by Karen Watai | Oct 3, 2018
Staying within your “comfort zone” may strike you as a safe choice. After all, why would you voluntarily move into a zone which by definition is uncomfortable and may even be risky and dangerous? The answer is that the area outside your comfort zone is your “Growth...
by Karen Watai | Sep 26, 2018
When was the last time you did a skills inventory and assessed your skills relative to what you do today, and what you want to do in the future? The skills required by the job you’re in today may shift over time as a result of technology or changes in your...
by Karen Watai | Sep 19, 2018
External career challenges can come from many places and are usually easy to spot, but internal career challenges – the little voices inside you telling you that you can’t do something – are much harder to identify. They often masquerade as facts when they...
by Karen Watai | Sep 12, 2018
You know the drill. Build your network. Develop mentors. Attract sponsors. Hearing about the importance of relationships for the first time often leads to a spurt of activity – target lists are made, breakfasts and lunches are scheduled, notes to follow up with...
by Karen Watai | Sep 5, 2018
Life gets busy. We can easily get mired in getting the work done – executing projects, attending meetings, and responding to deadlines, not to mention the daily challenge of clearing our inboxes and responding to urgent requests. If you’re singularly focused on...
by Karen Watai | Aug 15, 2018
In my distant memory, I seem to recall a time when you could count on work slowing down in the summer. Alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. And if we can’t count on work giving us a break, then we need to give ourselves a break. We need to give ourselves...
by Karen Watai | Aug 8, 2018
What are your cultural values, and how do they impact your behavior in the workplace? Your cultural values are made up of the norms and expectations you grew up with, and are rooted in your family and community. If you were raised to be humble, you may abhor bragging...
by Karen Watai | Aug 1, 2018
When you go to a conference or big event, do you talk only to your friends or do you reach out to people you don’t know? Do you use the scheduled breaks as time to escape, or do you see them as opportunities to make connections? Conferences and large events are prime...
by Karen Watai | Jul 25, 2018
Are you consistently living your personal brand? When others see you in action, do they get an accurate picture of who you are, your abilities, and your potential? The fact is, people – including your organization’s leadership – develop perceptions of you...
by Karen Watai | Jul 18, 2018
Do you think people are born with a fixed amount of talent and intelligence? Research shows that people who adopt this belief – who have a fixed mindset – tend to shy away from difficult challenges, avoid working on skill development, and lack resilience....
