During the HCI Human Capital Summit, Mike Lipke, from Roche, was a panel member. He mentioned one of my favorite subjects: interns. He echoed a sentiment I have heard from Roche and several other customers. It is easy to get business units and executives excited about interns. read more »

I spoke to four different organizations this month regarding their succession planning processes. These speaking engagements led to a beautiful little nugget of information I’d like to share with people planning careers and even people looking for a new job. These organizations have very different approaches to defining key performers and their importance in the succession planning process. The similarity running through all four is the skill for perpetual learning. read more »

Peer recognition is so very valuable. It helps people feel connected to their co-workers. At Aquire we have a program we call Stars Recognition. It used to be a Pink Flamingo award and the winner each month got a tacky pink flamingo that the previous recipient would adorn with yet another tacky accessory relocated to their office. But that became impractical with the increased amount of telecommuting and the bling heavy flamingo, named Pinky, was moved to a prominent place in the hallway. read more »

Generally, I create original content for blogging. However, when I read the following advice, I felt I couldn’t say it better. I also felt that a wider audience could benefit from the same advice. So, I sought out permission from The Strategic Coach® to share the following copyrighted material with you. Dan Sullivan’s words of wisdom should help people in many levels of their career, even if some of it is geared towards sales. It is also about leadership. If you are job hunting, it is applicable there, as well. read more »

Do you know the talent sitting around your Thanksgiving extended family table? I remember when I first took my husband to a small town family reunion in rural Iowa. My extended family is a farming family, and they are nearly all based in the same community where they grew up. I knew it would be interesting for him to meet the characters I know as family. However, I was a little nervous about how long the conversations might hold his attention. Then we started talking to my cousin Steve. read more »