"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." – Peter F. Drucker, Austrian-American management theory pioneer. Few of us join an organization with the intention of remaining a low-level worker forever. With the proper credentials, a few years of team play under your belt, and the right attitude, you're almost certain to receive a promotion to a position of greater authority in time. Are you ready to take over the reins when the time comes? Lead by Example Many workers dream of becoming a manager someday, but how many actually plan how they'll do the job when they get it? (Click to Tweet!) If you think or know you're on the management track, or just really want to be, you'd best start planning ahead before the grooming even starts. Mental preparation and … [Read more...]

Stress: The confusion caused when one's mind overrides the body’s natural desire to choke someone who desperately needs it. – A slightly sanitized pop-culture definition of "Stress" At one time or another, we've all reached the breaking point at work: the place where you have to get away from the pressure, the distraction, the politics, and the complaints before you just lose it all and dissolve into a babbling mess on the floor. If you live in Dallas (the setting, ironically, of Mike Judge's Office Space, the exemplar of office breakdown movies), then you can actually go to a business called The Anger Room and start beating things up. For sessions starting at five minutes and lasting for as long as half an hour, you can whale on old computers, printers, fax machines, TVs, and … [Read more...]