Career

Whether you’re a supervisor building a professional development plan for a new management hire or a new manager who needs ideas for areas to improve in your role, this collection of performance goals is a great starting point for a brainstorming session. In this article, we’ll share dozens of potential performance goals across 9 crucial skills for new managers to possess including communication, teamwork, and leadership. Senior leaders can use these sample goals as benchmarks for their employees to strive for during the year, while new managers can incorporate the goals to write a clear and actionable performance review their...

Career goals are useful for keeping you focused on your personal and professional growth. But in the daily barrage of meetings and deadlines, it’s easy to lose sight of them. If you feel like you’ve been coasting at your job for a while now, it might be time to find new goals for your career. Career goals don’t need to be lofty or long-term. You don’t need to switch jobs, ask for a raise, or start a business.   Your career goals can consist of small, simple steps that improve your day-to-day work life. Let’s cover 5 career goals you...

There are a ton of different ways to grow your career. Career growth can be as simple as talking with your supervisor about your goals or as complex as applying for your dream job and interviewing your way to a more advanced position. At Leadership Essentials, we are fortunate to have front row seats to the launches and successes of several career development books. Some of our best career growth books have been around for years, while many have just been released in the past 12 months. If you’re looking to take your professional life to the next level, we...

I remember the story of the race between the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise starts out really slow. The hare almost gets to the finish line but becomes arrogant in his lead and decides to sit next to a tree. The hare falls asleep and the slow and steady tortoise passes the hare to win the race. The point of this story is to teach perseverance and to see value in other ways of being when the addiction to speed compels us to rush through everything. Our need to do everything quicker, to seamlessly multitask, and to always be...

If you want to prove your worth to your boss, your team, and the people at the top of your organization—and keep influencing them—then you need to keep getting better. An investment in your leadership growth is an investment in your ability, your adaptability, and your promotability. No matter how much it costs you to keep growing and learning, the cost of doing nothing is greater. What if you work for a bad boss? Your leadership growth is even more important. When you work for a boss who can’t or won’t lead, you feel trapped in a no-win situation. But...

When you announced your college major and started your career path because someone special in your life said they thought you’d be good at it… When you chose to work for that company because their mission aligned with your values… When you said yes to that job offer because the job description mentioned you would be responsible for leading initiatives of your dreams… ...I bet you never thought you’d be sitting here wondering why you’re unhappy, dissatisfied, and annoyed by everything at work. What would you do to no longer be a part of the 85% of people who hate...

When you think of people who really know how to choose an awesome career path, you probably think of musicians and actors or actresses. Living in Nashville, the vision of a fiddler sawing his bow to Devil Went Down to Georgia in a rowdy bar on a Saturday night makes me reconsider my career path. Am I as enthusiastic when I’m sitting at this desk as he is on stage? There are many times in our careers where we have the choice to continue down our current path or choose a new one. Whether you’re at the beginning, middle, or...

Editor's Note: “I quit. Right now. Today.” I remember standing across from my former boss on the day I resigned from the worst job I had ever had. Without going into unnecessary detail, this job frequently pitted my personal values against the financial needs of the business. Not only did this stunt my career growth, but it also negatively impacted my mental health. Even so, as I quit without giving a two weeks notice, I started having second thoughts… What will my clients think? They’ll hate me for leaving them in the dust. Will I ever get hired again with...

We need to change the way we think about being productive. We believe that we need to be efficient, to try to get as many tasks done in as little time as possible. We cram our day full with one task after the other in a mad dash to win the day. You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all seen the clickbait articles promising you can write a year’s worth of blog content in three days or fooling you into believing you can write a book in a week. Hurry, hurry, rush, rush. No time for lunch. No time...

Today, we get to hear from our friend, Adrienne Bankert, an Emmy award-winning journalist and author of the Leadership Essentials readers' favorite Your Hidden Superpower. If you're constantly looking for new ways to grow professionally or to move forward in your career, Adrienne shared with us 3 Pieces of Career Advice for High Achievers. Plus, keep scrolling for an incredible deal on Your Hidden Superpower. 3 Pieces of Career Advice for High Achievers Be sure that your willingness to be teachable is never diminished. One of my mentors sent an email: “When you’re truly teachable, you’ll listen and remain open...

Editor's Note: A person's career is like a painting. Their resume is the canvas and each job is a brush stroke. With every new experience, they fill in another section of the scene. Empower someone in your life with encouragement and guidance to create a masterpiece of a career. We've curated top selling career books for the career starters or changers in your life. These books make a perfect gift to support college students just starting out in their careers or to motivate seasoned employees re-entering the job search and taking on new career paths. Building a Dream Career Career...

You know starting new relationships at work is vital to career success, and you like having people you can rely on in your professional life. So, what’s the problem? When you’re an introvert, walking into new situations or workplaces causes a higher degree of discomfort than it does for an extrovert. How can you move beyond the introduction and build new relationships with more comfort and confidence, especially when you’re new? Researchers have found there are many strategies and approaches that can make a difference, including: Putting yourself in their shoes  Focusing on giving others energy  Staying positive and saying...

Executive Summary Most job searching advice applies in any economy: update your resume, grow your skills, and practice patience. When the economy is in flux, however, employers look for a very specific set of experiences and expertise to ensure the success of their businesses. Author of Mastering the Hire and managing director of The Broad Center, Chaka Booker, shares how prospective employees can understand what employers need at any given moment. Learn the 3 skills employers are hiring for and how you can demonstrate that you possess them before, during, and after an interview. Our current Covid19 lockdown will eventually...

Executive Summary Switching careers or jobs is an activity laden with anxiety. For remote job seekers, the equation gets muddled even further. Even for remote employees and within the virtual workplace, the foundations of successful networking are the same. While face-to-face meetings may be impossible or unlikely, much of the networking process for remote or physical employees involves defining your objectives and skill sets and identifying how they relate to new industries, different business, and changing markets. Networking tips like gaining free experience and building your personal brand provide next steps for any employee who is out of a job...

Executive Summary Do you want to make speaking your full-time gig? Data shows that 21 percent of people have. Certified Speaking Professional, David Newman, says if you want to learn how to become a motivational speaker, you need to powerfully brand your business, precisely target your audience, and effortlessly connect your most interested prospects. Focused on five core areas - strategy, content creation, marketing, pricing, productivity - Newman describes 15 ways to market, monetize, and maximize your expertise. As a full-time professional speaker who spent almost a full year “on the other side of the table” booking speakers for 160+...

Executive Summary Work-life balance is a spectrum. Similar to your heart, it contracts in some phases and expands in others depending on the rate with which your body needs oxygen-rich blood. Bringing your personal and professional life into harmony is less about managing your time and more about making small adjustments. The adjustments you make should serve the greater goal you are trying to achieve: more time to spend with family, train for a marathon, visit with friends, dedicate to date nights with your significant other, etc. When you view your work and personal life in the grand scheme instead...

Executive Summary How do you know how to approach a follow-up interview? Many interviewees are scared to be too pushy, but that may be just the drive your interviewer is hoping to see.   Having personally worked with countless hiring authorities throughout the years, Tony Beshara knows that when it comes to follow-up interviews, selling yourself with confidence and assertiveness can help a potential candidate “close the sale.” During a follow-up interview, get to know your interviewer and be prepared to confidently and persistently advocate for their support. You may have beaten out 90% of the competition to get to...

Executive Summary Getting that coveted follow-up interview may make you think you’ve got the job in the bag, but is that really the case? The majority of the mistakes interviewees make are during the follow-up interview process. It’s essential to be aware of the most common pitfalls of the interview process if you want to avoid falling into their traps. Treat every interview as if it was your only one. Don’t let overconfidence fool you into relaxing and coasting through the process. Set yourself apart by showing up prepared, doing your research, asking the right questions, and bringing your A-game...

Executive Summary Who doesn't hate interviews? Talking about yourself oftentimes feels like bragging, but it doesn't have to come off that way. Stories are a tried and true method for displaying important characteristics without seeming conceited. Prepare a story for every common interview question.   If you want to be a memorable candidate, you need to leverage the power of storytelling. Regardless of the position you’re in and the position you’re going for, whether you’re looking to rise through the ranks or secure the position in the first place, you will likely encounter varying forms of the interview process. You’ll...