Business Life & Skills

Building and improving core competencies to succeed in your career.

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Tips, tricks, news and reviews all about how to manage your career.

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Tips, tricks, and commentary on leadership and management issues.

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A Smart Lemming’s journey from being laid-off worker to a Vice President of Sales Operations & Marketing.

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Smart Lemming series the Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management, 12 Questions for Career Mindfulness, and 12 Simple Self-Management Strategies

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Articles in Business Life & Skills

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August 5, 2010 – 12:30 am | No Comment

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Bullies in the Workplace
November 5, 2009 – 7:33 pm | 2 Comments
Bullies in the Workplace

“Bullying wasn’t okay in elementary school and it isn’t okay now.”

Sadly, bullies are alive and well in the American workforce. 37% of the U.S. workforce (an est. 54 million Americans) report being bullied at work.

Teachable Moment: Loose Lips Sinks Ships
October 28, 2009 – 2:47 pm | 2 Comments
Teachable Moment: Loose Lips Sinks Ships

Loose lips not only sinks ships, but the trust given to you by others.

Teachable Moment: The Pitfalls of Being Too Emotional at Work
October 21, 2009 – 12:27 pm | No Comment
Teachable Moment: The Pitfalls of Being Too Emotional at Work

Emotional people at work are toxic.
If you’re an emotional worker, what are your actions communicating? You’re an unhappy person. You lack control and discipline over your emotions, and that may cause you to do dumb …

Elephants, Mice, and other Critters in Business Books
October 16, 2009 – 10:30 am | No Comment
Elephants, Mice, and other Critters in Business Books

Was it about using animals to get a business lessons across? I admit that I’m not one to talk, since I use a Smart Lemming as my metaphor for proactively managing our career for success. …

Lessons from The Office: Don’t Jump to Conclusions, Don’t be Fearful
October 13, 2009 – 10:24 am | No Comment
Lessons from The Office: Don’t Jump to Conclusions, Don’t be Fearful

Why does Michael Scott make me uncomfortable? Because Michael’s management and personal actions are often an extreme version of the business life and career management lessons that we need to learn. In The Office episode …

7 Ways to Learn from a Successful Person’s Achievements
October 6, 2009 – 12:56 pm | No Comment
7 Ways to Learn from a Successful Person’s Achievements

What Makes a Person Successful?
What do you think of when you see successful people? Do you only see the results of their career success. Do you feel bad because you think you’re failing, since you’re …

Speedlinking: Be a Squirrel, Don’t be Eeyore, and Stay off the Layoff List
July 31, 2009 – 3:23 pm | 2 Comments
Speedlinking: Be a Squirrel, Don’t be Eeyore, and Stay off the Layoff List

Why are squirrels’ habits a model for us to follow? If I could turn back time, I would have followed GetRichSlowly.org advice in my early twenties. Need to stay motivated on success, check out this …

Dumb Lemming Moment: Stating Problems Without Solutions
July 21, 2009 – 11:50 am | 2 Comments
Dumb Lemming Moment: Stating Problems Without Solutions

Present Possible Solutions to Problems
A wise C-level once said to me, “Don’t present me with a problem, include potential solutions to the problem.” This was simple, yet elegant advice that I’ve received as a knowledge …

Speedlinking: Keeping Your Job, Overcoming Career Setbacks, and Thriving at Work
July 17, 2009 – 11:11 am | No Comment
Speedlinking: Keeping Your Job, Overcoming Career Setbacks, and Thriving at Work

Work is scary right now. We’re in the worst recessions since the Great Depression. Those of you who have jobs feel lucky to have it, but probably hate it. How can you protect your job …

Summer Reading List: Minimalist Lifestyle, Zen at Work, and Your Highest Goal
July 16, 2009 – 11:50 am | No Comment
Summer Reading List: Minimalist Lifestyle, Zen at Work, and Your Highest Goal

What makes a perfect summer read? The author has a strong voice while offering an extraordinary insights. The book should be a quick read that allows you to easily make changes in your life or …

Smart Lemming Tip for Newbie Knowledge Workers: Learn the Tools of Your Trade
July 13, 2009 – 11:59 am | No Comment
Smart Lemming Tip for Newbie Knowledge Workers: Learn the Tools of Your Trade

Your Productivity Tools
When you’re fresh out undergraduate or graduate school, you’ll most likely need to use basic tools to do your work. I’m referring to Microsoft Office Professional Edition and related Microsoft products. If you …

The 8 Deadly Sins of Email
June 25, 2009 – 9:00 am | 2 Comments
The 8 Deadly Sins of Email

I was avoiding Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Home and Officeby David Shipley and Will Schwalbe because this book was “too visible” in the stores when it was first released. I was seeing …

Feeling Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
June 23, 2009 – 10:28 am | No Comment
Feeling Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

If you’re like me, you do not like being uncomfortable. As you move up the career ladder or become an entrepreneur, you’re constantly in unfamiliar situations like going to events, being in meetings with key …

Dumb Lemming Moment: Being Late For A Very Important Meeting
June 22, 2009 – 9:05 am | No Comment
Dumb Lemming Moment: Being Late For A Very Important Meeting

I’ve had my share of Dumb Lemming moments. “Am I In A Bad Reality TV Show?” I once felt as if I was an apprentice Trump’s TV  show, because I was ridiculously late for a …