Put down your work and read awhile
Rather than wait for your company to foot the bill for a class or conference, turn to online sources, such as eHow.com and good-tutorials.com, or the instruction manuals shelved in your IT department.
Category: Career
You can learn to network like a pro
You might prefer a sharp stick in the eye over an afternoon of networking, but in tough times, you can’t afford not to cultivate a robust network. The larger your circle, the better off you’ll be. Here are a few tips from the pros.
You’ve learned it … now apply it
You return from a conference brimming with new knowledge. But when it comes to applying what you’ve learned, you fall flat. Why is it easier to learn new things than to apply them? Anxiety and old habits get in the way, says Dr. Harry Martin. The solution: Put more focus on what happens after training.
Summer camp wisdom
“I live by something my summer camp counselor from Maine told me when I was 9 years old: ‘Love many, trust few and always paddle your own canoe.’”
Words to work by
“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly, I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” — Theodore Roosevelt.
Swaddling the cost of child care
Cheaper child care is increasingly necessary as budgets tighten, says Lisa Belkin, a New York Times reporter who covers workplace issues. Here are some of the creative ways working families are reducing the costs.
Need career advice? Poll for answers
Diane Darling, owner of Effective Networking, didn’t realize her casual purple pantsuits were keeping her from landing clients—until people told her. Darling sent a survey, using online polling tool SurveyMonkey.com … That’s where she learned that she dressed too casually.
Time to ‘lunch’ your career
In the past month, have you asked someone to lunch who has made an impact on your life and career? If you’re drawing a blank, make a date and go out to lunch! Lunch is one of the few places left during business hours where people actually talk to each other without being interrupted. It reminds us to connect, ask questions, listen and learn.
Are you like Rahm Emanuel?
When President-elect Barack Obama chose Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, he did what a senior executive does when choosing an assistant: He selected a person who would help him get things done. Are you like Rahm Emanuel?
Align work with your heart’s desire
You’ll be amazed by what you can do when you’re called upon. That’s what DeeDee Jonrowe says about competing in her 27th Iditarod, the 1,150-mile dog-sled race across Alaska, after surviving breast cancer and a car accident that critically injured her and her husband.