4 Super Bowl Performance Lessons That Translate to the Workplace

The big day is approaching. A day of strategy, gameplay and a raw talent for outmaneuvering the other side.

No, I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day. I’m talking about the Super Bowl – the culmination of months involving shouting at the TV screen and checking Fantasy Football stats. As the big day approaches and both teams prepare to showcase their top skills, I can’t help but think of some parallels that can be applied to your workplace performance.

Capitalize on Your Talents

To claim a Super Bowl victory, each player must put their full talent on the line while also relying on their teammates’ talents. In the workplace, certain employees are more proficient at some skills than others. Rather than trying to outshine coworkers on every task and project, learn what you’re truly good at and capitalize on those talents. In the process, you’ll learn to coordinate your skills with those of coworkers to create higher level results.

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10 Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Business

There have been several financial recessions in the last century or so. Some of these were localized to specific countries or areas of the world. Or others, like the current one, were far more global in nature. The one difference between this global recession and the last one is that anyone who has been downsized now has the Internet to use as a tool for finding a new job. And one of the most job-hunting specific Internet tools is the social network for business people - LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a wonderful way of connecting with potential employers and also for highlighting your skills in a way that any employer can easily digest. But your LinkedIn profile needs to be optimized to make that happen so we're giving you a set of 10 tips to help you make the most of your LinkedIn presence.

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Work Interrupted: How to Limit Distractions

Seventy-nine. That's how many times I was interrupted at work the other day. Even keeping the tally was a distraction, but the research was for a good cause.

In the modern workplace, where we wear so many hats that our hats are wearing hats, interruptions are commonplace. From people stalking us immediately after hitting the send button ("Did you get my email?") to bosses calling us into their offices every hour on the hour, something has to give.

[See Tips for Breaking Up With a Job.]

After making several mistakes at work, I decided it was time to re-evaluate the way I was working. My conclusion: I am being interrupted far too frequently. Plagued by a similar problem? Try these quick fixes.

Make yourself unavailable. Even at the turn of the century, doctors were letting us know whether they were in or out of the office with signs. The same way you wouldn't interrupt a radio deejay when the 'on air' light is illuminated, you should not address coworkers when they are clearly engrossed in other activities. As such, find your own version of an ‘on air’ light. Perhaps it’s as subtle as a pencil behind your ear and reading glasses; or maybe you need a physical sign for your cubicle wall.

Commit yourself to monotasking. One might be the loneliest number, but sometimes it’s solitude that allows us to achieve greatness. When you find yourself engaging in multitasking, stop yourself, literally. Decide which item you need/want to work on and shut everything else out. If another item creeps up after you have committed to a primary task, remind yourself, aloud, that you have already vowed to finish X before working on Y.

Read more of my post at U.S. News & World Report.

The Importance of Accreditation Should Never be Underappreciated

Despite what you may think, the United States Department of Education is not in direct control of higher education accreditation. While the Secretary of Education is by-law required to provide the public a list of accredited post-secondary schools, the actual determining of a college's education quality is done by an array of private groups. Academic institutions contact “accreditation agencies” which, in turn, appraise the institution's quality of education regarding particular fields. Schools with satisfactory academic qualities are deemed “accredited.”

Employers, in theory, care an incredible amount about accreditation. It's usually the only way they can tell whether or not the program you graduated from provided you with the preparation for particular responsibilities. The truth is most employers will not go to the trouble of checking to see whether or not the school you attended was accredited. That's because if you attended an unaccredited program it almost invariably shows.

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High Debt Can Short-Change Your Career

Debt is something that if used properly can prove to be very productive for you. It helps you in getting a good life for your family, buying a home, buying a car and even getting a good job. However, if you use debt irresponsibly, then you will have to pay the price for it. If you are someone who is trapped under a lot of debts due to your irresponsible usage of loans, then you must consider opting for a debt management program that can help you come out of the situation.

If you still are not aware how debt can affect your life and why is it essential to get rid of it as soon as possible, then you must read on. The impact that rising debt can have on your life is so great that it can envelop and negatively affect your job as well as your family life.

When you have excessive debts your family life suffers and with this suffers your career. Many career advice experts advise to keep debts at bay when you want to have a successful professional life. However, it is more important for you to rescue the happiness of your family life as that is connected to your career.

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The Perfect Fall Guy

This sad, very sad scenario is repeated all over the corporate world, and with alarming frequency. You know the drill: All of a sudden, a perfectly capable, highly motivated and well regarded veteran middle manager finds him or herself on the company skids. A major mistake has happened, and the company is either embarrassed or lost money. Someone's got to take the blame, yet it's never, ever anyone in the higher echelons of management and/or the politically connected, who actually made the decisions that caused the screw-up. And, while the gross unfairness of it all makes you disgusted and sick to your stomach, there's usually not a damned thing you can do about it. Or is there?
 
None of us want to be, yet we all do run the risk of becoming, the fall guy, the perfect victim. Someone who's easy to blame, whether or not they were responsible for the mistake, or error, in the first place. It's nasty, it sucks, and yet there's not a company or bureaucracy that doesn't employ this gambit.

A great example of how the fall guy process works was best displayed during the recent snow storm that socked NYC. Because Mayor Bloomberg, and his top brass, neglected to declare a snow emergency, despite much advance warning from the National Weather Service, streets remained unplowed for days. The City ground to a frozen halt, and ambulances couldn't respond to emergencies.

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5 Career Lessons Inspired By “The Fighter”

Winner of Golden Globe awards, SAG awards, and likely several Oscars,  The Fighter is a brisk-paced movie about Micky Ward, the one-time boxing champion.

Actor Mark Wahlberg plays Ward in the lead role; Christian Bale steals the show as the boxer's colorful brother Dickie.

Between knockouts, greed, and drugs, The Fighter offers several important career lessons:

Choose a life partner who supports your career choices.

Micky Ward's wife in the movie is portrayed as a spouse who supports her husband's career choice, despite its endemic risks (permanent injury, sporadic payday, etc.).

It's hard to stay positive, productive, and proactive through every leg of a career journey. Having a partner who believes in you and pushes you to improve can actually help you succeed. We could all use a cheerleader, and if you’re lucky, your spouse will take on that role.

Listen to advice, but make your own decisions.

There’s no shortage of career advice blogs, job counselors, and other people who are willing to share their opinions on how to achieve career success. Family members are usually the first people we turn to for career advice—after all, who knows us better? And soliciting feedback on work situations from a third party is critical to career success.

But I can’t think of a more individual journey than climbing up the corporate ladder. Only you know what you want out of work. Seek opinions, but filter them, and know that it’s ultimately your call, your life. Micky was under the tutelage of his mother and brother for far too long. It wasn’t until he stood up for himself, in part because of a supportive spouse, that his career really took off.

Read the rest of my post at U.S. News and World Report.

Big Benefit for Small Company Employees

New Provision Incentivizes Wellness
 
Offering employees incentives for improving their health isn’t a new concept. Many larger companies providing employee health insurance give discounts or cash incentives for smoking cessation, nutrition awareness and other wellness initiatives.

Smaller companies have historically faced a big financial hurdle when trying to offer similar benefits to their employees. But that’s about to change. In an article at CNN Money, “Bribe Your Workers to be Healthy,” Sonya Stinson outlines a new provision in the health reform law that will aid small companies.

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Hey St. Patrick...Where's My Good Luck at Work?

Someone once told me that that there are 3 main elements to adult life, and you can never have them all simultaneously, at least not for any sustained period of time:

- Good Health
- Happy Home Life
- Work Satisfaction

I'd like to think that we would all be blessed with these three items.  After all, it doesn't seem like too much to ask! I'll take health and home happiness over work satisfaction any day of the week.  But I have recently been wondering if I'm jinxed.  Maybe you are too. 

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How to Choose an “Emotional” Pitstop - Part 1

Finding Help for Major Career Issues

I can only recall one job that had no inherent stress: I worked in a small card shop while in grad school. I read funny cards, rang up a few sales and had plenty of time to study. The majority of people experience some level of stress or difficult issue at work and it helps to have a supportive, sympathetic ear when you need to talk it through. But sometimes it’s hard to know who would be the best fit when discussing major career issues. Do you talk to your co-workers, boss, a psychotherapist, friends, family or parents, etc.? When does it make more sense to consult a career coach?

First, let’s look at the pros and cons of getting emotional support from the people in your personal life. (Co-workers fall in both personal and professional areas as they can also be good friends.)

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