Team conflict can cripple the efficiency of tasks and projects within your organization. Whenever there are two or more people involved in something, conflict will inevitably arise. It might not happen right away, and the incidents may be few and far between — but you can’t avoid conflict forever. As a business owner or manager, part of your job is to identify, manage, and…
Despite the resounding evidence that working long hours can be harmful to both employees and employers, many professionals still struggle to overcome their assumptions — and their deeply-ingrained habits — around work hours. What does it take to free yourself from these unhealthy patterns and reach a more sustainable, rewarding work-life balance? To explore this question, we…
Everything is getting more expensive these days, and bad hires are no exception. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employees who fail to live up to expectations usually cost their organizations at least 30% of their first-year earnings. And the indirect costs of a bad hire? They can be even more draining. While there are wide-ranging reasons why bad hires are so expensive, let’s…
Employers love to talk about “authenticity.” But psychologists say nearly everyone uses some form of deception to get a job. It was as if a “Seinfeld” plot met John le Carré. Kristin Zawatski, 44, who works in information technology, in a department of about 70 people, was helping to conduct a virtual job interview. She said she was impressed by the candidate’s…
The number one problem first-time leaders face is failing to understand that leading requires entirely different strengths than does doing or managing. We’ve all experienced first-time managers who come in with guns blazing. They think they can be successful by doing more of what they were doing before and telling others to do the same. When Gillian first started her role as manager she did…