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As a congenital connector, I make introductions all the time. Usually I have good results. I've had an uncountable number of successful career matches and even ignited a few romances (one of which resulted in a strong marriage.)
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We’re used to a familiar path of life. You get educated. You work. And by the time you enter mid-life you probably juggle a few things. You still work. Maybe you have a family. You take care of your aging parents. At some point, you retire. And then what? Years ago, when retirement was pegged at 65, retirement consisted of a decade or so of idle recreation. But now if retired at 65, your retirement years might last another twenty-five years.
But what if that were all flipped on its head? What if, instead, you studied throughout your life and only settled into your true career somewhere around midlife? And what if it was considered normal to work into your 80s instead of into your 60s? Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (4) | Blog
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To mangle Tolstoy, good bosses are all alike. They are good mentors; they care about your happiness and advancement; their interests seem aligned with your own.
Bad bosses, on the other hand, come in many flavors. And a new book, "Working for You Isn't Working for Me," by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, provides a field guide to the many species of bad boss. There's the "checked out" boss (can these really survive in this kind of job market?), the "rule changer" (who tells you to take a lunch break then seems surprised you're not at your desk), the "underminer" (who asks you for help and then makes it impossible for you to assist), the "chronic critic" (needs no explanation), and a slew of others. For each bad behavior, the authors give sample scenarios to help you recognize your situation, and then walks you through a process to take back power and correct it.
This is is a book that should sit next to your all your other reference bibles so that you can consult it as difficult situations arise. Meantime, I asked Katherine (KC) and Kathi (KE) to take a answer some questions that seem common enough we've all encountered them.
Q: How is dealing with a bad boss different than dealing with a difficult family member? Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (50) | Blog
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You know the feeling. You
sign up for a conference, scan the list of panels and keynotes
trying to find out which you'll go to, which you'll snooze
through, and when you'll escape for some alone time or a
workout. But how often do you have a strategy for meeting the few
people you are… Read More »
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In a black silk blouse with skinny jeans and stylish black boots, Jessica DuLong doesn't look like she spends her days in the bowels of a 78-year-old fireboat. That's because I met her on a day when she was inhabiting her other job, that of the author of a newly released book. A former dotcom executive and freelance journalist, DuLong had an accidental career change after spending some time volunteering on The the John J. Harvey, a retired 1931 New York City fireboat that has become a living museum. Now one of few female fireboat engineers in the world, DuLong's newly published book, “My River Chronicles,” is both a tale of career transformation and a compelling narrative about a time when working boats and industry played a large role in America's economic and civic life.
DuLong never left the world of words. And she is using her new book as a vehicle to get white-collar and blue-collar folks to talk to one another. DuLong isn’t the only one thinking about this subject. Another book praising the virtues of making and fixing things, “Shop Class as Soulcraft,” has been getting a lot of buzz lately.
I had tea with DuLong to talk about class divisions surrounding work, why she left her dot com job to work in the engine room of an old boat, and why she thinks the perfect career is one that mixes brains and brawn.
Here is a condensed version of our chat: Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (3) | Blog
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I'm back in business after taking pretty much the whole month of September off for my wedding and honeymoon. And since we returned on the night before Yom Kippur, back-to-work was further delayed by another day.
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I've had quite a few work/life interruptions over the years -- times in which I've said no to almost everything that comes up on both the personal and work front because life is just too busy. Some of them have been for awful reasons like when people have been ill or passed away. In those cases, people usually understand that you're going to be out of commission for an indefinite period of time. And they usually leave it to you to tell them when you're ready to re-engage. When you're lucky, they offer the right kinds of support.
But few reasons for dropping out of work and life feel as good as taking time off to get married.
When you announce you're getting married, coupled people tend to tell you about how they fell in love. Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (6) | Blog
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The best moments on a blog occur when a conversation is sparked and readers engage with one another, or with the blogger, and minds are changed. I'm happy to report that I've had several of those moments while writing this blog over the past few months. Here are a few recent highlights:
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A post asking whether online higher education will replace the bricks-and-mortar kind inspired a flurry of informed comments, including many from people who had worked in online education or taken online courses themselves. Readers pointed out that students need to do their homework before enrolling in online courses to verify whether an online institution is accredited, whether course credits will transfer to other schools, and whether online courses even make sense for a given course of study. Readers who had been students of online education weighed in on the benefits (convenience, affordability) and drawbacks (absence of a physical community, wide disparity in quality of programs) of online education. They also challenged my choice of headline ("Will online education replace the Ivy League"), which suggested that the future of elite private educational organizations was the big issue with online education, when there are so many (and probably more important) issues to talk about when it comes to online learning. Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (3) | Blog
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