In many of my past articles, I have written about the importance of management’s influence on retention, productivity, morale, and employee satisfaction. You have heard me rant and rave about how “employees don’t leave organizations, they leave their managers.”

Well, there is a flip side to that coin too.

Every team member has a responsibility to effectively communicate with his or her manager. Let me say that a little bit stronger. You are primarily responsible for making sure communication with your manager is working.

Have you been laid-off or outsourced more than once due to mergers and acquisitions or the economy? Are you in a dead-end job that doesn't utilize your skills and talents? Are you uncertain about how best to market yourself and find work that's right for you?

I  have teamed-up with career coach Laura A. Davis to offer this 3-part webinar series Recession-proof Your Career.

One of the common questions I hear from people is, “how do I know what motivates my people?”

Well, the answer is pretty simple.

Just ask.
Then listen.

I was recently at a meeting with a group of Human Resource executives, and one of the HR Directors mentioned that her slogan for her supervisory training was “would you work for you?”

That is a great question to ask - regardless of whether you have the title of leader or not. There is a tremendous amount of research, supported by the Gallup Organization and others, that indicates that people don’t leave their organizations, they leave their managers.

By Kathy Brohm

You have probably heard us talk about DiSC and many of the other profiles that we offer. What you may not know is that there is an online system called EPIC that can put you in control of the administration process. What is EPIC?

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Have you been laid-off or outsourced more than once due to mergers and acquisitions or the economy? Are you in a dead-end job that doesn’t utilize your skills and talents? Are you in an organizational culture that doesn’t match your style? Are you uncertain about how best to market yourself and find work that’s right for you?

It's time to bust loose.

Here's a great quote from What Color is Your Parachute 2009.

"Most job hunters who fail to find their dream job fail not because they lack information about the job market, but because they lack information about themselves."

What are you bringing to the table as you approach new employers?

Consider the following.

According to What Color is Your Parachute 2009, the 5 worst ways to look for a job are:

Being well networked is not just something to do when looking for a job. Being well networked is critical for your long-term success within an organization too.

Unfortunately, many people get "comfortable" within their own department and role and don't take the initiative to expand their reach. In times of rapid change, this can be a huge mistake. Often times I see companies laying off people in one department and hiring people in other departments.

Over the past few months we have been building a library of recorded webinars to help you maximize your team effectiveness. These are great opportunities to develop your skills while in the car or on the plane. Other teams have gathered in a conference room and listened/watched together.

Here are some brief descriptions of what's available for an immediate download: