I recently met with a student who had a problem that most soon-to-be graduates would love to have: he had two job offers. He began by telling me a little bit about both opportunities. Offer A Offer B Well-known company Lesser-known company 80-90 hour workweek 50-60 hour workweek Above-average starting salary Average starting salary Competitive environment Supportive environment Four hours from hometown Close to hometown Unknown supervisor Supervisor known for mentorship

A team of coworkers was working on a tight deadline to complete an important project. One team member, Kim, consistently seemed to be...

I learned to be a manager while I was learning to be a teacher. After graduating from university, I had a job that involved managing others. And, at the same time, I began teaching part-time as an adjunct professor. During this time I observed many parallels between the two professions. In the classroom, I learned that if I clearly communicated my expectations to students, gave them the resources they needed, and checked in with them along the way, most of them would enjoy my

How to apply ideas from "How to Win Friends and Influence People" at networking events.

When we face difficult situations, it is common to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or anxious. In these moments, we sometimes lose control of our emotions. One key to relationship success is recognizing when we are struggling and taking steps to get back on track. The problem is that once our emotions kick in, it’s not always easy to manage and express emotions in a way that is appropriate. The ability to regulate emotions is a critical interpersonal skill, and it's especially

How often do you find yourself getting frustrated because of someone else's behavior? We can easily fall into the trap of thinking that other people's actions are a direct reflection of how they feel about us or how they perceive us. The reality, however, is that most people are just going about their own lives and dealing with their own problems and issues. Most of the time, other people's behavior has nothing to do with us. Let's consider some examples and what might really

Many communication challenges are not about what we say but how quickly we say it. This post explores how emotion labeling can help professionals slow the moment between feeling and responding so their message reflects intention rather than impulse.

When I was young, I learned that when we were planning for guests to visit, we needed to clean the house. I had to tidy my stuffed animals and put my Legos away. The living room needed vacuuming and the countertops needed to be clear. That’s how I understood hospitality at the time. A little later, I began to notice another version of hospitality when we visited my grandparents. My grandmother was usually in the kitchen, preparing food. She focused on what she was making, how

Imagine two professionals on the same team. Both are smart. Both care about doing good work. The first is highly competent. Their work is accurate, efficient, and technically strong. They meet expectations consistently, but spend little time building relationships beyond what is required to get tasks done. The second is also competent. Not exceptional at everything, but solid and reliable. In addition to doing the work, this individual invests time in relationships. They prio

When I was in college, I watched the TV series The West Wing . Characters would get into intense, sometimes heated disagreements about high-stakes issues. Voices were raised. They’d argue over fundamental principles. And then, often in the very next scene, those same people would work together civilly, almost as if nothing relational had been damaged. At the time, I was skeptical. I wondered whether that kind of behavior actually happened in real workplaces, or whether it was