There can be a time in anyone’s life when the planets all seem to be aligned against them and there is no way forward. Fortunately those globes are exactly where they should be but the perception remains. Perhaps life is not turning out as we had imagined and that in itself is a major disappointment. We are not as rich or successful as we anticipated, perhaps we have health
Is age a barrier when looking at employment and training opportunities? Depends on which way you look at it. You and I both know that forty doesn’t feel much different to thirty, except that you are a bit wiser and probably perform better at your job. You are looking for new opportunities in your role or industry and may be thinking about starting a postgraduate qualification, now that
If you are like me, the hard part of that question is deciding just when you are grown up. I wondered if I was the morning that I first held my newborn son in my arms, but knowing how you want to spend your working life is a challenge at any age. School leavers are overwhelmed with those career choices and they don’t get any easier with increasing decades. Often we sort of fall in to an
The recent movie “The Intern’ came and went without a huge amount of fanfare. It featured a retiree (with a wealth of management experience) who by some miracle was able to get an internship with a new e-commerce fashion business that was in its post start-up growth phase. As is to be expected, there were many Hollywood ‘feel good’ aspects to the movie, but it recognised several important
There was a time when the voice of Doris Day singing Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will be) kept echoing in my head, and specifically the line where she was singing ‘Is that all there is?’ It’s a time when you realise that you are not going to be Prime Minister or be a jet-setting entrepreneur, or international chess champion or whatever dreams you had in your youth. It’s all a bit of
Eight Steps for Managing Redundancy On a regular basis, news broadcasts list either industry downturn or company resizing, resulting in significant job loss. There are small businesses also who are paring staff numbers, sometimes in response to reduced commercial activity by larger companies and employee redundancy is increasingly common. Our working life is characterised by many different jobs
There comes a time when you wake up one Monday morning and think, “Okay – that’s enough. I want out of here.” That’s a great idea, and it probably helps if first you have won the lottery, can access a large superannuation stash, or else have some other good means of support. Those matters under control, all it takes is for you to walk into the manager’s office and give the required
Values is a term that is much used, both by businesses and by people when they refer to their life choices, but what are they really? Values are a guiding set of beliefs that influence how you lead your life or conduct your business. On the home front, they evolve progressively, influenced by family and cultural teachings. The values that we consider to be important will influence how we behave,
Making the transition from employee to being your own boss is liberating. You can work from home with the hours that you want, where you want and how you want. Flexibility was what you were seeking after all. The ‘where’ can present a few challenges though. Is your home big enough to allow a dedicated work space? Do you have privacy for business calls? Are you tripping over Lego as
With a new year comes new hope and new ideas. You have had a few days break, even if just the public holidays and have had time to take stock and consider the possibilities. Those options can bring the excitement of dreams and the anticipation of good things to come. The transition from dreams to reality needs action, and that is where often it all grinds to a halt. For action to be