My first “job” was in the 1960s as a part-time waitress in my hometown while I was in high school.  I earned one dollar an hour and thought I had it made!   Since then, I have worked in government, private and public organizations as well as building my own professional private practice. Throughout the decades I have learned from watching others and making mistakes.  Following are some tips that will help those in the workplace who are employees, partners or owners of businesses: You are the business – No matter what you do, you are the one who brings value...

I am way beyond the magic number that is generally considered retirement age.   Often people ask me why I continue to work.   There isn’t just one answer to that question.   You may want to consider the following ideas when you are planning your own retirement: Satisfaction – I love my work and my clients!! Whether I am providing therapy, writing articles, or teaching seminars, I look forward to each workday.   My clients challenge me to help them develop strategies to improve their lives and also keep me informed about the changes they are experiencing in society.  Milton Garland who was...

Your reputation is based on the things that you say and the things that you do. Granted, there might be other people who say negative things about you, but, in time, the truth always comes out. Sometimes people hurt their reputation because they promise to do certain things and then do not follow through. Perhaps they offer to lend a book, prepare a handout, send a referral, or make a telephone call on behalf of the client. When they do this, the client usually smiles and is happy that you have made the offer. They depend on you to do...

So many people have a dream of having their own business. They focus on benefits that they could enjoy including freedom to choose schedule, pride of ownership and hopefully large profits. Unfortunately, according to Innovation, Science and Economic Development in Canada as many as 97% of new start-ups with less than one hundred employees fail in the first year of operation. Only 85% survive for three years and 70% for five years. Approximately 7000 business bankruptcies occur in a year. Even those who have years of university training and professional licences can struggle if they don't have good business sense....

I have a lot of clients who come to see me because of problems arise when family members work together in businesses or farming operations. This is an area that I can relate to as I have three children, all of whom have been involved in my private practice over the years. Here are some of the areas that might cause concern: 1. Defining leadership - Sometimes there is competition regarding who is going to be "the boss", especially when siblings are involved. A parent who has established the business might be hoping that s/he can semi-retire or retire. Even...

Research indicates that the longer someone is off work, the harder it is to go back to it. There are very good reasons why people might have to take a leave of absence but when it comes right down to it, work is one of the very best medicines for all of us. Work gives us a reason to get up in the morning. It gives us a place to go, people to talk with and a purpose. We are rewarded with a good tiredness and some coins to jingle. If you have been off work because of illness, grief,...

It was several years ago that I had a wonderful conversation with my friend's husband. He had taken a number of training courses through his employer and was willing to share some of the things that he had learned. I have thought about and used that information many, many times over the years and now share it with you. If you want to be a valued employee, there are three things that will help you reach that goal: 1. Keep good boundaries. Everyone has an imaginary monkey on his/her back and many people want to get rid of theirs. If...

Often, I hear from students or community members who state that they want to become a psychologist. They are usually quite surprised to find out what they would need to do in order to obtain a license to practice. February is Psychologist Month in Alberta so I thought I would share the process with you: Education - First of all you need to complete a four-year Bachelor's degree and a two-year Master's degree that each have specific coursework. Alberta is one of the few places in North America where a Doctoral degree is not a requirement although many psychologists have...

Tim Horton was a Canadian Hockey player who was looking for a second income in the 1960s. He needed enough flexibility to allow him to continue his hockey career. As a result, he tried selling cars and then, when encouraged by friends who were also into the food industry, began opening chicken and burger outlets. None of these were successful. Details regarding the idea of starting a coffee and donut shop are either confusing or missing. Tim Horton had been involved in businesses with different names and had partnered or been inspired by a number of individuals. The person, however,...

Many people believe that all it takes to be successful is to get a degree. Not true! If you are going to operate a private practice as a professional you need to learn some basic business principles. Following are some of the things to remember as a business owner:   The buck stops with you - Take responsibility for your business. If there are problems, learn to solve them. If you are doing well, celebrate. The bottom line is that you cannot blame others or give all the credit to others. Focus on billable hours - It is easy to get involved...

It can be very annoying for people who have a good work ethic to find themselves in an environment where the rules seem to have changed. Each week I hear people complain about the differences between the way that they were trained to be good employees and the traits of those who have recently entered the workplace.   Sense of Entitlement - Author Bill Eddy claims that over the past few decades we have focused on teaching our children to feel good about themselves without teaching them skills or ways to give back to others. The result is a self-centeredness that...

My daughter and I are leaving for England in early September. We have therefore been preparing an itinerary and booking accommodations for the trip. Because of the distance, we are using the internet to do much of the research. Some websites are intriguing and capture our attention for a great deal of time. Others offer very little of interest and we cannot find helpful information so leave quickly. Throughout the process I have learned a great deal about internet marketing and customer service that can be implemented by any business:   Web presence - Do not assume that people will find...

My daughter has just won several leadership level awards with her company - one of which is for all of Canada! Many of her co-workers and customers have expressed their thanks for her work while others stand in awe hoping that they can learn from her. Kristal adopted and used the following success principles that will help you to improve your performance should you choose apply them:   Accept your role as problem-solver - It doesn't matter what career you are in, there are people who will turn to you for help. Do not become annoyed or frustrated with their questions...

When your employer hired you, it was because the company had tasks or projects that needed to be done. These were deemed to be so important that management was prepared to offer you money in exchange for your commitment to complete them. Now, even if you are put into a full-time position, you really don't have much time to do the job. Most employees are given at least two weeks of holidays a year. That means that considering you have a five-day work week you will only work 251 days a year. If there are 10 statutory holidays, you are...

Many years ago, I was working in an organization in Saskatchewan and struggling with some of the management's behaviours. My friend told me that her husband had taken several business and leadership courses so it would probably be wise for me to talk with him about the situation. In a matter of only an hour or so I learned four very important lessons: Do not take on responsibilities that belong to another person- Every person has a monkey on his back. They carry them around on their backs and this is annoying. They want to get rid of theirs, so...

My grandchildren think I am out-of-date. You see I still use email! They choose Facebook and other forms of social media to communicate and hardly ever check to see if they have messages "the old-fashioned way" through an email account. Now I realize that work and businesses are still using email but that does not at all guarantee that the messages you are sending out will be noticed, let alone read. Here are some of the reasons why this occurs: Most people are overwhelmedwith the amount of information that is thrown at them every day. Everywhere they turn they are...

I am very good at praising organizations and people for things that they do well but I also believe that it is important to tell them when they come up short. There are several important things that you need to do, however, if you truly want to see change in a situation and not just vent your frustration: 1. Put your complaint in writing - I once heard a professional state that when a company receives a written letter of complaint they assume that there are at least five hundred others who are unhappy but didn't bother to write to them. Letters...

Being nice is not enough. There are a number of things that an employer needs to know during an interview and when the new hire starts working. Following is a guideline that will help you to prepare: 1. Knowledge - Every job has a minimum standard that is expected but the requirements are different, depending on the job. Sometimes a university or college degree is required and documentation to verify that a program has been completed will be necessary. There might be a minimum high school grade level that is needed. In some occupations, only general knowledge is acceptable and specialized training...

As a psychologist I am always trying to figure out whether a person can or can't do certain things and whether they will or won't do them. You see, many of my clients "can" do certain things but "won't" do them. There is really nothing wrong with them except the fact that they won't do what needs to be done. On the other hand, there are people who suffer from major disorders and illnesses and, as a result one would expect that they can't perform but they will do what is expected so there is hope for them. So, as...

So, everything is going fine - until it isn't anymore! One of your staff members is yelling and screaming about something that doesn't even make sense. Another one is quiet but refusing to work or talk. And you are the one who is responsible for the whole operation. What can you do? 1. Invite the upset staff member to meet with you in private. If you think this might be a threat to your safety, leave a door partially open so others can come to your aid if needed. 2. Stay calm - Your mood will be a direct influence...

Not everyone in the workplace is a happy and healthy individual. Some, in fact, are extremely difficult and it can take a toll on you to be around them. There are several things, however, that you can do to protect yourself and lower your stress: 1. Do not continue to listen to the same complaints and concerns over and over again. Tell the other employee that you know clearly how they feel about the situation but do not want to hear about it again. 2. Remind the other person that you do not have the power or ability to change...

The King in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" had good advice that all of us should follow. He stated "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." This formula will work for any project that you are planning but particularly so for a business presentation. The key is to know what to begin with, what to include until you come to the end and when to stop. Following is an outline that will work well for any presentation. 1. Introduce yourself - Do not assume that anyone in the room will know...

Owning and operating a business can be a daunting task. Even though you might feel a strong responsibility to be there "all the time" in order to ensure that the client needs are met, you need breaks. There are several things that take you away from the business: 1. Professional development opportunities 2. Illness or accident 3. Personal commitments to yourself and your family 4. Vacation times But, just because you are not going to be there, doesn't mean that your customers will suffer. There are several things that you can set in place so that when you are away,...

We all hope that all clients will be happy and satisfied with our business products and services. But not everyone will be and sometimes you might be faced with an extremely angry person who is very upset. When this happens, there are seven things that you can do to handle the situation: 1. Stay calm - Even if you find that your emotions are rising, it is very important that you do not allow yourself to become upset. This would just escalate the situation and might result in you doing or saying something that you will regret. Instead, take a breath and...

I have been watching the relatively new television show "Restaurant Impossible". The host, Chef Robert Irvine goes into struggling businesses and within a couple of days works on five specific areas in order to attract new clientele and improve the financial situation of the owners. His plan is one that could be used for any business. Following are the five areas of operation that he focusses on: 1. Environment - Chef Irvine has the support of a designer who is charged with the task of updating the restaurant so that it is open, bright and attractive. She is limited in both time and...