By Carly Ekstein and Dory Kashin In today’s hyper-competitive world, it is no longer enough to complete a college or university program, enter the workforce, and expect to climb the corporate ladder. These days it is imperative to differentiate yourself and your approach to work so that you stand out in the minds of your employers, clients and colleagues. Your career moves must be mindful, deliberate and well thought out. What you can do now Although you are forward thinking…
Career Development
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Boosting your likeability factor
As I write this, I have just finished watching 21-year-old golf phenom Jordan Spieth win his second straight major tournament for 2015. Besides his obvious physical and mental talent on the golf course, what strikes me most about Spieth is his maturity and relative ease under the glare of the media spotlight. During interviews he appears humble, pleasant and self-effacing. In other words, he comes across as being a likeable person. Unlike some other athletes and celebrities who have a…
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Seven traits of highly successful people
In today’s fast-paced and distributed working world, effective leadership and strategic decision-making have become more important needs for businesses. So it should come as no surprise that according to recent research by the Corporate Executive Board, 10 new talents and skills have been found to be defining traits amongst today’s most successful people. Here are the traits that equip executives with the necessary flexibility and resourcefulness to deal with change, adapt to highly unpredictable environments, and constantly succeed in the…
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The art of teambuilding
When it comes to teambuilding, each person often has their own interpretation of what they envision teambuilding to be. One of the most important steps in determining which teambuilding program or activity is ideal for your group is to determine what the desired outcome is you are striving to achieve. For example, is the goal of the teambuilding program or activity to simply provide some entertainment or an experience for a group of people whom already know each other or…
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How to manage a micromanaging client
Be Patient. Be Professional. Be organized. Be Proactive. Be excellent at what you do. While not everyone has yet to have encountered a micromanaging client, beware – they are out there! My advice is to ensure that you remain very patient in your interactions with them. Just as you need to get to know your client, they also need to get to know you, and of equal importance, they must learn how to trust you. Though it may not always…
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Why customer service matters more than ever
People like to say that they’re in the “relationship business,” and event professionals without a doubt are. But maybe our connections with our clients and potential clients are better described as belonging to a “relationship economy” – a system that needs to work two ways, with equal give and take. Technically, a relationship can exist even if it’s all take and no give, but few relationships grow strong and healthy on such an impoverished foundation. Would you stay in a…
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Let’s talk: Five simple actions for improving the quality of employee communications
Someone I know recently left a company that is in some financial difficulty. Prospects in the company for either career advancement or salary increases were becoming increasingly bleak. The exit doors were crowded with both employees who were laid off and those who wanted out before they got the axe. As employees were leaving, there was no effort to explain to the remaining employees what was happening and what the plan was to fix the problem. It turns out that…
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Why meeting and event professionals must have financial literacy
Some business owners lack key financial knowhow, survey finds I read this article by Lisa Wright in The Toronto Star in January, and I can’t get the facts out of my head. How many businesses in the meetings and events industry are comprised of less than 10 employees? How many are a single person who orchestrates with many suppliers to get the job done? How many people can put up a shingle and say they can plan events, meetings and…
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The power of learning in the meeting and event planning industry
By Lynda Hoff From the time we are born we have consistently been exposed to new things — skills, environments, people and situations. There is so much to accomplish we wonder how we will ever manage it all. We go to school, we seek out mentors and experts of the skills we are learning and keep trying to improve. We offer our expertise to others who may be less accomplished. We are constantly learning and educating ourselves to do a…
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How to better pick and choose business opportunities
Self-help gurus and motivational speakers worldwide will tell you that “Yes” is an empowering word, and indeed it is. “Yes” opens doors, breaks down barriers and gets people to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things that help open their hearts and minds to new philosophies and perspectives. But “No” is a powerful word as well, and one that we all need to employ more in both our personal and professional lives. “No” doesn’t even have to…
