It just does not seem fair or even logical. If important measures of economic vitality are on the rise, then why are so many people continuing to lose their jobs? If these indicators mark the “beginning of the end” of the recession (which I firmly believe), why don’t we see an acceleration in hiring? Instead we saw 558,000 new claims for unemployment benefits last week, and unexpected jump from what was anticipated. (more…)
The whispers are starting to be heard. After years of gloom and doom, with ubiquitous bad economic news everywhere, we are actually starting to hear it. Optimism. Dare we believe it? (more…)
If this current recession has proven one thing clearly, it is that the concept of job security is an anachronism. Today’s Wall Street Journal features an article that overviews the aggressive depths to which employers have cut their workforces. Not wanting to be caught “fat,” many employers have been in a race to the bottom, a sort of limbo dance of lower and lower employment levels in the hope of stabilizing earnings. (more…)
At one point or another in your career you will have to deal with it. It’s pretty much inevitable, at least as long as human beings are in the position to lead and manage other human beings. You are going to get a bad boss, or if you are lucky, a good boss who sometimes behaves badly. The question is what, if anything, can you do about it. (more…)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Few things in leadership are as misunderstood as the concept of “smart.” For most organizations, especially the large and supposedly sophisticated ones, smart usually equates to I.Q. points. More specifically, analytical I.Q. The kind that inspires awe with the savant-like ability to crunch numbers in real time, on the fly. Somehow this measure of smart has become one of the most important criteria for selecting CEOs and other senior leaders. Let’s call them analytical leaders, and then let’s reconsider. (more…)
