Laura Spencer writes an interesting blog today, 10 of the Most Surprising Things about Freelancing. I think at some point, everyone has the fantasy of breaking free of the corporate hamster wheel and going out on their own. Especially if you have a skill set that can be easily transferred to different situations.

Freelancing is 100% risk. You are responsible for selling your skills and building a client base. You almost never turn down work because you never know when the next assignment will come along. It’s risky and it’s true what Laura says, you really don’t get “personal days” unless you do some careful planning.

But what if you aren’t ready to jump into freelancing 100% of the time?

There are ways you can put your foot in the water and see if you have Read More »

Tags: business advice, Cisco WebEx, Freelance, learning, telecommute, tips, WebEX, webinar

It started with the iPhone and really picked up with the iPad. Silver haired gents in corner offices brought their new precious to IT and asked to “get on the network” or “get their email on this.” In the past, IT was able to mumble something about unsupported devices and how a random user who brought a random device was out of luck. After all, they had tested solutions in place, nice things like Windows Mobile and Blackberry, solutions that worked well with Enterprise infrastructure. These new things might be better at Angry Birds or Plants vs Zombies, but the whole BYOD/Enterprise interaction was an unknown and thus a threat and a risk. Poor IT guys got trumped though, silver haired guys said jump and eventually the answer changed from “not supported” to a more career preserving “how high?”

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Tags: anyconnect, byod, device proliferation, device virtualization, enterprise device management, Mobile Device Management, mobile device security, security, TrustSec, vdi, webinar

Providing good feedback does not occur naturally or by default. To provide effective feedback, leaders must learn, develop, and cultivate fundamental skills. Organizations that do not address these fundamental skills risk creating an environment where people fail to observe, reflect and self-correct their behavior.

Register for this free WebEx event now.

In 1998, Fast Company wrote an article on employee feedback and over ten years ago managers faced the same problems:

Too many leaders still treat feedback as a once-a-year event, rather than an ongoing discipline. “Doing annual appraisals is like dieting only on your birthday and wondering why you’re not losing weight,” cracks Saunier. Too many leaders confuse feedback with paperwork. “Filling out a form is inspection, not feedback,” says Kelly Allan, senior associate of Kelly Allan Associates Ltd., a consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio whose clients have included Boeing, Paramount Pictures, and IBM. “History has taught us that relying on inspections is costly, improves nothing for very long, and makes the organization less competitive.”

Why is giving feedback so difficult? Read More »

Tags: business, business advice, event, how to, leadership, WebEX, webinar

It’s your dream.

On occasion, you would love to get up a little later, not rush to shower and get dressed, have a decent breakfast and avoid jumping in the car and dealing with traffic. You know you’d be more productive working at home, pounding away without interruptions. You are wearing your comfy day-jammies because you don’t have to dress to impress.

How do you make it happen? (Learn more first hand at this free event.)

The answer is becoming an “agile worker”.

“An Agile Worker operates from any convenient location. They may use a desk in the office or a casual drop-in space designed for short micro-working spells. They are often found working in a public space with WiFi access or whilst travelling using mobile GPRS or 3G connected devices. Some are road warriors staying in hotels, moving from meeting to meeting and working throughout the day as and when they can gain access to networks. Agile Workers also work from home usually on an occasional (say one or two days in 10) basis.” -- Steve Gillies, BT Viewpoint

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Tags: business advice, event, how to, No Office Required, WebEX, webinar

In an economy that is struggling to recover, looking for a job can be challenging -- even if you already have one. Many of those jobs involve managing people which puts you in the hot seat not just for your performance, but also for how well your team performs. If this is your first time, you’ll need help.

Reserve your spot now. Register here.

Then Ken Blanchard Group delivers some of the best management advice in the world. They understand stepping into the role of a new manager—or taking on a new group of people is a challenge for even the most seasoned of professionals.

Making the move from an individual contributor to supervising the work of others brings a whole host of new challenges. As a new manager, it can be a confusing time Read More »

Tags: Blanchard, business advice, event, leadership, learning, videoconference, WebEX, webinar