Leadership & Career

Time to stop testing for marijuana?

May 11, 2022
In this competitive hiring environment, Quest Diagnostic reports that fewer companies these days are testing their employees for THC, the chemical component in marijuana that delivers a high. Many employers have decided it’s most practical to stop testing for marijuana in most locations.

Don’t wing it in your first few months

April 22, 2022
An example of a 30-60-90-day plan for new managers.

Make tough tasks brutally simple

April 13, 2022
Don’t you wish things were… well, frankly, easier? Well, maybe that’s not as far-fetched as you think.

The wrong ways to manage conflict

April 13, 2022
Conflict within a team can be a seriously corrosive force. But it doesn’t have to be. An excerpt from Don Yeager’s book Great Teams: 16 Things High Performing Organizations Do Differently illustrates why:

Give employees room to figure it all out

April 13, 2022
Writer Susan Orlean has always found stories of the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary. In the book The New New Journalism: Conversations with America’s Best Nonfiction Writers on Their Craft, Robert S. Boynton asks Orlean about her reporting routine—which, you’ll quickly see, bears a strong resemblance to how people struggle to pitch product or process ideas to their boss.

Lessons from the mound to home plate

April 8, 2022
Words of wisdom from five distinguished Major League managers.

4 tips for letters of recommendation

April 8, 2022
At some point in your career, you may be asked to write a letter of recommendation for someone. This is a good thing; it’s an opportunity to show mutual respect. Any recommendation you write reflects on you as well, so it should be crafted carefully. Keep these general guidelines in mind.

Take these basic steps to protect against cyber-attacks

March 31, 2022
As the war in Ukraine continues, the White House is warning Americans about the danger of Russian-sponsored cyber-attacks designed to disrupt business in the United States. Follow these steps to ensure you’re protected against Russian cyber-sabotage.

Here’s your ‘5 years’ audit

March 25, 2022
It’s the interviewer’s favorite question, or the interviewee’s least favorite, or both: Where do you see yourself in five years? The five-year plan is an example of a future-oriented question that challenges applicants to look ahead. But why limit these fascinating questions to job interviews? How about turning them on yourself?

How clear are your KPIs?

March 25, 2022
Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are progress metrics intended to help drive business decisions. Strong businesses don’t just ask, “How are we doing overall?” They discuss and define which specific KPIs best reflect their goals most effectively. Here’s just an idea of the range of KPI tools.