I bet I know what you’re doing right now. You’re reading this post, singing along to the “Hamilton” soundtrack and composing a text on your phone. If you’re a level 5 multitasker, you may also be chopping up a salad for dinner or running on the treadmill, too. You’re a productivity ninja, right?Here’s the thing: Even if we think we’re more productive when we’re multitasking, we’re actually not. (Why is there so much olive o...
The proverbial retirement-after-40-years-with-a-gold-watch-and-pension are as passé as, well, a gold watch — or any watch, really, that doesn’t track your vitals and read your texts. Another relic? The very idea of lifelong employment at one organization.Instead, today there is an overriding belief that if you stay too long at one company, people will wonder what’s wrong with your skills or ambition. And this is not just a...
Lately, I’ve been hearing a common theme from managers of millennials. They’re hiring you for your record of strong performance, and you deliver. But two little words are holding you back: soft skills.Most professional newbies are unaware of a paradigm shift that happens when you segue from school to the workplace. Your whole life you’ve been striving to deliver the goods to earn the grade, but in a professional setting, pe...
As companies look to the spring hiring season, many leaders are focused on how to attract the best and brightest millennials. If you’re planning to bring on new hires, it’s important to think past the moment the offer is accepted and seriously consider what the first few days and weeks on the job will look like. Do you have best practices in place to onboard millennials for success?Surprisingly, only 32 percent of companies...
We often think about workplace relationships in terms of buzzword-y concepts like “mentor” or “networking.” But most of us realize our work squad should also include workplace friends — someone you can grab lunch with or commiserate over a work fail. I’ve met some great friends at work through the course of my career, particularly in the early years when we were all starting out.But just like friendships outside of work, fr...
Lately at speaking events I've been hearing some complaints from Millennials about their Gen X bosses. Because Gen Xers are only a few years older than Millennials, the younger group is often surprised that members of the older cohort my contemporaries aren't always as supportive and attentive as millennials might want or expect. While this post only represents the views of one Gen X manager, you might find them valuable in...
Teamwork is as essential to your professional career as it is to a winning season on the field. And organized sports are well-known for helping foster teamwork, along with other essential success skills, from determination to graceful losing.Whether you grew up playing sports as a kid, you're on a recreational or corporate team now, or just love cheering on your favorite team, we all can learn something from the efforts we...
Do professional associations and networking events sound as old school as a VCR? Believe it or not, some are thriving – and there’s a reason. It’s not that millennials aren’t joiners – one survey found that 58 percent of professionals under 40 are part of a professional organization or community, and 77 percent of those who hadn’t yet joined intended to. And it will come as no surprise that 67 percent said they would “prefe...
As workplaces adjust to (and increasingly embrace) millennials’ needs and priorities, many forward thinkers are already wondering what’s next. At speaking engagements, I’m frequently asked about Gen Z: How are they different than Gen Y? What do managers and business leaders need to know about this new generation?Here is my take:BACK UP. WHAT IS GENERATION Z?Given that there is no exact science to how we define generations,...
Many well-respected leaders share a secret to career success: having a mentor who guided and advised them along the way. I have relied on the wisdom of a helpful circle of professionals over the years, and I have benefitted from being a mentor, as well (as my readers know, I’m a big fan of the “reverse mentor,” in particular).One thing we don’t hear about often enough: Mentorship is a two-way street. Millennials need to be...