Winning at Working: Incremental Actions Trump New Year’s Resolutions By Nan Russell NABBW’s Associate for Winning at Work A recent study found that nearly half of us will make New Year’s resolutions in 2014, but only eight percent of us will reach or keep the promises we make for ourselves. Maybe that’s why I’m not […]

Jumping Work-Hurdles By Nan S. Russell NABBW’s Winning At Work Expert It feels great at the end of a workday to know you\’ve made progress on a mounting to-do list, resolved a persistent problem, dealt with a difficult challenge, or accomplished an important objective. Yet, too often we get to the end of a day […]

It Takes Time By Nan S. Russell NABBW’s Winning At Work Expert The story goes that after one of Ludwig van Beethoven\’s performances, several people were offering him their congratulations, when one woman commented, “I wish God had bestowed me with such genius.” “It isn\’t genius, madam, nor is it magic.” Beethoven replied. “All you […]

Seated in the courtyard of a sports bar during a playoff game in the home city of one of the teams, it was an energetic crowd that Sunday. While we\’d come for a quick bite to eat, we caught a glimpse of a play now and then as home-team enthusiasts roared their approval during the […]

“You ain\’t going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin\’ a truck.” What if Elvis believed this Grand Ole Opry manager\’s critique after his l954 performance? Or the Beatles listened in 1962 when Decca Recording Company responded, “We don\’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.” What if Rudyard […]

Thanks to frequent-flyer points and a vacation club exchange, we spent a week in Hawaii for the cost of a rental car and food. While a fun and relaxing vacation, it was strange to be at an ocean-front Maui resort during peak tourist season, without the tourists. Several restaurants on this forty-acre property were even […]

Thirteen percent. That number should make you pause if you manage staff, lead a group, or own a business. It\’s a number recently released from an on-line survey reported by Reuters. According to Right Management, a subsidiary of Manpower Inc, only thirteen percent of employees surveyed said they “planned to stay in their current positions.” […]

From the iron age to nearly the industrial age, blacksmiths prospered. Villagers needed plows, shovels, iron tires for wagons, nails and tools to build their homes, all of which the blacksmiths forged. They needed their horses and oxen shod and their tools repaired. Being a blacksmith was a sound professional choice. Yet despite flourishing for […]

When young children misbehave, many parents, teachers and caregivers insist on a time-out. Think how much better your workplace would be if you initiated the same approach. No, not for your boss or coworkers, but for yourself. It\’s hard to be amenable to reason or hear a contrary point of view when we\’re stubbornly clinging […]

The room was lovely, the bed inviting, the architecture interesting, and the philosophy appealing. That was my impression as we checked into a newly minted green-hotel in a resort town where we were eager to spend time relaxing. But when we checked out, lovely wasn\’t on my mind. Protective glass on the combined soaking tub/shower […]