Strategies for the Workplace
These podcasts will help you develop key workforce skills: • Effective Communication • Teamwork and Collaboration • Problem Solving and Critical Thinking • Decision Making • Time Management • Adaptability and Resilience • Technical Literacy • Career Planning • Professionalism Each episode is applicable in many industries and are ‘evergreen’, relevant and appropriate over time. Each episode starts with a brief overview of a concept, which is followed by an application section that either goes into greater detail or discusses how the idea can be applied more broadly. There is an expression, “Experience is what you have just after you need it.” Particularly early in your career, you will be exposed to many new professional situations, and you will learn things and gain insights in the process. Unfortunately, because the terminology, business challenge, or interpersonal dynamic will be unfamiliar to you, your ability to engage, contribute, or lead will be less than you wish. After all, it is hard to be confident, poised, and show executive and management potential when you may feel unsure of the territory. These episodes are intended for a professional in the early stage of his or her career. Whether unfair or not, the pool of young professionals in any organization is observed by executives and quickly sorted into those with more management potential and those with less. The folks with promise are quickly moved into the position of team leader or first-line manager. This gives those selected a career advantage because they get to practice leading and managing. They are also exposed to the ‘management curriculum’, a set of topics that entry-level staff do not work through. My hope is that digesting the material in this book will better equip you to engage and your performance will mark you for advancement.
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Episodes
14 hours ago
14 hours ago
Apply the appropriate level of analysis for the situation and check, periodically, if you are continuing to get a good return for additional effort. In other words, think, but don’t over think.
Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
You may be presenting a product or service and your audience will need to know whether they are looking at something that is unfinished, mostly done, finished, etc. You will want to be clear about the state of the instance they are viewing.
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
Eager to be helpful and perhaps to appear knowledgeable, you may be tempted to answer a question without understanding fully what is being asked. Many seemingly straightforward questions are asking something slightly different from what they may first appear to be asking.
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Before contracting with someone or an organization to do a piece of work, it is prudent to get a concrete proposal or estimate. This approach works in the business world and in your personal life, say for getting your car insured or fixed, planning a home improvement project, undergoing a medical procedure, and so on. Get more than one bid and keep soliciting bids until you feel you have a good sense of what the market is offering.
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Feedback, like everything else, should be categorized and prioritized. This podcast suggests some ways to handle feeback.
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
When thinking about any course of action, it is prudent both to check all assumptions and ask questions, such as which is more correct, a statement or its opposite.
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Basis points (bps) are a unit of measure for interest rates (and other percentages), where one basis point is 1/100th of one percent. The finance industry uses basis points to reduce ambiguity.
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Getting into a market (and staying competitive) involves a clear-eyed analysis of what it takes to participate. Ideally, you are already in a market and the barriers to new entrants are very high. Before entering a new market, look at the barriers carefully. When in a market, be realistic about the potential for new competitors to emerge.
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Your job has many facets. Looking only at compensation, broadly defined, there are many elements, such as pay and benefits, but also other things such as your title or how many people you manage. Rather than assume your employer weighs each element the same way you do, be explicit about what's more and what's less important to you. This episode goes into the topic in more detail.
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Do not simply add a new item to a list; always place the addition into a priority ranking. When your manager asks you to perform a new duty, make certain you review your current, prioritized task list, and be clear where the new activity fits.