Employee engagement is all the rage. Employers are willing to invest thousands on programs and consultants designed to increase employee engagement, and no wonder. When employees are engaged, they do their best work on the job, and they will remain loyal even when the...

Zig Ziglar was my favorite motivational speaker. At one of the darkest points in my life, I read his book, See You at the Top, and it changed my life. From that moment, I determined that I would see him speak live and in person. I accomplished that goal not once but...

“I need to get myself together, Monday is almost here.” “No, I can’t go anywhere today (Sunday) because tomorrow is Monday.”  If Monday were a person, I would feel sorry for him or her. Everyone seems to dislike Monday. In the 80s, there was a great song by The...

So much of our identity is wrapped up in the work we choose to do. The question that is typically asked of a young person is not how you want to make a living, or what kind of job would you prefer, but what do you want to be as if our work defines our very being. The...

Annoying Game #1: The Hidden Salary "I have a good idea, let's not tell anyone about our salary range for the job. This way, we can get top talent cheap." Oh, yea, that's a brilliant idea. Applicants don't know if they can expect to earn more or less when they apply,...

Solomon struggles with the meaning of life in Ecclesiastes. He calls most pursuits “meaningless," this from a man who has everything. Imagine reaching the pinnacle of your career and walking away, saying, "this also is vanity," i.e., meaningless. Do you enjoy your...

Hermey Doesn't Like to Make Toys I love the 1964 Christmas classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. My cousin Susan and I can recite whole sections of dialogue from the show, and we often do when the family gathers at my aunt's home on Christmas Eve. In one sequence,...

I have a guilty pleasure. Okay, I have many guilty pleasures, but the one of interest for today is Hallmark movies. I love Hallmark movies. Sometimes the wisest statements can come from a character in a Hallmark movie. In The Art of Us, one of the characters said,...

Five Things You Can Do to be Happier at Work Today It's easy to get frustrated, to feel overwhelmed, or even incompetent in our work. Self-doubts creep in; maybe you made a costly mistake. Many refer to these times as "bad days." But, when too many bad days...