So lately I’ve been getting resumes sent to me for a critical eye…..while resumes may seem old-fashioned in this day and age, it’s still the first thing people tend to ask for….some of my observations….. Continue reading
15. Be super vigilante about your job security
“Personal Profitability #15: Be super vigilante about your job security: be the “go to person” in your group, raise your hand, work hard. Watch for warning signs: getting layered, not involved in important events, no exposure to senior people, going multiple years without a promotion or raise.”
We’re all remote….so does anything change?
What to Save For
I was watching TV one morning, and someone had written a book about building wealth. He made a great comment….
Hello.
Some of you checked in with me just to see how I was doing because I stopped posting. To be honest…I just didn’t know what to say. To be upbeat seemed glib, to be honest was depressing. I wrote a couple of posts but just couldn’t bring myself to post them. But today is different.
Replacing Presenting
This was an interesting article in the WSJ: “Nine Easy Steps to A Better Day at Work”….the one I really liked was the last one: “Replace presenting with reading.” Apparently, at Amazon, there are no dog and pony shows via Powerpoint. You get a discussion document which is read by the group in silence. Then it’s open for discussion.
The Resume
Lately, I’ve been getting resumes to review. For many of us, it’s been awhile since we’ve had to work on our resume….I find the same things remain true even now….mylessonslearned. Continue reading
The Three Most Critical People
So, I recently wrote about expense reductions….which leads to the next question. How do you make sure you’re one of the people who stay? In my career, I’ve found there are 3 categories of people you never get rid of… Continue reading
How To Reduce Expenses
Expense reduction is a hot topic right now….I find that the pendulum swings back and forth: focus on investment (revenue growth) vs focus on expenses (margin protection). As an ex-COO in Operations, I’ve only known the expense focus side. Growing up in retail financial services where margin was measured in basis points, it was a never-ending focus on expense management. So what lessons did I learn in reducing expenses?
13. Keep the spending belt tight…even when you make more
So as you get raises or bonuses, it’s really easy to start increasing your expenses as well. After all, you can afford it. So why not get the bigger apartment, nicer car, more services….. So here’s the thing…. Continue reading
Where Have I Been?
I know, it’s been ages. But I promise you I’ve been working on how to continue the dialogue on Lessons Learned.
One pet project of mine is what I call Personal Profitability….it’s a framework, a mindset, a set of tools (excel spreadsheets) which helped me get to a place where I could get a handle on my financial health. None of it is particularly earthshattering, but I just found a huge gap between saving money and what to do next. And I just sort of stumbled through it: opening an IRA, contributing to a 401k, buying an apartment, working for 25+ years.
Looking back, there were some things I did right. There were also some things I did very wrong (Gordon Gekko was right “first lesson in business is: Don’t get emotional about stock”). So, I’m starting a new chapter about Personal Profitability.
One note…I still think my lessons learned is relevant. Because a big contributor of financial security is the ability to perform at work. The better you perform, the more you’re valued, the more you’re paid, and the more likely you’ll be a valued member of the team.
So stay posted….. GP