There are so many ‘life’ and ‘work’ metaphors that it’s impossible to count. Life is a highway. Life is like a box of chocolates. Life is ….fill in the blank. Since we just hosted a dinner party for 12 last weekend, I decided to write about how life is (sometimes) a dinner party. In this post, each … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #82: Life is a dinner party?!
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Scarlett Letter #81: Best practices for design and construction—exchange!
When was the last time you traded best practices with a respected colleague in our AEC industry? While most certainly you could trade best practices (but not proprietary firm information) with direct competitors, you might feel more comfortable to share with a professional that: 1. Represents … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #81: Best practices for design and construction—exchange!
Scarlett Letter #80: Share the vision; be a team player;…or, get purged!
Years ago, I was the Director of Business Development (Midwest Region) for CUH2A (now HDR)---a multi-office, international, AE firm. The firm's recruiting style was second-to-none (worthy of a separate blog post!) During the process---which can be described as thorough, diligent, mutually … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #80: Share the vision; be a team player;…or, get purged!
Scarlett Letter #79: Relationship-building requires looking in the eyes
Whether you're out at networking events, meeting with clients, or just having a casual conversation at the bus stop, your intuition responds to the body language of those around you. As an advocate of clear communications for the AEC industry and beyond, I have studied up on body language. While I'm … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #79: Relationship-building requires looking in the eyes
Scarlett Letter #78: Best practices: Clarify and confirm before responding.
Recently, I experienced an unpleasant communication exchange that took me by surprise. To support a friend in my network, I wrote an email speaking on her behalf. My note was sent to a decision maker in a department at Columbia College where I serve as an adjunct professor. Essentially, the series … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #78: Best practices: Clarify and confirm before responding.
Scarlett Letter #77: Innocent eavesdropping…oh the things you learn!
Eavesdropping ain't all bad, is it? Mind you, I am not endorsing tuning in on conversations that are clearly private and personal. But what about the conversations you overhear when you are alone in public? A perfect example: during the Chicago Humanities Festival, I attended several of the events … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #77: Innocent eavesdropping…oh the things you learn!
Scarlett Letter #76: What happens when you take away the excuses?
When you motivate someone in your firm to undertake a particular initiative or task, what happens? Does that person willingly respond, working with you to ensure that what you want to happen, will indeed happen? Or, does the person come up with all sorts of excuses not to do it? The latter can be … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #76: What happens when you take away the excuses?
Scarlett Letter #74: Specific is terrific, revisited!
In Scarlett Letter #69 (you may want to skim that first), I wrote about a networking group that my friend belongs to: Executives Network, led by Founder and CEO Molly Wendall. This group serves to help mid to senior level professionals (from various industries) in their job search. Yesterday, I had … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #74: Specific is terrific, revisited!
Scarlett Letter #75: Firm Analysis of 2009; Firm Projections for 2010
A friend of mine sent out these poignant questions. While they are written more in terms of personal growth (which could also be answered in terms of the 'professional you'), why not also do them as a group (leadership; department; marketing team; etc) at your firm? You could even join up with key … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #75: Firm Analysis of 2009; Firm Projections for 2010
Scarlett Letter #73: Tweets Collection 2009–Dozen favorites, Part II
Part II is a "baker's dozen".....I hope you can find value in some of these posts. Happy New Year....! annescarlett: RT @mashable 10 Sites to Learn Something New in 10 Minutes a Day http://bit.ly/3hhBDB -- great website resources for power learning! annescarlett: RT @NextMoon: Here's an example of … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #73: Tweets Collection 2009–Dozen favorites, Part II