#MyBossStory: How I Became an RA for Life
When I wrote Becoming the Boss, one of my goals was to highlight how I moved my own career from beginner to boss. I love sharing #MyBossStory with young women who are just starting out because it doesn’t feel that long ago that I was in those shoes. My story starts in a college dorm. […]
A Pause For Giving Thanks: Why Gratitude Is Totally Work Appropriate
It’s nothing new to give thanks for our loved ones on Thanksgiving. But as we think of our family and friends, it’s also a good time to reflect on the people who have helped us in our careers. The mentor who supported you from the start. The boss who, in retrospect, taught you more than […]
Beyond the Humblebrag: How to Own Your Success Without Feeling Braggy
“I have no place to put my new award! I’m running out of wall space in my office!” “So don’t love my new haircut, but three people told me it makes me look younger. Are they lying?!” We’ve all rolled our eyes at similar “humblebrags,” whether they’re comments made in meetings or posted on social […]
The Ultimate Work/Life Blend: The Business + Leisure (aka “Bleisure”) Trip
Have you heard the term “bleisure?” Combine the ongoing conversation about work/life blend with our need to replace the term Brangelina and this is the result: a new way to talk about combining personal travel with a business trip. I can’t say I love the word, but I do like the concept. If you’re headed […]
Need a Break? Ideas for a Digital Detox
Feel like you’re sending even more email these days? You’re not just imagining it: Recent research from Adobe found that people report spending 17% more time checking email this year compared with last year. In our “always-on” culture, we respond to emails after work, on weekends and on vacation. It’s not all bad — consider […]
Beyond “Hang In There”: My Favorite Motivational Quotations
Before there was “Grumpy Cat,” there was “Hang In There” cat. Most of us remember seeing that poster tacked up in a break room or classroom at some point. No matter how cheesy some of them can be, there’s a reason people put motivational quotes on signs and plaques, ecards and memes: There’s something […]
Are You a “Financial Grownup?” A Conversation with Author Bobbi Rebell
If you’ve heard a lot about millennials’ financial challenges (they hop between jobs, they’re strapped with student loan debt), you might be surprised to know that as a generation, millennials are actually extremely fiscally responsible and eager to get started on the right financial foot. That’s why I was intrigued by the forthcoming book by […]
Is Your Comfort Zone Holding You Back At Work?
As autumn sets in, my social media feed is becoming clogged with #FallLovers waxing eloquently about PSLs (pumpkin spice lattes for the uninitiated), chunky sweaters, boots, football, fires and, well…comfort. (And the Brangelina divorce, but we digress…) While finding your fall comfort zone at home is a definite “do,” staying in one at work is […]
Hit the Road! Why Vacations Matter
As the dog days of summer approach, many employees flee the heat and humidity of August for a shady mountain or breezy beach. I’m counting the days to my upcoming vacation in Maine. Is it possible, though, that summer vacationers like me are actually in the minority? In stark contrast to media reports touting the […]
What I’ve Learned from 6 Months of Simplifying
At this point, most of us have heard of Marie Kondo and her best-selling manifesto, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She suggests decluttering by asking yourself about every single thing you own: Does this spark joy? I love this question, but the truth is my decluttering bar is set a little lower: I don’t […]