and employees immerse themselves in social media for both personal and business purposes. This article will examine both sides of the question, and show how it's clearly connected to a much bigger question of organizational change.

Escaping Your Inner Mental Prison

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:45:20 -0500

"Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now," the world-renown psychiatrist and author of the classic bestseller, Man's Search for Meaning, Dr. Viktor Frankl, advises us.

Second Life Finds its Second Life as a Tool for Virtual Workers

Kit Eaton — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:17:05 -0500

Say what you like about virtual world Second Life--it just keeps spinning on. And now it's getting an official enterprise offshoot, which companies can run on their own server for virtual, corporate, uh, fun. There's even going to be an app store.

As the Economy Improves

Sharlyn Lauby — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:28:31 -0400

There’s been some discussion lately that, as employees start to see
signs of economic recovery, they’ll begin to dust off their resumes and
start searching for a new opportunity. If you want to read more about
this, check out the posts here and here.

The Age of Empathy

Ray Williams — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:19:48 -0400

Greed is out. Empathy is in. That's how Frans de Waal begins his book, The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons For A Kinder Society. De Waal is a biologist, professor of psychology and director of the Living Link Center at Emory University. In 2007, Time magazine selected him as one of the world's most influential people.

Want To Stay Healthy After Retirement? Keep Working

Ray Williams — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:51:31 -0400

Since the Great Depression, a commonly held perspective on the good life is that we can all look forward to retirement, when we didn't have to work any more. We would be more relaxed and healthier away from the stresses of work.

“Contractor” Employee Misclassification is Costing Companies – Again

Nick Reddin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:53:31 -0400

As a cable-television installer in Massachusetts, Fritz Elienberg drove a van and wore a shirt emblazoned with “Comcast.” He installed equipment from Comcast Corp., and customers paid the cable provider for his work.

Mr. Elienberg wasn’t a Comcast employee, but a so-called independent contractor working for a separate company. This month, Mr. Elienberg sued both companies, for allegedly depriving him and other contractors of overtime pay and benefits by not considering them employees.

Is Management Efficiency A Myth?

Ray Williams — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:55:56 -0400

The current recession has produced a flood of management "experts" and many leaders of organizations whose only strategy for dealing with the downturn in the economy is cutting costs, layoffs and more efficiency based strategies. The mantra for business for much of the last century has been operational efficiency. So leaders look for ways to cut costs and make the operations lean and mean. Yet much of the rationale for and evidence supporting efficiency as a key management strategy is questionable.

Leadership Mindset May Determine Long Term Success

Ray Williams — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:58:01 -0400

A leader's "mindset" may determine success. Mindsets that are characterized by a commitment to growth, flexibility and adaptability continue to develop the leader's brain and develop reservoirs of untapped potential.

The notion of mindset and how it can affect performance is outlined by Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck, in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

How Can Positive Affirmations Work?

Ray Williams — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:18:35 -0400

Positive affirmations can be a benefit to personal growth, if done in the right context, thus avoiding the damaging consequences of the wrong approach, as shown in recent research.

What’s Happening On The Fifth Floor?

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:56:59 -0400

Millions of people come and go from New York’s iconic Empire State Building every year. The 102 floors bristle with keyboard-clicking, ballpoint-wielding, paper-shredding cubicle dwellers, none of which would appear out of place in an episode of “The Office”. But something very different is happening on the fifth floor - - a magical workplace that may soon transform the entire skyline of a big city near you.

Management Rewired: What CAn Brain Science Tell Us About Leadership?

Ray Williams — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:17:32 -0400

Management Wired: What Can Brain Science Tell Us About Leadership?

Ray Williams — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:36:04 -0400

Time To Reconsider Executive Education Courtesy of the Recession

Ray Williams — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:59:07 -0400

As a result of the recession many organizations have instituted staff reductions and reorganizations at the management levels. In doing so, leaders have an opportune time to rethink management structure, leadership styles and involvement in executive education.

Leadership For A New Era

Ray Williams — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:51:17 -0400

In times of crisis, people's behaviors and perspectives--both in their personal and work lives--change irrevocably. Those that adapt to the changes have the best chance for success. As a result of the current economic crisis, our economic system will fundamentally change and will not return to the "way it was." Our organizations will need leaders who understand that and provide the kind of leadership necessary for the new era.

Using Social Networking for Talent Recruitment and Training

Ray Williams — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:18:58 -0400

Social networking such as Facebook, LinkedIn and others are now being used by recruiters to recruit talent and implement training.

Stress: What You and Your Boss Can Do About It

Ray Williams — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:33:43 -0400

We all hear about how the fast pace of life today, and how economic pressures have increased stress levels. While the bad news about stress is familiar to most of us, the good news about stress is rarely heard.

Why Kindness is a Necessary Leadership Characteristic

Ray Williams — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:03:25 -0400

The criticisms of leaders in business and government in recent times often focus on issues of integrity, morality and emotional intelligence. North American culture still is drawn to the individualistic, strong man image of leaders and leaders who have analytical ability, decision-making skills or proficiency in execution. So-called "soft-skills" or traits, such as kindness and compassion in leaders have often been seen as weaknesses.

Yet there is increasing evidence that questions that image.

Why Don't I Feel Better: The Truth About Positive Affirmations and Self Help Books?

Ray Williams — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:16:43 -0400

"I am successful," "I am a wonderful person," "I will find love again," and many other similar phrases that students, the broken-hearted and unfulfilled employees may repeat to themselves over and over again, hoping to change their lives. Self-help books through the ages, from Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking all the way to the latest, The Secret, have encouraged people with low self-esteem to make positive self-statements or affirmations.

New research suggests it may do more harm than good to many people.

How to Turn the Dysfunctional Workplace into an Environment Where People Actually Want to Work

Roxanne Emmerich — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:54:27 -0400

We've all been there. You walk into a bank, restaurant, or store and suddenly feel it, that vague sensation that all is not well. It drips from the ceilings and sits in puddles on the floor. The employees are lost in thought, unable to decide whether they'd rather be somewhere else or stay and kill each other. And you're the lucky one bathing in all the poison they can ladle up.

Yeesh.

How True Leaders Execute Plans Without Fail & Celebrate Their Victories

Roxanne Emmerich — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:45:54 -0400

Execution is everything. Plan all you want, dream all you can, then turn that key or you've accomplished nothing. Execution is what separates those with lofty ideas from those who end up winning the game. It's about taking strategies and making sure they are implemented with power.

Creating a culture of execution is a leadership issue. It combines creating a "no-excuses, get-it-done" culture with the systems, processes, and accountabilities that ensure things are done consistently and well. But it's also more than a leadership issue.

Why Every CEO Needs A Coach-revised

Ray Williams — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:59:13 -0400

Why Every CEO Needs a Coach-revised

Ray Williams — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:38:48 -0400

Why Every CEO Needs A Coach

Ray Williams — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:11:34 -0400

In my previous post, Why Every CEO Needs A Coach, I said the following :“Executives who rise to the C-suite do so largely based upon their ability to consistently make sound decisions. However while it may take years of solid decision making to reach the boardroom it often times only takes one bad decision to fall from the ivory tower. The reality is that in today’s competitive business world an executive is only as good as his/her last decision, or their ability to stay ahead of contemporaries and competitors.”

Self-Confidence: Nature or Nurture?

Ray Williams — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:29:36 -0400

Is self-confidence something that you're born with or is it taught and developed? It's the classic nature vs. nurture question. While current wisdom has been for some time that it's mostly nurture, there's some surprising research out that indicates we may be genetically predisposed to be self-confident.