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Improve the way your employees see you

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

As a manager, you try to be fair, clear and helpful to your employees. Yet what's your real reputation as a boss? You might not have a clue as to how your employees truly see you. What's more, you may be making key mistakes that hamper their connection to the person you really are, making you less effective as a supervisor than you ultimately can be. Use these research-driven tips to accurately convey your real personality to your staff — and improve the way you relate to them so they can work better with you.

Workplace dress code: Necessary or outdated?

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In 2016, Nicola Thorpe, a London-based temporary receptionist at one of the Big Four accounting firms, gained international attention when she was sent home from work for violating dress code, which required women to wear heels between 2 to 4 inches high. Thorpe started a petition in the U.K., which led to a fierce debate. The dress code came from Thorpe’s temporary employment agency, not the accounting firm. And, the temp agency’s dress code also included other stipulations. This policy was rather extreme, but is it necessary to even have a dress policy?

A new year means a clean slate for governance

Robert C. Harris Association Management

Happy New Year! For some associations the governance-year begins in January. A new board and new year are opportunities for a fresh start. Ideally the legacy of the prior board can be built upon for continued progress. However, the previous board’s reputation might not be so stellar. Dysfunctions may have entered into board processes. Directors might have pushed personal agendas. According to Sam Kuhnert, founder at NubAbility Athletics Foundation, "The New Year is full of opportunity. Don't fear the processes of governance but embrace the chance to improve the organization and its impact in 2019."

Building metacognitive skills with English learners: Part 1

Erick Herrmann Education

Metacognition is an important yet sometimes underemphasized aspect of education, especially for English learners. In this two part series, we will explore this topic in more depth, including strategies. Metacognitions refer to thinking about our thought processes, monitoring those processes, and taking control of progress in learning. Educators know the importance of students taking charge of their learning, and expect that through the process of learning to read and write, and learning how school works, that students will become efficient and effective learners.

A mentor is good — now you need a sponsor

Patrick Gleeson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In corporate America, it’s long been recognized that for high-potential employees, finding a mentor and maintaining a relationship with that mentor is one of the keys to career success. According to a study of over 1,000 corporate professionals, this holds particularly true for women and minorities, more than 75 percent of whom described the mentoring relationship as either "very important or extremely important to their career development." Unfortunately, mentoring alone, although it has a positive effect on the careers of all corporate professionals who develop a mentor-mentee relationship, doesn’t close the gender/diversity gap.

Over half of employees are uncomfortable asking for time off during the…

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

"It’s the most wonderful time of the year," and yet, many employees don’t feel they can fully enjoy the holiday season because of work demands. In fact, a West Monroe Partners study found that 51 percent of employees are uncomfortable — or at least somewhat uncomfortable — asking for time off during the holidays. The results are no surprise to veteran HR expert Tim Sackett, president at HRU Technical Resources, and author of "The Talent Fix: A Leader’s Guide to Recruiting Great Talent."

Repeating the past to propel progress

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

As humans, we tend to acknowledge the time in which we exist as unprecedented; yet, from extreme political turmoil to amazing technological advancements, the news of today repeats the news of previous generations. While it may seem this tendency to repeat ourselves stifles our progress, instead it provides amazing freedom from our limiting perspectives. This is because when each generation recognizes the previous generation has embraced similar perspectives, we can use that knowledge to advance our thinking.

‘Look the part’ and the new year will be your best year

Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

This is the time of year that companies in most every industry, in most every market set goals for the year ahead. And no matter if those firms are big or small, they often have a similar ambition: to get bigger jobs from better clients. It’s a worthy goal, to be sure, but a difficult one to achieve. So many companies work so hard to attract major projects from luxury-level clients, yet so few succeed. Why? Most don’t attract high-caliber clients because they don’t look like high-caliber companies.

Make sure your employee harassment policies are strong enough

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In today's workplace, managers can't be too careful when it comes to issues regarding employee harassment. It is key that you protect your company against internal legal claims, and you certainly don't want your staff members to feel uncomfortable, or worse, afraid when they are trying to do their jobs on a daily basis. Researchers have been looking into which company policies are the most effective in terms of shielding both your workers both physically and emotionally from various forms of co-worker or supervisor abuse. Use what they've learned through the following tips to make sure your policies offer the proper protection, and make changes where they're needed.

Overcome any challenge with an expert entourage

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The flip of the calendar can inspire reflection and anticipation; a ready-made reason to make any change we want. With good reason, we often use this time to focus on our achievements and to motivate ourselves for continued success. One thing we often overlook while we are mapping out bigger, hairier goals and visualizing amazing accomplishments is how we can improve our ability to face challenges. And a great way to stay focused is to create an expert entourage to help us maintain our perspective when we face those inevitable obstacles in our path.

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