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Puzzle Pieces, A Lesson For Marriages

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My Sister in Christ, the beautiful Nakita Williams, facilitated an exercise a few weeks ago during We Honor Marriage at Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral.   I am still thinking about the insights gained during our time together. She divided the class into four groups and gave each group a puzzle.   She told us to work together as a group and assemble the puzzles that were inside each box as quickly as we could.   We only had a few minutes to assemble our puzzles. In our group, we strategically began tackling the sides.   I immediately could tell we did not have all the pieces we needed to complete our puzzle and I said to the group, “We are missing some pieces.”   Everyone looked at the image on the box and assessed all of our pieces.   We kept working.   All the while, Nakita was walking around and calling out the remaining time.   We could hear at least one group cheering as they were nearing the end of their assembled puzzle.   The pressure was on!
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Are Your Time Management Skills Not Allowing You To Be Great? New Habits for the New Year.

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"How do I look?" Several months ago, I was on business travel and was using FaceTime to connect with my husband prior to making my way to the first scheduled session.  I had just finished applying my last bit of makeup and I knew he was going to tell me how beautiful I looked. I flashed my winning smile and tilted my head, waiting for the anticipated response. "You look LATE!" was his quick reply. My lips pouted for a moment because I felt as if that was not a fair statement.  But in all actuality, he was right.  I was late, once again.  He was often telling me "The time to be ready is not the time to get ready."  And, "You get what you prepare for." I had grown accustomed to his attempts of "helping" me with my time management skills but was not putting application to work to orchestrate changed behavior. Fast forward a few weeks later.  While the family was sitting at the dining room table, enjoying dinner together, my hus
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Entertaining Angels

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As the last day of 2019 drew to an end, a recent experience placed me in a self-reflective state. While in Iowa to celebrate our daughter’s graduation from Iowa State, I rose early and headed to the hotel lobby to take care of a few business-related tasks. I immediately saw my cousin, who had traveled to Iowa as well for the celebration, enjoying a bite to eat and I chose a seat across from her at a table not far from the breakfast area.   A gentleman at a nearby table turned around to chat with us. He shared he was there for his granddaughter’s graduation and that he was retired. We all continued to chit chat for a few more moments until my cousin politely excused herself from the table to return to her hotel room and prepare for departure. Now with my cousin gone, I expected the friendly stranger to return to his cup of coffee at his own table. Nope. Much to my chagrin, he continued to chat with me. Remember, I was supposed to be taking care of some work-related tasks
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What's The Sweet Sauce In Virtual Teams?

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As a member of Forrest Johnson Recruiting , a 100% virtual team, I understand first-hand the challenges and opportunities associated with managing a team virtually and being an active member of a virtual team.  What is the sweet sauce to successful teams?  What are the ingredients that make a virtual team effective?  Just in time for the new year, I have a special recipe for success for you! For the purpose of this article, a  virtual workplace  is a  workplace  that is not located in any one physical space. It is usually in a network of several workplaces technologically connected (via a private network or the internet ) without regard to geographic boundaries. Employees are thus able to interact in a  Collaborative Working Environment  regardless of where they are located. A virtual workplace integrates hardware, people, and online processes. According to  Upwork , the largest freelancing website, remote workforce is on the rise.  The organization  released the results of its se
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Performance Management Doesn't Have to Be a Bad Word

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It's near the end of the year and many companies have begun their performance management cycle.  Unfortunately, this process is still being mismanaged and mishandled by many well-meaning employers, thereby causing employees to view the process in a negative perspective. In fact, according to research released in 2015 by Saba and WorkplaceTrends.com , only half of employers surveyed actually conduct annual reviews at a minimum.  Although, according to a SHRM March 2018 article by Dave Zielinski, there is hope as employers attempt to improve their performance management processes using technology.  Performance management does not have to be seen as a necessary evil.  With intentionality, employees and employers can have meaningful dialogues about performance and what adjustments can be made to reach organizational and professional goals. When you think of performance management what comes to mind?  Do you view it as an exciting opportunity to showcase your talents with your s
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Virtual Interviews-The Wave of the Future

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Virtual interviews are becoming more commonplace in the recruiting process.  Are you prepared? As a Senior Recruiter with   Forrest Johnson Recruiting   I  am currently using virtual interviews for my initial  phone screens of candidates. The individual you see in the photo happens to be my  daughter and it illustrates the wave of the future in  recruiting-virtual interviews. Virtual interviews are a great way for recruiters to ascertain the candidate's poise, ability to use technology and ease in responding concisely to questions. You might be surprised by the number of people who are ill-prepared for their virtual interview. Virtual interviews can be in the form of either pre-recorded videos or live interviews.  During pre-recorded virtual interviews, a candidate must respond in a certain time-frame to pre-recorded questions.  During live interviews a candidate is speaking directly with an interviewer, simply virtually.  In either case, it is easy to become nervous
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Taking The Leap of Faith-Tips From A New Small Business Owner

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My son, Joshua, illustrating taking a leap of faith. I have been a small business owner since September 1, 2017 and the experience has been similar to a roller coaster at an amusement park-full of ups, sharp curves, downs and thumps.  Sounds fun, right??  Like with riding roller coasters, you have to have a "stomach" to launch out on your own. I am sharing my experience in the hopes of encouraging others who may be on the verge of taking that first step or leap of faith.   1.   Dream, catch the dream and take the step-   I am a firm believer of pursuing one's dreams.  My pastor once challenged us to think about a cemetery in terms of all the unwritten books, businesses never launched, screenplays never created and other dreams that never came to fruition.  Do not let life pass you by while you sit on your dream.  Take the first step! 2. Set Goals- As a first time business owner, it was clear to me immediately that I needed to have clearly defined goals to ensure I
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