Water Cooler

Information and insight about your career and the workplace at large
October 2007

News and Views

Cutting-edge companies are coming up with amazing ideas to keep their workforce inspired and inspiring, writes visionary and thought leader Jan Phillips. Some are setting up meditation or reflection rooms where people can go for a peaceful break; some are sending management off to silent retreats; some are providing "benes" like day care, summer classes for youth, on-site massage therapy, $5000 toward a hybrid car, lunch-hour learning programs, or paid community service. Jan says, quoting Max DePree: "The measure of ] leadership is not the quality of the head, but the tone of the body." Nothing pays off like paying attention to the whole. Reprinted with permission from Jan Phillips’ OriginalThink eNewsletter (August 29, 2007). To get your own copy or to subscribe (it’s a complimentary monthly), visit Jan’s site.

More businesses want to be perceived as "green," and skeptics are wondering how much of their ecobranding is due to being serious about making a difference and how much to creating a marketing message. Here’s a quiz on sustainability: what’s your take? Take the quiz

Female business leaders remain plagued by gender stereotyping, according to a new report by research and advisory group Catalyst. Men are viewed as "default" leaders, while women are viewed as "atypical" leaders and criticized for leadership behavior that varies from the "default." Companies can combat stereotyping through well-developed diversity training. They can also integrate objective criteria and competencies in hiring and performance evaluations—which may counter the "competent but not well-liked" judgment passed on many female leaders. More

Do you know how to take a compliment? A surprisingly large number of people don’t. That little extra-critical voice in our heads not only makes us undermine ourselves, but force others to undermine us also. We can’t possibly deserve praise or recognition! But, says this article from lifehack.org, think of the good we might do ourselves by easily accepting every compliment that’s offered... Details

The shape of mentoring is changing. See how.

On Stage

Writers in the Sky Podcast

Take a creativity break today with this podcast. It’s me, talking about my book Mentor Me with Rosi Stewart on Yvonne Perry's "Writers in the Sky Podcast," where you can access other archived shows by clicking on a link listed in the sidebar to the right. The broadcast aired Friday,September 14, 2007, and now you can listen online.