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US Added 146,000 jobs in November & Unemployment fell to 7.7%

The jobs growth number was better  than expected and the jobless rate was the lowest since December 2008.

Many expected a lower number of jobs because of hurricane Sandy which crippled the NE last month.

The Labor Department revised its job growth figures downward for October and September .

But  November’s net growth in payrolls was below the average of 170,000 new jobs added monthly over the course of August, September and October.

Manufacturing jobs fell by 7,000. Economists  speculate  that causes include lower demand  ...

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7
DEC
0

Can Your Boss Change?

A bad boss is one of the top reasons that people leave their jobs.  Of the 595 employees responding to a Society for Human Resource Management  job satisfaction survey, only 39% said they were “very satisfied” with their relationship with their immediate supervisor.  Bad bosses can be toxic for an organization  and result in high turnover, lower productivity, more absenteeism and higher medical costs due to employee stress.

The skills needed   for success in a leadership position involve vision. But managers need ...

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4
DEC
0

How Much is Enough?

How much money do you need to be happy?  Will a bigger house make you happier?  In our material world it seems we always want more…more money, more things, more vacations.   “Money can’t buy you love”, say the Beatles,  but how much money do you need to make to be happy?

We know that people who have a certain standard of living are happier than those  living in poverty. But how much is enough?

In an article in the NY times earlier this year, ...

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19
NOV
0

Become More Productive by Slowing Down

Do you come back from vacation and,  just a day later, the slower memories of a more leisurely pace are a distant memory?  So much to do, so little time….

The organizations of today  are under unrelenting pressure with constant change and the mandate to do more with less. And with email, cell phone, web sites, blogs, Facebook and other social media,we are constantly bombarded with information. No wonder we feel like we are always behind.  By always focusing on immediate demands, there is no time to really think, to plan, to strategize, to ...

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5
NOV
0

Five Leadership Competencies

In a recent article by Inc. Magazine, they name five competencies  that are critical to how you are perceived as a leader.

1.  Visibility

It’s not just about how people  see you in presentations and around the office, but also how you respond to accomplishments of the company or work group, as well as how you deal with challenging situations or crises.  Develop skills in areas that are uncomfortable for you.  That will set you apart.

2. Preparation

Often leaders are great at preparing ...

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29
OCT
0

More Employers Predicted to Add Jobs in October

According to the Society of Human Resource Management’s Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report for October:

  •  For the third consecutive month, more HR professionals in the manufacturing and service sectors say their organizations will be hiring compared

with a year ago.

  • More than one out of three manufacturers (34.6 percent) and service-sector companies (33.9 percent) will

add jobs in October.

  • Difficulty in recruiting candidates for key jobs rose modestly in manufacturing and fell slightly in services

in September compared with ...

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8
OCT
0

Modest Increase in Jobs in September; Unemployment Down

The nation’s employers added a modest  114,000 jobs in September, according to the Labor Department . The unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent, the lowest since President Obama’s first month in office.

This is  the 24th straight month of job growth after a severe financial crisis.

On a further  positive note, the job growth for August was revised upward to 142,000 from the previously reported 96,000.

This shows that the economy continues to improve, although not at the rate most would like to see.  ...

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5
OCT
0

Emotional Intelligence: Interpersonal Components

We  talked about the importance of self-awareness and self-control as the critical first steps in developing emotional intelligence.  We  also discussed  some tools and ways to gain that awareness and self-control.  In this post we will discuss the interpersonal components of EQ:  how we relate to others. This is an extroverted function and generally requires more energy and an outward focus.  It comes naturally to those people with extroverted personalities.  But introverted people also do well  with this if they have enough self-awareness to pace themselves, and can ...

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1
OCT
0

Maximizing Brain Functioning: The Link to EQ

How does brain functioning affect how you perform on the job, and specifically, how does it affect emotional intelligence?

I recently attended a workshop by Jackie Sherman entitled, ‘Working with the Brain in Mind.”  Here is what I learned about how the brain can affect your emotional intelligence and ability to think at a higher level.

The hierarchy of paying attention means that  thoughts first go through the survival part of the brain. That is the fight, flight or freeze mentality we ...

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25
SEP
0

Developing Better Emotional Intelligence: Reduce your Caffeine

Many people drink caffeine because it makes them alert, improves their mood and helps them to focus.  Indeed,  many studies have found that caffeine actually does improve cognitive performance in the short-term.   But those people who use caffeine can also tell you about the caffeine crash, similar to the sugar crash. Your performance decreases.  And then what do you do?  Drink more caffeine.  Coming off caffeine actually reduces your performance below what it could have been without the caffeine high. The only way to get back your caffeine ...

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17
SEP
0
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