Entries by First Sun Team

Your Career: The Best Advice Career Experts Ever Received…They Make their Living Giving other People Career Advice, but what were the Words of Wisdom that Helped them?

Career coaches spend their days doling out advice to help people get ahead. But what advice did they get that helped them along the way? We asked five successful career coaches what was the best career advice they ever received. Here, the words of wisdom that’s stuck with them through the years. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH […]

Strategy:10 Reasons you Should Wake Up Earlier — & How to Do It..Don’t make Drastic Changes. Start Slowly, by Waking just 15-30 Minutes Earlier than Usual.

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” — Ben Franklin, famously “Put no trust in the benefits to accrue from early rising, as set forth by the infatuated Franklin …” — Mark Twain [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” […]

Your Career: Company seeking Manufacturing Engineer, Charlotte, NC… Cold-Forming Tooling

Description of Position:      Manufacturing Engineer, Cold-Forming Tooling   Our client, a F500 manufacturing company, seeks an experienced cold-forming manufacturing engineer for their North Carolina facility.  If you are a mechanical engineer and have experience with machines manufactured by companies like Formax, Nakashimata, or Carlo Salvi, this may be the opportunity for you.  This […]

Strategy: 3 Lies We Tell Ourselves When We Say ‘Yes’ To Work We Hate…Research also Shows that Earning $75 000/year is the Threshold Above Which your Day-to-Day Happiness No Longer Increases with More Money

Last week, I had an interesting conversation with the owner of a growing marketing firm. The talk turned to problem clients and the owner expressed a hope that one day he’d get to a point where his business would be stable enough that he could turn down work that seemed like it was going to […]

Leadership: If You Act Like A Leader You Will Think Like A Leader…Leaders Ought to Seek out New Knowledge, Experiences & Networks in Order to Both Grow as a Leader & Act as a Better, more Effective Type of Leader

The move from individual contributor to first-time ‘leader of people’ is one of the most daunting career moves for many employees. It doesn’t matter what line of business you’re in either. When you’re asked to lead — when you’re given your first opportunity to become a leader of people — it can feel like the […]

Leadership: How Do You Create a Culture of Service?… We Strongly Encourage Employees to Volunteer in Their Communities

In December, Points of Light and Bloomberg LPreleased the 2014 Civic 50—a list of the most community-minded companies in the country. The Civic 50 sets the standard for corporate citizenship, honoring companies that are effectively giving their time, talent and resources to improve lives in the communities where they do business. This is part two […]

Strategy: How To Ace Your Performance Review…Frame the Discussion Yourself, Casting your Boss in the Role of Gentle Coach & Mentor Rather than Disciplinarian

Back in 2008, Samuel Culbert, a UCLA professor and management consultant, published an op-ed inThe Wall Street Journal titled, “Get Rid of the Performance Review!” The piece got a huge response from readers, and Culbert went on to write a book with the same title, which came out in 2010. The performance review “destroys morale, […]

Strategy: 8 Ways To Get Work Done Faster…Polled a Group of More than 1,600 leaders, 81% Felt They are Often Expected to Move Faster & Do More

John Maynard Keyes, a famous economist in the 1930’s, predicted that his grandchildren would have a three-hour workday. Sadly, it did not happen–In fact, we now have the reverse! Organizations are looking for ways to do more with less, the population is aging, and the pace of work is increasing. When Zenger Folkman polled a […]

Strategy: 8 Common Smartphone Mistakes You’re Making At Work.. Upper & Mid-Level Managers say that “UnTimely & Inappropriate Use of Cellphones” is the #1 Etiquette Breach of Their Employees

It used to be that poor workplace etiquette was about taking someone else’s food from the office refrigerator or dressing too sloppily on casual Fridays. Now that everyone has a smartphone glued to their hands, there are all kinds of new ways to trip up. (Photo credit: Meet the media Guru) In fact, upper and […]

Leadership: 5 Timeless Leadership Roles To Help Navigate Change…If There’s One Thing that’s Constant Today (actually everyday), it’s Change.

If there’s one thing that’s constant today (and everyday, for that matter), it’s change. Whether it’s people or organizations, change is the one thing both can rely on that will emerge when it’s least expected—or desired. While the business landscape is in a perpetual state of flux—and always will be—the challenges that leaders face when […]