Posts

Why I Moved to Substack: More than Just a Platform Shift

After years of writing on Blogspot and Medium , I’ve made the jump to Substack , and it wasn’t a decision I took lightly. These platforms have been a wonderful space for me to share ideas and engage with readers. But like everything, growth is key, and Substack offers something different — something that’s hard to pass up. Growth-Centric Features for Writers Substack isn’t just a place to publish; it’s a place to grow. One of the standout features for me was their recommendation system . Substack makes it easy for readers who love your work to discover other like-minded writers. This collaborative ecosystem helps amplify voices, whether you’re just starting out or you’re an experienced writer looking to expand your audience. Collaboration & Referrals On Medium, collaboration often felt siloed. Substack takes a different approach, offering collaboration tools that allow writers to work together more seamlessly, which I believe fosters a richer exchange of ideas. Plus, their referr...

Make ChatGPT your Career Coach

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ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. While there are still many doubts about its utility, there is no question that its responses can help generate drafts and collect your thoughts around a topic. Many of us who have faced layoffs this year have looked to others in our network to support our journey to the next stage in our lives, often with mixed results. Now that I am approaching the three-month mark, I have noticed a deluge of resume writers and career coaches flooding my feed. The algorithms generating targeted marketing have also catered to my personal needs around consistent positive imagery to handle the roller coaster job search. This got me wondering if ChatGPT could be an effective artificial career coach. Here are some use cases you might find interesting. Mental Health Reminders Positive affirmations can be beneficial for mental health because they help reframe negative thought patterns, promote self-belief, and cultivate a more positive mindset. By repeating positive st...

Self Transformation After a Layoff

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Instagram | puraten10 Layoffs are more often than not a brutal experience for employees and employers alike. Not only can it be mentally devastating to those that were let go, but has a mental ripple effect for those that remain and can severely impact loved ones. Here are some simple things that can help you to come out on top. 🛣 Talk, Walk, and Breathe It is important to acknowledge that being laid off is a traumatic event. Depending on the circumstances and timing, especially in relation to other recent changes in your life, you may find yourself overwhelmed and may need to employ some tactics to cope. If you still have health coverage until the end of the month as part of your severance, consider getting some free therapy sessions while available. This is the perfect time to randomly place sticky notes and positive affirmations around the house, take a bubble bath, go on a picnic, or do some yoga. My guess is that you haven't taken a proper vacat...

What is this obsession with happiness?

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Misery, turmoil, disappointment, disdain, and others hold value. If it were not these things, I don't think I would recognize as many simple joys in my life. Things like the sounds and smells of my husband sleeping soundly next to me, a late afternoon sun shower softly spraying, field mice joyfully jumping with their spring-loaded match-stick legs in the grass, placing just five more pieces in a very difficult puzzle, the salty crunch of a grilled cheese and spam sandwich, or the sparkly smile on child's dirt smudged mug. I think some of the biggest mental health problems of the world stem from a lack of rich experiences. Admittedly, it is natural for humans to seek trauma when there is none. This is especially apparent for those that have "had it good". Increasingly, those that have never gone days without food, had their body violated, neighbors murdered, or witnessed loved ones die of cancer, have no frame of reference to know true happiness. Those that...

Effective Leadership 101: Are you trying to improve your leadership culture?

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Businesses need to adapt to the economic tides more quickly and efficiently than ever before. Since the beginning of my career, I have been an active change agent where others were slow to adapt. A Harvard Business Review article stuck many chords for me today. Here are some takeaways that can help your organization make significant, actionable, and sustainable changes. Insight One Organizations need “fertile soil” in place before the “seeds” of training interventions can grow. Improvements are greater in units that had already developed a “psychologically safe” climate in which subordinates felt free to speak up. Insight Two If the system does not change, it will set people up to fail. Failure to execute on strategy and change organizational behavior is rooted not in individuals’ deficiencies but, rather, in the policies and practices created by top management. Insight Three Manage internal change like any other project: 1. Define organization values 2. Conduct interviews...

Preventing burnout is more than reducing workload

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Response to OP : Effective resource management includes planning and task assignment in a collaborative environment.  The best performers are driven by a passion to excel in their field and a transparent "opt in" culture can go a long way towards building trust and buy in. Plus, once you have established a baseline velocity, you are better able to reset delivery expectations with downstream business owners and clients. It is very easy for management to forget that success INCLUDES negotiations rather than despite them. 

I will be persistent

Whether or not you are Consistent, I will be persistent In times of turmoil I will be quite. You will return to the predececent, You will insist on the most recent Not because you are reticent, But because you are adolescent