Health and Human Services Professional Development

Listen, Learn, Lead! by   Mikki Sherwood   on   August 1, 2013   Four-star general Stanley McChrystal was commander of U.S. and International forces in Afghanistan where he worked with various people of various ages and skill sets. The ability to lead effectively can mean life or death in the military. In this Ted talks video he explains his experiences with leadership and shares some advice. • Leaders need to understand the changing world and the changing needs of those that they are leading. • Good leaders can let you fail, but not let you be a failure. • Good leaders allow others to depend on themselves. • Relationships are the key to leadership. Everyone must support one another and leaders must set the example. blob:https://embed.ted.com/7d446574-0b54-4f84-96b5-460dbaec3682 *Originally posted on the Career Skillet website (Permission granted by Jill Bowers).

Cut Down on Stress in the Workplace by Being a Cool Coworker by   Elizabeth Shuff, Guest Author   on   May 21, 2014   Stress has long been a part of the workplace, but is it our everyday activities or the roles we have at work that cause the most stress? Researchers have found that stress is individualized, meaning each person experiences stress in his or her unique manner. This may seem obvious to most, of course everyone deals with things in their own way. However, when looking more closely at workplace stress, a study reveals some commonalities among people. It has been shown that politics in the work setting are one of the main causes of stress, and having good relationships with coworkers tends to lead to lower overall stress levels ( Swaminathan & Rajkumar, 2013 ). This makes perfect sense, the better your relationships with co-workers, the better you can work out issues that cause conflict and avoid the dishonesty of “playing politics.” A posit...

Effects of Networking on Career Success by   Kacey McCormack, Guest Author   on   June 7, 2014 Students and new professionals are always told to network, but what does that even mean? And, how do you do it? According to Wolf and Moser, networking is defined as meeting individuals, building relationships with these individuals, and maintaining relationships with these individuals in order to help both parties (you and the individuals) gain work-related advantages. Networking has been linked to higher success rates and growth in the workforce. For example, an individual who networks and knows more people in their career may   enjoy work more, feel better about himself/herself, and perform better . This can lead to   increased success rates   and   professional growth . It is used to   build contacts that can later help with getting a desired job or a promotion . Networking also helps increase   career satisfaction . This means that networ...

8 Steps Towards Professionalism by   Jill Bowers   on   September 6, 2014   In need of a job? Want to avoid living on Mom’s couch forever? Professional demeanor can be the difference between being hired or fired. Here are 8 simple tips that you can use to make certain you are prepared to behave like the professional that you are or have the potential to be. 1. Dress “appropriately” Media Source:http://media1.giphy.com/media/uFcNbEr46h9Is/200_s.gif What is appropriate? Well, this may vary by position. Yet, as a general rule of thumb, if the attire is appropriate for a night club or party, it most likely is NOT appropriate for the workplace. 2.Speak with substance Media source: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTwbhpSWYRQQkm6K_PESA6l6yo1mRmvulanArcevwe5dGBwXgIT Make meaningful conversation, and answer questions directly, rather than talking in circles. Do not over-disclose, revealing information about your personal life or pe...