Sunstone HR (HR Consulting)

We’ve all heard “There’s no second chance to make a first impression.” While I fully agree with this, I would add that there’s no third chance to make a second impression, no fourth chance to make a third impression . . . you get the idea. I believe that professional relationships are either growing or fading, and that every handshake is a unique opportunity to build. Approaching every interaction with a mindset of building the reputation of you and your department is an effective way to earn respect for your team and to grow your career. I call this theory “Every Handshake.” Every Handshake There are few meaningless interactions in life. There are a couple of times where I’ve realized I will likely never see these individuals again, but social media and our global economy makes the world a much, much smaller place. True anonymity has faded, and it’s become relatively easy to find a connection to just about any professional, in any company, around the world. Treatin...

By:  Rod Lacey Sunstone HR  (Human Resource Consulting) ". . . these low-points provide us with a fairly significant choice   – do we double-over and let the kick take us out of the fight, or do we use that kick to propel us forward toward something greater?" Before the title of this article gets you caught-up in the laws of physics, let me clarify that I’m referring to a ‘professional’ kick-in-the-gut. You know the time when you’ve had that unfortunate event at work that hit you so hard that it hurt. Maybe it was a layoff. Maybe it was an unwanted transfer, demotion or role change. It may have even been that dreaded meeting where your manager brought you in and did his best to sound compassionate as he fired you. Whatever it was, that’s the kick-in-the-gut I’m referring to. Deserved or undeserved is not the issue. Fair or unfair also doesn’t matter in this equation. That. Just. Happened. Most of us have, or will have one of these devastating meetings...

By:        Rod Lacey Sunstone HR  (Human Resource Consulting) "Be a rock-star at the things you can control and do your best to not “give-a-ship” about the rest."   Life is stressful, extremely busy and naturally gives us plenty to worry about. We are surrounded by an innumerable set of factors that can influence every moment of every day. As we interact with people, their behaviors and choices have an impact on us. Everything we touch during the day has an impact. Even the weather has a bearing on our daily experience. To optimize the amount of peace I enjoy, and to minimize my stress, one of the skills I’ve tried to fine-tune is the ability to separate these daily influences into two separate camps:   Things I cannot control, and  Things within my control. My ultimate goal with this exercise is: Do the very best I can at the things within my control, and  Don’t “give a ship” about the rest Allow me to...