I believe in any workplace, in any scenario, a few kind words can work wonders. Watch this preview for Man of Steel, and listen in to some really amazing quotes that can influence us all.
My personal favorite line from this trailer:
"You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders." Jor-El
Bring out the best in your people with just a few kind words.
]]>Here were a couple questions I asked of them:
4. Relate Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality to how David Marcus handles the situation involving the Genesis Project.
5. Describe how Peter Preston (the young cadet who perishes after the battle scene) uses the Status motive to display his performance as a member of the crew
6. Describe how Saavik's interactions with Kirk display the difficulties of cross-culture communication
For the full list of questions, visit http://www.braatheenterprises.com to download a copy. Use it at work, in your classroom, or just watch along with the film and see if you can learn Organizational Behavior using Star Trek.
]]>What will make this initiative successful is the human capital involved. With a recruiting effort internationally to find college interns passionate about business and startups, we've been able to leverage over 50 college interns to join us to gain real world experience. In concert with our mentors and professionals who are interested in being part of this effort, we look to make a huge impact on the world through some innovative planning and execution.
Projects aren't daunting if you get the right people on board. Get the people, then create the projects!
]]>When you live in a small community, it is important to get to know as many people as possible in the community and find ways to collaborate. The best way to do this is to "bebig".
bebig - V. to speak highly of your coworkers, competitors and colleagues and share ideas with them
Bebigging is a practice that can also be called practicing "co-opeitition". Even though you may be in the same business as a competitor, sharing best practices with one another leads to more abundance, and there is often plenty to go around for everyone. Very often, even though maybe 80-90 % of what you do is similar, the 10 % that each of you do differently can be combined into a stellar package for potential clients.
In my own business, I collaborate with 50 other independent consultants and several public speakers as part of The Consulting Alliance. As an entrepreneurship professor, I meet with other entrepreneur teachers, trainers and professors through LinkedIn groups, entrepreneur breakfasts at RPI and through face to face coffee chats. With fellow marketers and HR professionals, I invite guest blog entries, talk best practices, and share resources.
When you practice bebigging, you find far greater opportunities than you would on your own. In the world of HR and Careers, bebigging a past employer, colleague or competitor will show the world that you are confident in your own skin and able to recognize talent.
Who will you bebig today?
]]>Two teams of two shoot at the same hoop until one team scores 22 points. However, the wrinkles are as follows:
1. Each team has a ball at the same time
2. One person from each team has to score before he can pass the ball to his other teammate to shoot. The other teammate must wait at half court until his teammate successfully makes a shot.
3. Teammates alternate until they score 22 points between them (so one player makes six shots and the other 5)
4. No three pointers.
5. The other team can't hit the other teams ball out of the way when shooting.
My nephews and I played three rounds of this and got a great workout. We were able to do this in under 15 minutes.
What can you do at work to get a quick burst of exercise in 15 minutes?
]]>It's important, however, to ask the person what they prefer to be called rather than just assigning a nickname to them.
I always am amazed when people just assume that they can call me Bob or Rob when they meet me. When I lived in Boston, I was given the name Bert Sterling because I didn't want to be called Rob and I had an overly excited reaction to the Yankees getting Sterling Hitchcock in a trade.
To this day, people closest to me call me Bert or Robbie or Bobby. But don't even think about calling me Rob or Bob!
]]>Mentors know how to handle situations that might be new to you as you enter a different job. If you come across a sticky situation, chances are your mentor has been through them before. They're always willing to share their experience and give advice to alleviate the situation. Mentors can do more than give advice. They can broaden your network. What a mentor says to you is equally as important as what a mentor says about you to other people. Having a mentor is so important because they not only want you to succeed, but they will help you do so.
To attract this many visitors, I'd attribute it to some of the following best practices:
1. Regular content - posting three times a week, 200 words or less with a back link, photo or video that engages the audience.
2. Catchy headlines. Google "How Urinal Walls Predict The Future of Your Business" or "NFL Injury Report - Peyton Manning Chafing" and see what comes up. A catchy, timely headline will attract an audience.
3. Real language, real results. I try to share relevant content and best practices, and often will engage others to write guest blogs for me to share a different voice.
4. Topics that people are concerned about. Finding jobs, improving your resume, getting trained all have been hot topics. The more you post about things people need and want, the more visitors you will get.
I love to blog, and I think any HR professional would be wise to spend more time blogging about what they know and sharing some of the things they have experienced, and spin in some intentional (or unintentional) humor from time to time.
Blogging has enabled me to make new relationships in the Capital Region and beyond, meet new clients, and create more general awareness of what I do and who I am.
For more information (and to see some other blogs I have written) visit http://www.braatheenterprises.com/
]]>Experience. When it comes to HR experience is more valuable than education. I am not saying that education is not important, it is, but to be good at HR we need to have enough experience to know our job well. I know one of my friends who had a BA in HR and she did an internship and a part time job for 6 months, but she still couldn't find a job in HR. She was also had a 4,0 GPA. She was devastated. Most of the times people working in HR are the ones who don't even have a degree in it, it was something that they earned throughout their work experience.
The best way to get into the HR without having enough experience is networking; as you can always find job seeker events, local groups and associations. Volunteerism is also another good way to gain experience and use your skills. If you know that the HR career is the career that you want then don't lose your focus and do everything you can to be qualified enough. HR can be a very satisfying career, but it is not for everyone. Before you decide on your future career, make sure you do all the required research in order to be sure that you are a good fit for that career.
by Mirela Kardasevic, ASU, Braathe Enterprises Virtual Intern
]]>For more information on this concert series, visit http://businessconcert.eventbrite.com
To submit your topic suggestions, email us at info@braatheenterprises.com
]]>As goofy as it sounds, Zoey always knew when I'd start this insane dialogue, that a treat was on its way. It was our little way of communicating with each other that she got used to and enjoyed.
What goofy dialogue can you have in the workplace to keep in entertaining without crossing the line? You should always try to find ways to develop some catchphrases or unique ways of dealing with each of your employees.
]]>In that article, I shared some ways that people have wedgies when it comes to communication, including:
1. I won't text people, that's not for business
2. I won't put my resume online
3. I won't leave a message when I call someone because they should just answer the phone immediately
4. I won't sit down and have coffee with someone unless there is definite business involved
Recently, I have determined that there probably are career opportunities to help remove people's wedgies about communication, relationships and other hangups.
If you are interested in a career as a wedgeologist, the job description probably would read like this:
1. Must be able to tell people like it is
2. Provide or refer for insultant services when necessary (a consultant who insults you when necessary)
3. Perform wedgectomy surgeries (either outpatient or inpatient) to remove permanent wedgies like "we've always done it that way" or "I had a terrible experience in 1984 with that product and I still want to cry about it"
4. Must provide clients with reason to believe their wedgie would be much more comfortable if removed (i.e if you stop complaining about politics, you'd see people would probably get along with you better)
I am still working on my own training as a wedgeologist, but I have found that generally if I am clearer and succinct with people, they usually respond to my "treatment".
]]>Retroactive anger is when a person, company or community decides to get mad at you long after an incident has taken place, usually as a result of gossip and henning (henning is a word I made up to describe people who cackle like hens about others to complain about them instead of addressing them directly). When an incident happens, there usually is a reaction, but then retroactive anger seems to occur when someone re-reads an email for the 100th time or talks to others about the issue, even after it has already been addressed with the person responsible.
Mike Rice's actions were inexcusable, but he was fined, suspended and ordered to take anger management. He returned to work and no known further incidents were reported. He was then fired months later because of retroactive anger, which in my opinion is dead wrong.
]]>This is why I have called April "Telephone Usage Month". Texting, email, Facebook and other written communication methods create too even a playing field to get your message across. When you give someone a quick call, take a call, or talk to them in real time, it creates such a lasting impression, well beyond what the written word can do.
Join us in celebrating Telephone Usage Month by making at least one call a day this month to people you'd ordinarily "talk to" in written form.
Your employees, your customers, and your loved ones (or future loved ones) will appreciate it!
]]>With superiority complexes, the market generally responds by pushing out the person or company who feels superior if their product or service proves inferior. However, those with an inferiority complex tend to wreak more havoc in their lives, as well as others.
Feeling inferior is a choice. If you feel your products, services, or what you have to offer in your personal or professional life is lacking, so will everyone else.
Choose to believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, do things to make it so. Learn more. Connect more. Do more. Do anything but think you aren't worthy.
I've seen the kind of damage inferiority complexes can wreak on a business community or personal lives. Inferiority complexes tend to bring out catty or combative behavior, jealousy and improper ethical and social conduct. People who don't believe in themselves often try to bring down others by creating a doubt in others, or create situations where people feel like they have to defend themselves needlessly against attack.
To help people with an inferiority complex is often futile. They need to help themselves get out of their funk, or have the services of what I like to call an insultant. An insultant is someone who consults you by telling you what you need to hear, even if it insultants you.
More on the insultant concept, next time....
]]>