Shift your networking orientation from getting to giving and your long term success is assured.

It’s a proven fact that those with the best networks usually get the most job opportunities, the fastest promotions and the top salaries. Yet building a great personal network is not as easy as many think. Recent research confirms what I’ve found to be true in my own business: effective networking is more about giving than getting.

Adam Grant of Wharton, the hottest organizational researcher of his generation, shatters the myth that greed is the path to success. With personal research as well as an exceedingly knowledgeable base of research on career success, Grant reveals how and why you don’t need to be a selfish asshole to succeed in this life. And the research generalizes readily and applies directly to successful networking.

As Grant tells the story in the April McKinsey Quarterly, a team of Harvard psychologists “invaded” the US intelligence system after the tragic events of 9/11. They ranked the 64 different intelligence groups from best to worst and identified what they assumed were the factors driving a unit’s effectiveness. After ...

The Road Ahead

Quotes can have a wonderful way of reminding you of what is deep and important in your life. I like to think of quotes as guiding principles – reflections of values – actively lived or lying dormant waiting to be rekindled. We put quotes on walls and desks for a reason. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and the new Queen of the block, Pinterest prominently feature quotations to address every facet of life. Quotes are snippets of borrowed stories we’d like to realize in our lives. Using quotations to inspire and enrich our work lives can energize and revive our sometimes weary spirits.

Here are 10 of my favorites:

1. “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”Albert Einstein

There are several variations of this well-known quote by Albert Einstein, but this one is my favorite. It’s been a long-time mantra for my work because it reminds me that the process of learning is continuously evolving. Of that we can be sure. Even when we are stuck in old mindsets, life’s experience will undoubtedly show us sometime new. But I ...

It has been an interesting week between Marissa Mayer's clamp down on telecommuters at Yahoo and Sheryl Sandberg's pitch that women sabotage their own careers.In both arenas there seems to be a criterion missing. That criterion is how do you view your human capital in your organization - are they a liability or are they an asset? Let's look at the two events separately:

Marissa Mayer contends that in order to make Yahoo more productive she wants all human capital assets under one roof. Ms. Mayer please come clean and admit that the real reason you issued the edit is because you are still operating in the command and control model which firmly believes that a productive employee is one that is in a see all, hear all environment. You know who you are, the non-engaged employee who can not be trusted to complete the requirements of his employment contract. I understand that a recent staff meeting that you were criticized for hiring only the elite. That you have added added steps to the process which lowers the efficiency of your hiring process, which should be centered around identifying the best person for the job, in the right place at the right time for the right ...

In order to help you quickly identify generational differences as well as motivators and themes for recognizing employees of every generation appropriately, Michael C. Fina, a leading provider of global employee recognition and incentive programs, launched a new infographic: “Appreciating A Multigenerational Workforce”. The infographic allows managers and leaders to quickly identify generational differences as well as motivators and themes for appreciating employees of every generation appropriately.

“While it is important to recognize employees every day, Employee Appreciation Day reminds us to refocus our workforce appreciation efforts,” said Ashley Fina, president of Michael C. Fina. “With four generations working together, each has distinct characteristics that organizations need to take into account when appreciating their employees.”

According to Michael C. Fina, generational differences include:

• Traditionalists (1922-1945) – Want their actions to connect with the good of the company. Recognition should hone in on service and loyalty with awards, trophies and plaques.
• Baby Boomers (1946-1964) – Need to ...

Those of you who are old enough to remember the TV Show from the 1960"s staring Peter Graves- Mission Impossible will remember that every show began with the following phrase:

Good morning, Mr. Phelps..... Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to make XXXXXXXXXX. As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.

So here is my question to you this Monday, are you ready to take the assignment before you? Are you ready to truly take responsibility for hiring the right person for the right position at the right time and at the right location?

In reading some of the magazines which come across my desk recently I found two very interesting articles The first was in the January 2013 issue of Mobility Magazine which is the trade association journal for the Corporate Mobility industry. The article reported the results of the 2012 Global Workforce Symposium's Benchmarking Survey which indicated that when asked if their organizations were facing shortages in qualified talent for critical jobs or roles, the attendees ...