The less an employee treats his or her manager as a superior, the more damage he or she does to his or her career. In other words, in a society that bends over backwards to ensure no person or institution ever be considered greater than another, it’s tempting to subscribe to this same blurring-of-the-ranks in [...]

What are some key things you have learned since graduation from college? 1. Having a plan is good, taking advantage of other opportunities, even if they divert said plan, can be even better. I walked into W&L as a pre-med Biology major and graduated with a B.A. in Art History. I moved to Washington, DC [...]

“What exactly is it that you do here?” My junior year at W&L I was really enjoying my psychology major but hadn’t a clue what I was going to do “when I grew up.” I knew I loved psychology, but had no interest in pursuing a traditional clinical or counseling path. Lucky for me, Dr. [...]

Leadership Lessons: What are the challenges facing leaders in today’s organizations? I’ve asked many learners in leadership development workshops, “What are the challenges you face as a leader?”  The resulting comments suggest three key categories of challenges:  organizational, operational, and people. Organizational Learners often comment on the macro-challenges facing their businesses: an unstable economy, security, [...]

During my time working on Capitol Hill, I heard many a recent graduate-turned-new-Capitol-Hill-staffer sigh in defeat and say something like this:  “Three months ago I was winning awards for my honors thesis in art history, and now I’m answering phones.”  If you suffer from this form of post-graduate malaise, take heart.  In the rough-and-tumble world [...]

When Syzygy 3 incorporated on February 19, 2004, it marked my third attempt to start my own business.  The first two withered on the vine (bad timing, low liquidity, tenuous partnerships), taking a lot of my sweat, savings, and patience with them.  Syzygy 3 is about to celebrate eight years, and while I’m still a [...]

As a recent graduate of W&L, I was fortunate to land in a large retailer’s buying office with a terrific boss.  I’ve had quite a few since, but his early example has been singularly helpful in forming my own idea of what makes an effective manager.  He was patient, instructive, calm under pressure, and gently [...]

The minute you think you're a good boss, you're not. Why? Because a good boss can't be full of hubris. A big ego blinds you from reality and skews your vision into what's really happening within your organization. I oversee over 200 individuals and I never think that I'm better or above anyone that works [...]