Elsewhere in this issue, we talk about the recently coined phrase “Retail Apocalypse.” Well, I want to throw out another one that I’ve embraced for decades now…“Retail Therapy.” This is the counterpoint to the national phenomena that is happening as large national retailers continue to struggle.
Read MoreLet’s face it, vacations aren’t what they used to be. It used to be, that they were regular occurances. Everyone took their yearly vacation! These days though, that is not the case. Americans just can’t seem to unplug. According to a report by the Project: Time Off Coalition, between 2000 and 2014, the number of vacation days U.S. workers took declined steadily from a long-term average of 20.3 days to 16.
Read More“Failure is not an option.” At the time NASA flight controller Jerry Bostick uttered that phrase, I can see his point. After all, he was on a mission to bring home the damaged Apollo 13. A fitting phrase, given the circumstances. However, it’s a phrase that has been repeated so many times that it seems it is a part of our psyche, and sometimes makes us so focused on just not failing…that we don’t aim for success.
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Countless times in a day people will tell me they are terrible writers or they don’t know how to write. Some even describe it as a painful experience. While I can’t relate to the angst that a writing assignment or task may bring people, I can relate to having to do things you don’t want to do for the good of the cause…which in the case of this particular column, is your business.
Read MoreI know it seems there is a month and day for everything….from “National Ice Cream Month” to “Hug A Dog” day. Some months or days, though, may be worth taking a closer look. In my opinion, October is one of those months, National Disability Employment month. Having an inclusive work culture may not be as hard as you think.
Read MoreI like to read. Pretty much anything I can get my hands on. More and more these days, I find myself reading an assortment of business publications and blogs, and one issue is sticking out to me more and more. Workplace bullying is taking an enormous toll on business.
Read MoreI am not sure when my fear of heights started. I am inclined to think it started the summer between my 7th and 8th grade year of junior high. That’s when I shot up a couple of inches and became the “big” girl. Yes, that was my claim to fame in my little Missouri town, population 325.
Read MoreThis is the time of year we here in the Greater Mankato region celebrate something that can’t be found just anywhere, the sounds of summer. Sure, there is the joy that comes each spring with the sounds of neighborhoods once again coming to life. I enjoy that immensely. But it’s the other sounds of summer in southern Minnesota I’m talking about.
Read MoreI know it may sound cliché, but as I get older time really does seem to be going faster. I wake up and before I know it the day is behind me, another page on the calendar flipped, a new season starting.
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