Business side of your organization sets the calendars of all others. This can happen directly or indirectly, but all functional areas need to be aware of the core mission of their business and act in support of it. In my particular case, in higher education, academic calendar sets our IT calendar and has a significant impact as to how and …
We are all in customer service
No matter what you do, what your title or position says, part of your responsibilities is customer service. In order to create organizational culture where everyone is on the same page and provides consistent level of quality to clients (both internal and external) each team member must understand that their interactions with customers matter. All of us must embrace this …
How to be a confident public speaker
Being able to speak well and learning how to be a confident public speaker is one of the most valuable skills we can have as we advance in our career. Throughout your career you will need to speak in meetings, share ideas, reports, present in front of your team or other teams; speak in front of your boss or their …
Focus on your personal strengths and hire your weaknesses
Focus on your personal strengths and hire your weaknesses. Each of us have different skills and talents and we should leverage them for our success. These qualities will complement qualities of others as you build or join teams and with everyone working together towards a unified vision, success is guaranteed. Contrary to what you may have heard in the past, …
Age is just a number, don’t let it limit your growth
Your experience, skills and education matter more than how old you are. The quality you bring to a team depends on your past performance and your track record, not when you were born so please stop using it as a self-limiting factor in advancing and moving forward. You are never too young or too old to make a career move. …
Prerequisite for success: transparent leadership
In order for a team to work well together, leadership must be transparent. Leaders need to keep the entire team on the same page; have them collaborate; back each other and move in unison towards mutually agreed-upon goals. Transparent leadership where vision, mission and decisions are clearly communicated and supported with valid facts and arguments is a must for all …
Leaders empower people, they don’t micromanage
Micromanagement demonstrates lack of trust in the abilities of your staff and that is never the right thing to do. Enable and empower people to make decisions, take actions and move forward without the need to constantly come to you for every single detail. Obviously, levels of empowerment and decision making abilities will vary based on experience and your familiarity …
Best ideas must win
Best ideas must win. They must win irrespective of who brought them up and how long that person has been with your organization. Whether they are a CEO, a President, or another executive or a temporary employee who started last week, quality ideas must always be enabled to rise to the top. Diversity of opinions, experiences, backgrounds and education is …
Pay attention to expressions, mannerisms and body language
We all know that actions speak louder than words. Additionally, it is important not to underestimate the importance of our facial expressions, mannerisms and the overall body language. It is important to keep that in mind as you meet with your team, clients, boss, partners…as they are only aware of your feelings and thoughts on particular issues based on what …
Honor your word and build credibility
As you are building your professional credibility, it is important to honor your word. No matter how small it may seem, make sure to follow through on things you have said you would do. With time, these somewhat small actions will lead to larger acts which will all assist in establishing your credibility within your community. As people (both clients …