"These are the people in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood ." -Bob and the Muppets. I grew up watching Sesame Street. I loved the segment that explained careers and the muppets, and usually Bob would sing a catchy song...
Many moons ago when I was a newly-minted project manager, I had a peer approach me after a meeting I had led. This peer asked me if I was open to feedback. To be honest, I use the term “peer” rather loosely. He was about 20 years my senior, had done a stint in the...
Just try it. No one is watching. No one is thinking about you. They are busy thinking about themselves; they’re thinking that you are watching them. You can either see this as encouraging or sad. Here is why I'm choosing encouragement: Most of the things I delay on...
Have you ever had to do a Microsoft Excel VLookUp Table? Whenever I have to create a VLookUp Table, it takes me a moment to shift my mindset to get it done. It's not always an easy task for someone like me that first saw personal computers in college. When I finish,...
Learning and development play an essential role in an organization’s success. However, a recent study conducted by the Sitel Group found that 35 percent of employees believed their employers did not understand their skill sets and areas that they need development in,...
Early in my career, I learned the power of professional development when my manager encouraged me to participate in various skill-enhancing opportunities. Soon, I began to ask myself, “What do you want to learn this year?” Like a kid in a candy store, I’d peruse the...
For many things, there is no one answer. There is no clear guidance about what steps to take. We have to think through what we're experiencing and then lay out a path to resolution. Determining a path forward makes some people uncomfortable. They want to treat it like...
Have you ever been on a team of self-driven, motivated, tenacious people? A team where it seems like everyone comes to work prepared to take on whatever the charge is? A team where people are confident in themselves and trust the motives of their co-workers? A team...
It was February 1996, and I was serving on the National Board of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). I was a senior civil engineering student at Georgia Tech. Several NSBE regional conferences were taking place, and I thought I should show my support at...