Entries by First Sun Team

#Leadership : 3 Ways to Guide Your Employees Toward Empowered Decisions…Traditional Top-Down Management can Create a Single Point of Failure within Each Department: a Middle Manager Held Accountable for his Team’s Projects and Products.

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According to a Harvard Business Review analysis released in September, U.S. companies are wasting more than $3 trillion every year on excess bureaucracy and management — which is equivalent to 17 percent of our country’s GDP. That’s an astonishing amount of money, and I believe one of the keys to reversing this trend is addressing a structure that […]

#Leadership : The Top 5 Ways Work Changed In 2016…From Minimum Wage Hikes to Higher Health Care Costs, 2016 was a Year of Big Changes for the American Worker.

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It’s probably an understatement to call 2016 a year of turning points.  The U.S. presidential election, culminating in Donald Trump’s upset win in November, thrust labor and employment issues into a more prominent place in the news cycle. But it wasn’t just politics that fueled major shifts in the world of work. Here’s a look […]

Your #Career : Five Annual-Review Mistakes You’re Probably Making…Performance Reviews Shouldn’t Be One Awkward Conversation every December. Here are the Common Missteps to Avoid.

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Companies like Accenture, Microsoft, and General Electric are ditching annual performance reviews for more frequent feedback sessions, but for many others the practice is a way to end the year with a keen plan for the future. The key to doing it successfully is not confusing performance evaluation with performance management, says Christine M. Riordan, […]

Your #Career : 5 Components of an Attention-Grabbing Resume…You Only Get a Few Seconds for your Resume to Make the Cut, but That’s All you Need When you Know What Hiring Managers are Looking For.

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A resume is one of the most important documents you attach your name to. The content on these few pages can drastically change your life, presenting you with new opportunities or taking you down a new career path altogether. With 2017 right around the corner, many “career change” New Year’s resolutions will be made. If […]

#Leadership : The Better Way To Break Bad News…The Bad News is That you’re Probably Breaking Bad News the Wrong Way. The Good News: These Four Steps can Fix That.

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 Here’s some bad news: You’re probably delivering bad news the wrong way. Every company, team, and manager hits setbacks, and it’s always somebody’s job to break the unpleasant news to others. But the way to talk about even the toughest turns for the worse isn’t simply to put a falsely positive spin on what went […]

#Leadership : 7 Beneficial Tips for Managing Your Virtual Work Team…Add These Tips to your Work Routine and your Team Will Run Like a Well-Oiled Engine.

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When I began doing most of my work online as the head of a virtual team, I realized that the first problem I needed to resolve was a personal one — and kind of an embarrassing one: I would lounge around on the sofa with my laptop perched on my knees, as I drifted between work and sleep. […]

#Leadership : Time Management Experts Share Their Secrets For Staying Productive During The Holidays…An Overloaded Calendar can Make December Feel Like the Least Productive Time of Year. But with Some Small Shifts, it Doesn’t Have to Be.

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It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the busiest. Chances are your social obligations are picking up as well as your off-hours tasks. How do you get everything done without sacrificing productivity at work? It might not feel like it, but it’s possible to meet goals, beat deadlines, and […]

Your #Career : 17 Ways you Should Invest your Time in your 20s for Long-Term Success…Your 20s are a Particularly Crucial Time in Life. Many Call these the “Formative” Years, and the Habits You Form Now can Carry you Through the Rest of your Life. So What’s the Best Way to Spend this Time?

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Don’t waste time, because that’s “the stuff life is made of.”  It was good advice when Benjamin Franklin said it, and it’s good advice now, no matter your age. But your 20s are a particularly crucial time in life. Many call these the “formative” years, and the habits you form now can carry you through […]

Your #Career : How to Build a Positive Relationship With Your Boss and Colleagues…Mutual Respect Makes the Office Much More Pleasant.

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In the past, an employee’s relationship with their direct supervisor was found to be one of the most influential factors on whether or not the employee enjoyed their job. Over time, this dynamic has somewhat changed. In recent years, relationships with colleagues have become increasingly influential in the perception of job satisfaction. Part of this […]

Your #Career : 37 Free Online Marketing and Social Media Classes to Elevate Your Skills…Where Can you Go For the Best, Most Useful Marketing Information? Check Out these Free Resources.

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When I first started out with digital marketing, I was blown away by the sheer amount of online marketing resources and social media classes. I read hundreds of articles and enrolled in as many marketing courses that I could possibly get my hands on. Even today, millions of resources continue to be published online every […]