Image, Etiquette, and Protocol Tips

  It can take 20 years to build a reputation for character and five minutes to ruin it. ─Warren Buffet   On-line behavior ranges from social networking sites to opinionated blogs. Off-duty behavior ranges from social gatherings to peer-focused bashes. When...

Knowingly or unknowingly, some people cross an unethical line by justifying the action at the time.  But justification does not make it right— “everybody does it so why shouldn’t I?”
Some question whether “getting away with it” is …

There has been no time in history where clear, concise, and courteous communication has been more critical.  Verbal, nonverbal, and written communication can be loaded with unintended pitfalls and can innocently derail any career or business strategy. How many times...

You have the license, the knowledge, and the determination, what could be missing? Something isn’t quite right. Have some key interaction steps been skipped, become sloppy, or taken for granted? The opportunities are just not coming to fruition. Perhaps your arsenal of business tools isn’t complete! If a mishap or awkward moment occurs …

What is a “years of service” pin? A service (or recognition) pin recognizes that a member has served a notable number of years in an organization and that service is appreciated. It also says that the organization has successfully retained a member for a long period...

A mentor is someone who brings wisdom, support, and foresight to the less experienced (or challenged) person to help him or her grow personally and professionally.
A mentee is a person who is counseled by a mentor. However, the best arrangement is to take a cross-mentoring attitude …

Ever wish that you could wave a magic wand and everyone would be respectful, civil, and accommodating? Unfortunately, uncertain times brings discontent and confusion. Thus, it is more important than ever to deal with people, situations, and one’s own behavior with diplomacy, dignity, finesse, tact, and civility, thereby setting the better example. These are powerful “win-win” words. Here we will revisit the basics of effective communication

It’s fun to celebrate the close of one year and the beginning of a new year with holiday parties. Whether your celebration plans are in the privacy of a home or at a public venue; be considerate, kind, and mindful of your behavior. You do not want to damage or deteriorate reputations. Tip #1: Respond to and honor

Good fit is critical and the paradigm of professional dress. A great looking suit will lose its visual power if it does not fit perfectly. Furnishings (e.g., men’s hosiery, belt, tie or tie clip) or accessories (e.g., women’s jewelry, hosiery, belt or scarf) add the...

Do you find texting and taking calls at business meal meetings distracting and disrespectful? How about just plain rude? Unfortunately, the practice has gained traction over time and thus has become a part of

Do you ever wonder where all the National (or International) Awareness Month (or Day) notices are generated? The idea is to put a special focus or observance on humanity and/or a special historical moment.
Make every day a special awareness day! Start by

Are we so caught up in the need to recycle that we do the same with gifts? Simply stated, “regifting” refers to receiving a gift that you do not want and then pass it on as a gift to someone else — so as not to “waste” the gift. Depending upon how it is handled, it can be a good gesture or a hurtful experience. Certainly, much depends on the motive behind

A discussion group recently posted that the phrase “Bon appétit” is no longer in vogue as a toast to begin a meal and, in fact, has not been for years. It seems that this rumor was started by a past edition of the New York Times. “Bon appétit” (literally, good appetite) is defined as: “A toast offered at the beginning of the meal to wish everyone a hearty appetite.” So why would one not want to

Guest Columnist: Connie Kadansky, PCC, Sales Call Reluctance Coach …
You may be exceptional at what you do, but if nobody knows it outside your normal network, exciting new opportunities will elude you. Salespeople are not the only people who need to market themselves to win more visibility in their industry. Sales Call Reluctance can neutralize any career. Chip is five years into his career. He works for a small but powerful niche-market company. While he works long hours

We all look at different situations differently. And our different viewpoints come from how each and every one of us thinks. How much the way we think differs is influenced by cultural predispositions, gender-related opinions, our particular family (or work) history, or our age and experience—these differences will vary greatly. The bottom line is that

How often have you walked into an auditorium, church, or banquet hall looking for an empty chair, only to find one occupied by a personal item that implied, “This seat is saved.” In truth, it was not actually being saved; it was just being used as a makeshift desk. But you continued to wander the aisles looking for seating. This is always awkward! If you are seated in

Are you challenged or anticipate being challenged by the short attention span of the new Facebook generation? Society now refers to this generation (those born after 1995) as the Linkster Generation. Every generation brings a unique perspective to the workplace, and with that perspective comes a label (e.g., Generation X, Generation Y, Millenniums, Baby Boomers). Linksters reputedly spend most of their time developing

Imagine a media world that gave us the good news first, a media that made good news the priority and minimized the bad news. Good deeds happen in every society all over the world, but we rarely read or hear about them. What are people doing to help make their societies a better, safer, and kinder place? This should be front-page news! If good news was receiving the lion’s share of the print page or

Recent Headline: “Schools are increasingly replacing textbooks with hand-held tablets to sustain students’ interest and keep per-pupil costs down.” How does this compare with businesses’ usage of print versus tablet resources? Certainly both have their strong points. A tablet is easier to carry than a stack of books or paper printouts, and it’s easy to read in just about any setting, indoors or out. On the other hand,

We depend so much on technology to communicate. But are we depending on it too much for transmitting messages? Communicating is all about speed; the faster we can transmit or receive a message, the faster we want to. But there are hiccups. There is the spam box, for example. Sometimes good messages land in the

It’s that time again when we set new personal and professional goals. A wise person once told me that sharing your goals is a great way to make yourself accountable. Otherwise, the goals are just wishes that fade. Use the three “R’s” as your building blocks to

Has time gotten away from you? In your “busyness” have you forgotten to show appreciation throughout this past year? It happens to all of us, and that is why the holiday season is the perfect time to reach out and show your appreciation—and you can do this effectively as a gesture or in the form of

This past year has certainly presented its challenges. Too often, all we focus on are those challenges or disappointments. However, now is the time to “count your blessings” by recognizing your personal and professional accomplishments. “Count Your Blessings” is a phrase that I used to hear a lot as a child whenever I complained about something. It’s a phrase that inspires me today to refocus. By closing out this year on a positive note, we can begin a

The person who is president of the United States holds the highest and most powerful position in the world. Since 1776, the United States has felt that social manners, behavior, and attitude are so important to the business of our government that a team of top experts constantly advise our president in these matters. One of these experts is the

That is what it looks like. How often have you attended an event and noticed people standing off to the sidelines engaged with their Smartphone? Sometimes they even gather in small groups to text and simply ignore everyone else. Have you experienced this? Or is this you? Unfortunately, smartphones and other hand-held technologies provide people…

Are campaign races making disrespect the norm? Candidates, unfortunately, have been using slander against their opponent forever in order to gain their competitive edge. However, it is also teaching disrespect and making it okay. I agree that we need to know if there is something shady

by Gloria Petersen
Do you feel that your networking efforts are going nowhere? That might be because there are steps that keep getting skipped! For many the concept of in-person or online networking to secure job opportunities or achieve success is not readily understood or comfortable.