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Prior to the digital age, earning your MBA was often a necessity to advance your business career. Now, in the era of entrepreneurs and start-ups, fewer people are getting their MBAs, making the decision of whether or not to pursue a MBA harder than before. If you’re weighing the pros and cons of this decision, consider these key factors before making your decision.
You hear every day how important a good work/life balance is, but have you ever stopped to think about the repercussions that follow if you fail to find stability? It’s called burnout, and it’s affecting most millennial women before they even turn 30 — stress is one of the biggest factors leading to burnout among employees. According to http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQIQk, burnout is defined as physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress, and the symptoms can be misconceived. Looking forward to a break up in your workday, becoming impatient with co-workers, and feeling like you aren’t working efficiently at the office or that there aren’t enough hours in the day could be a case of the Monday blues — but could also be a sign you’re overworking. Here are 3 ways to avoid burnout at work:
These days LinkedIn profiles are a necessity in every professional’s toolkit. The site has proven to be a valuable networking tool with its nearly 150 million users, but creating a LinkedIn can be a huge undertaking. Sure, you know to include a professional headshot, captivating summary, and catalog your job experience, though certain elements aren't necessary or appropriate for the platform. Removing the following elements will guarantee you’re putting your best foot forward on LinkedIn. Removing these unnecessary and unprofessional elements of your LinkedIn profile will ensure you’re developing a respected professional image on LinkedIn. With your improved profile, you’ll be able to network with confidence.
We all know that body language is an important communication tool in our social as well as our professional lives. In fact, studies show that 70 percent of communication is in your body language. Smiles are positive, nods signal approval, and eye contact conveys interest. We can know if someone believes us, agrees with us, or is interested in what we're saying (or not saying). Get proactive about how others perceive your body language by practicing good habits that support your leadership qualities and convey authenticity. To really leverage the power in these non-verbal cues, let’s move beyond the basics and explore five cues that will not only elevate your influence in meetings, but also help you to better analyze your audience.
When you think about a “modern” office, you're probably imagining a large open space where desks have no dividers and employees move about causally interacting with one another. This work environment is designed to set up collaboration and encourage more interaction between colleagues. The idea is that more frequent interaction can breed productivity and innovation. However, there's a major flaw with this theory — what's trendy and modern might not always be most efficient.
An important aspect of leading a healthy, happy life is managing stress. The American workforce is generally higher in stress that any other country. In fact, 80% of American workers report feeling stress on the job, and almost half say they need help learning how to manage stress. Reading is an excellent way to manage your stress level through unplugging. While taking time off or taking a vacation can manage stress, it’s not always possible. So, books are an easy, accessible way to learn to unwind without taking time off. Many stress-relieving books are written by experts and can be excellent at helping us deal with stress.
Whether you’re stuck in a creative rut or your personal life is casting a negative shadow over your work, the power of positivity is a robust psychological tool that can change the way you see things. Although negativity is at times unavoidable, it can be extremely harmful to your professional self-esteem and can strip away future opportunities for progress. Positivity in the workplace can increase productivity, creativity, and generate more camaraderie among colleagues, not to mention its powerful medical benefits. Many people think that they cannot control the way they feel or the way external circumstances affect their outlook. The truth is that, regardless of those things that you cannot control, you are in control of your attitude. Maintaining and exerting this control, however, takes practice. For your career, enhancing these skills can translate to upward mobility and overall job satisfaction. Even though most people know the powerful benefits of positivity, few know how to actually implement effective practices that apply to their daily lives. So, where can you start?
Some days, going to work can be a struggle. Clearing your headspace at the start of the workday is crucial to sharpening your cognitive senses and making the most of the day ahead. Just like your nightly routine of brushing your teeth, charging your devices and reading a book sets you up for a restful night of sleep, having a consistent morning ritual when you get to work lays the framework for a productive day.
Think back to your first “real job.” Remember the nerves you had before the interview and your excitement when you got the job? Of all the other applicants, you were the one to come out on top. This was one of the first memorable moments that happened in your career and the first real career milestone that you experienced during your professional life. Every person has a different career path that brings on different challenges, victories and milestones. Each milestone reached is worthy of celebration and recognition. While a promotion or raise may be the obvious milestone you work towards, there are other moments to be proud of. These can be any “firsts” in your career, like heading up your first solo project or joining your first professional association, and each one is as significant as the next. But before you celebrate your milestone accomplishments, you have to know what those milestones are and set goals to get there. These goals will help keep you accountable in your day-to-day and drive you to produce the very best work possible. So where do you begin? By knowing what car
Workplace violations are confusing to identify and uncomfortable to confront once you recognize something off going on. There can be many red flags that go unnoticed, but empowering yourself is an important first step to stopping suspicious activity. The Department of Homeland Security implemented a call-to-action campaign called “See Something, Say Something” to engage the public in protecting America through awareness and action. The saying applies to any situation in life, and can be translated into aspects of the everyday workplace as well. Many employees have become complacent, turning a blind eye — whether intentionally or unintentionally — to warning signs of a potential violation. In any workplace, the most common violations are related to safety, harassment or bullying, and violence. Creating a safe office space requires action on those who observe violations because if you don’t speak up, who will? To better navigate through an uncertain situation, start by asking these three questions...
