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Take Control of Your Career
Playing organized basketball as a young boy, I discovered the importance of pivoting. Sometimes, a well-executed pivot can be the catalyst for a great, but unexpected, play.
February 26, 2020Director's Corner
Resolve to Learn, Grow, and Improve
What’s your take on New Year’s resolutions? Do you find them a) helpful, b) useless, or c) a harmless annual ritual? Wherever you fall on the question, millions of people determine that some life aspect requires improvement and the time for action will take place when the calendar flips to January.
January 31, 2020Director's Corner
2019 Retrospective: Learning to Be Grateful
With Thanksgiving approaching, I’d like to share how grateful I am for the 2019 journey of USF Corporate Training and Professional Education. If you’ve previously read this blog, you know I sometimes draw from the well of sports for inspiration. (Spoiler alert: I’m about to do it again!)
November 27, 2019Director's Corner
Creating a Culture of Excellence (Part 2)
Last month I began an installment of the Essentials of Modern Leadership series by speaking about the importance of culture in the workplace. I’ll now elaborate further with three concluding strategies that, as I’ve found from experience, play key roles in creating a culture of excellence.
October 31, 2019Director's Corner, Leadership and Management
Creating a Culture of Excellence (Part 1)
A successful leader must possess a guiding set of principles. Your essential values, consistently applied, will create a culture of excellence. Excellence, by anyone’s standards, is equal to success.
September 30, 2019Director's Corner, Leadership and Management
Keeping Good Employees Takes Thought and Effort
Think of the excitement you felt when you made that perfect hire. There was the outstanding résumé, the impressive interview. You felt, almost immediately, that this individual is a perfect fit for the position, and you were right.
August 23, 2019Director's Corner, Human Resources, Leadership and Management
The Best Negotiators Don't Trade Integrity for a Good Deal
It really doesn’t matter who you are or what you do for a living, there will be times that call for negotiation. Embrace the challenge and try for a win, but never forget that the best negotiators don’t trade integrity for a good deal.
August 16, 2019Director's Corner, Leadership and Management, Professional Development
Building the Perfect Team
Let’s now envision a situation where you’re assembling a staff from scratch. You “hold all the cards” and can recruit employees who will best fulfill your workplace objectives. How do you go about building the perfect team?
August 2, 2019Director's Corner, Human Resources, Leadership and Management
Playing the Cards You're Dealt
I’m not the world’s most avid card player, but I enjoy a few games every now and then. Because of the limitless variability, card games give my noggin a good workout, and I like that. Though luck plays a role, winning consistently requires an aptitude for assessing randomly distributed sets of cards and strategizing accordingly.
July 26, 2019Director's Corner, Leadership and Management
Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership
The late motivational speaker Stephen Covey once said, “When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.” For those of us in positions of leadership, gaining the trust of our people is a fundamental component of a healthy workplace environment.
July 19, 2019Director's Corner, Leadership and Management, Professional Development
Knowing Your People Enables Leadership
Shortly after his New York Giants defeated the heavily favored Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, NFL coaching legend Bill Parcells was asked, “How did you do that?” Indeed, not many people had given the Giants a chance. “I have to be a master motivator,” he responded. “I treat everyone fairly; I don’t treat them the same.”
July 12, 2019Director's Corner, Leadership and Management
Self-Awareness Drives Good Leadership
I like to think self-awareness means honest, frequent assessment of the traits that define our character. I do know that more than 250 years after Franklin weighed in on knowing one’s self, it remains true that self-awareness is essential to good leadership.
July 5, 2019Director's Corner, Leadership and Management