Tom came to work on time. Showed up to meetings. Did his work. Met deadlines. Took his breaks. He was dependable. Predictable. Shut his computer down with 5 minutes to spare. Left work on time, not a minute later. Didn’t create trouble. Kept his ideas to himself. Then he quit. Have you worked with someone
Divorced parents. Deserted by mother who had addiction and mental health challenges. Moved out of Dad and Stepmom’s home before senior year in high school. Mom at 19 years old. Abandoned by the father. No child support. Dependent on food stamps to eat and medical assistance for healthcare. Married at 22. He left for someone
Closed door. Hushed voice. Gossip. Cornered in an office. Put on the spot. My coworker unloading their annoyances about our coworker. I’m the newest person on the team. Expected to take sides. Slippery slope. Placed between a rock and a hard place. “Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.” ~Max Lucado When I came across
My Grandson is 2 ½ years old and his job, as with every 2 ½-year-old, is to learn and master skills. Each week when I visit him, I see he has learned something new. Words with a lot of syllables in the same sentence. Catch a ball (sort of). Read (memorize) a book. Run AND
People are fascinating, don’t you think? I’ve yet to meet a person who isn’t fascinating (yes, that includes YOU). Part of what makes you fascinating are the reasons you do what you do and the reasons you don’t do what you don’t do. It has a lot to do with your brain and how your
Grad school was no picnic for me. Not only was I required to conduct research and write a 63-page thesis (not including the appendices and references), I had to pass a 4+ hour comprehensive exam that required citing sources. It was A LOT of work AND totally WORTH IT! Years later I still find myself
Giraffes can see close, far, and wide thanks to their large, bulging eyes. Their amazing eyesight allows them to see what is in front of them AND what is in the distance and around them. (Did you know giraffes can see their feet when they look straight ahead?) Imagine having giraffe-like vision in your personal
Giraffes are social. And when they socialize, they like to be informal and mix things up. Giraffes move into and out of herds; they don’t stick with one group or develop territories (known as cliques or ingroups and outgroups in the workplace). Think of giraffes as being socially-fluid. What do you do at work? Do you
Let’s call her Lucy. She walked around work like she was everyone’s best friend. She took every opportunity to publicly let others know how exceptional she was at her job. She presented herself as the most creative, most productive, most energetic person in the office. She answered her phone, “It’s a great day in [insert
If you are perfect, stop reading. There is nothing in this article for you. On second thought, this article is probably more for you than it is for anyone else. (Because no one is perfect.) If you make mistakes, keep reading. If you struggle when coworkers screw up, keep reading. If you are fine working
