by Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t fit today’s age-diverse work force, where the generation gap between the youngest and oldest workers can span more than 40 years. For the first time in history, there are four generations of workers. On one end of the spectrum, there are the 20-somethings, who are fresh [...]

On June 8th 2010, the EMPOWER Program at the University of Houston hosted their inaugural Leadership Luncheon on campus at the University Hilton. The luncheon focused on helping to prepare for careers in the post-recession workplace. The event was led by a panel of experts including Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC, President of People Possibilities LLC, Cheryl Smith-Bryan, Executive Coach and President of Coaching for Career Success, Kathy Rapp, Vice President and Managing Director for hrQ-Texas and Mercedes Suraty-Clarke, Assistant Director of Continuing Education at the University of Houston.

As we turn the corner into a new decade, it’s a good time to reflect on past events and consider the future. Who could have known that we would experience the worst U.S. economic threat since the Great Depression? And, what twists and turns will we take this year? And, how is it even possible to determine what’s going to happen in 2025? We look to Futurists to guide us.

“Trust Me”

Have you heard these words before either from someone you just met or someone you’ve known for years? What is your response? Do you trust this person automatically or does this person have to earn your trust? And, who trusts you? Why?

In today’s workplace, trust is a big concern as more pressure is placed on leaders and employees to deal with economic pressures and an uncertain future. Building a culture of trust expands the level of contribution each of us can make. Yet, many people are not sure where they should place their trust as more and more examples of leaders who have taken advantage of others’ trust come to the surface. What can you do as a leader in this environment?

Wikipedia defines “Employee Engagement” as a concept that is generally viewed as “managing discretionary effort, that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work.”  Gallup developed its Q12 benchmark [...]

We’ve all seen the headlines.     Times are Tough Unemployment Rises Again   The US economy is clearly in terrible shape Distracted Congress Loses Focus on Credit Freeze   And we’re all feeling the effects, whether directly or indirectly. If we have a job, we’re working harder to do more with less. If we [...]

To be a leader today you must be an agile learner and apply new skills and experiences as lessons are learned under first time conditions. A leader sets the example for employees and coaches them to excel. You may have heard the expression “fail forward”. This is the mantra for effective leadership. If nothing is tried, nothing happens. An effective leader tries, fails, learns, adjusts and tries again.