The best part about working for a team is cohesion.  You are an expert in one field or several, and you bring something to the table that others can’t.  Maybe you write better.  Maybe you’re a master graphics artist.  Whatever your skill set, you are the expert, and no one can bring you down.  Right? […]

You know what I hate most about working under an arrogant manager?  It’s not the self-righteous, I-know-what’s-best attitude that comes from reading a few business articles.  It’s not the everyone-should-work late attitude, irregardless of the fact if anything is actually getting done.  Hell, it’s not even the I-know-your-job-better-than-you, despite the fact that these managers have […]

Let’s face it, we all need mentors.  Even the most brilliant self-learner can be taught a thing or too by a Master.  A mentor’s insight gives us the ability to try new problem solving techniques and slowly improve our skills over time, with the critical eye of someone who’s “been there, done that.” The thing […]

I recently watched Dan Pink’s talk about what motivates us. It’s not only an insightful talk, but the video is fun to watch as well: The video points out a very real management belief – that money is either the most important or the only way to motivate employees. I have worked for managers who […]

I’m sure this has happened to you: you were working on a project in a team.  You were tasked by a teammate to do some specific work, and you were raring to go.  You spent all day working and refining your task.  At seven, you were so hungry from skipping lunch that you took a […]

Now that we are in the Closed Beta phase of Fellowstream, we’re discovering a lot of new revelations we never dreamed would happen.  Things that we thought people would understand implicitly (i.e. the notification system) isn’t clear cut to users, while things that we thought would be trouble areas (i.e. understanding the difference between the […]

I wrote an article a few weeks ago about a guy who tried to leverage a team for his personal gain (ignoring the needs of the team).  He is, thankfully, an extreme case, but even the most well meaning person can hurt a team’s performance if she approaches it the wrong way.  As someone who’s […]

I’ve worked with a guy who wasn’t interested in our team’s goals so much as what was in it for him: The contacts he will make The brilliant ideas he will be credited with The decisions he will make The amount of money he will receive The praise and reward of the team are all […]

Everybody has had a time working on a team with a freeloader.  Dead weight.  Leech.  Moocher.  Whatever you want to call it, you have a team member who just doesn’t do her share of the work, or perhaps worse, does the work so sloppily that it’s no good to anyone. The question is, whose problem […]

I had the opportunity to write a blog for a great site called Career Life Connection.  The site focuses on helping people who work remotely to be effective.  It also acts as a support network for all professionals looking for the golden chalice that is “Work Life Balance.”  The website’s founder, Leanne Chase, started the […]