Whether you work for a global corporation, a small business, or for yourself, it is absolutely essential you THINK and ACT like an “owner” if you want to advance your career. You need to “own” your job, own your role as a leader or manager, own your roles and responsibilities – put yourself in the shoes of a business owner, and think and behave as any owner would do.This is not new career advice; many of us have heard this...

In these tough times, it is absolutely critical you continue to demonstrate your value to your employer, clients, and colleagues on a daily basis. Adding value is THE buzz-word for “safe-guarding” your career and propelling yourself to the top of your profession. Showing initiative is a must-do in demonstrating your value at work. Initiative correlates strongly with personal achievement and professional development. I...

Is there a problem you're trying to solve, a challenge you're trying to overcome, a goal you're striving to achieve, or an opportunity you're trying to take advantage of? Sure there is, and for most of us, it's all of those things. Stop for a minute, a bring of those things to mind -- the problem, the challenge, the goal or the opportunity -- and take these FOUR STEPS: 1. Clearly define your DESIRED OUTCOME. What EXACTLY...

Old habits die hard and new habits can be difficult to sustain. Change is tough ... change requires willpower ... change requires determination, and ... change requires effort. Change is necessary if you're planning to adopt winning habits, particularly those that seem "foreign" to you or take you out of your "comfort zone." Winners, high achievers, super-star performers ALL have adopted winning habits -- habits t...

On most social media networks, it seems like anything goes. Things are a little more loose on Facebook and Twitter, but LinkedIn is strictly professional, giving it a different kind of status when it comes to etiquette. You have to be careful about what you put out there, how you make your requests, and remember to be polite. Are you stepping on toes without realizing your mistakes? Read on to learn about 17 unspoken rules...

As you move UPWARD in your organization, it will become more and more important that you understand, appreciate and take into consideration the goals, challenges and activities of other departments and other functional areas in your organization. In the end, they're ALL connected to each other; they all share common goals from a big picture standpoint; and .... they are all interdepent -- dependent upon one another. So ......

As we enter the second half of the year, it's a great time to set aside an hour or so -- on a weekend or during your normal weekly planning time -- and do a MID-YEAR REVIEW. Use this time to reflect back on the first six months of the year and make adjustments to your goals for the remainder of the year. Consider these 10 QUESTIONS to ask during your mid-year review: 5 "Look-Back" Questions: 1.Key Accomplishments. W...

Maybe you DO know the answer .... Maybe, just maybe you DO know the best way to do it .... Maybe you've solved the problem at hand before and KNOW the best solution .... BUT maybe, just maybe you don't. Could there be a better answer, a better way to do it, a better solution? Maybe, possibly, perhaps? Try this today .... LET GO of any need you have to "BE RIGHT." Give someone else room to figure out the answer, the best way...

Question: How well do the key goals being focused on by your direct reports align with YOUR goals?Try this .... Check in with each of your direct reports over the next couple of days and ask them: "What are the two or three key goals that you're most focused on this week?" .... and "What are your two or three key 30-day goals?"Make note of what year hear ... then ... scan the list of team member key goals and look for align...

Effective networkers GIVE FIRST and are always alert for opportunities to HELP their fellow colleagues, friends, business relationships, etc.If you've consisently made a practice and habit of GIVING first (and giving often), it makes it much easier and much more comfortable for you to then ASK FOR SOMETHING from your network when the time comes.In those situations, where you intend to ASK a network member for something, it'...