I am pretty blessed with great kids. It especially makes me proud when another parent tells me something really cool that one of my kids has done. Here is a typical scenario.   My oldest daughter is a sophomore pole vaulter. There really aren’t many high school girls that pole vault. There was a freshman girl that decided to pole vault for this current season. She was having an okay year, but was getting discouraged and a little down on herself.   I was attending a meet … [Read more...]

I had a bad day last week, one that required me to have a 48-hour “pity party.” (That’s my statute of limitations on a “pity party.”) I realized that while this incident had made me sad, my bad day didn’t even compare to what some of my friends were enduring. For example, one of my best friends found out that her husband has stage 4 lung cancer. Another friend is going through a tough divorce.   Now rewind a few weeks. I was “preparing” to run my third half marathon. (Preparing is in … [Read more...]

I’m preparing for another anniversary for my recruiting business. January 19, 2011 was the official day that I “took the leap” and started my own company. It was a natural progression. I had worked in this business for over 15 years and was ready for the next step.   So this year represents the interesting seven-year anniversary. Anyone who has been married over seven years knows what I’m talking about when I reference the “Seven-Year Itch.” It’s kind of like eating the same cereal … [Read more...]

Several people go through a “30 Days of Being Thankful” on Facebook every year. I wonder what would happen if we let our employees know that we are thankful for them year-round. Sometimes even the smallest gesture can mean the world to your staff and build loyalty in the process.   Again, I could be working my way out of a paycheck here, but not paying me a fee to replace your star employee could be good for your bottom line in more ways than one. Here are some fun ideas that I’ve … [Read more...]

Anyone who knows me knows that I am all about full disclosure, especially when I’m discussing an employment opportunity with a job seeker or candidate. What does that mean, exactly? If I know that there will be long hours expected in a job, then I make sure candidates are aware of it. If I know that there is a travel expectation, I make sure candidates are aware of that, as well. However, there is definitely a fine line between full disclosure and discouraging candidates from considering … [Read more...]