Karla Brandau, CSP
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Walls or Windows: An Active Approach to a Superior Work Environment
In light of the Wal-Mart Supreme Court ruling, Alison Davis, CEO of employee communications consulting firm, Davis & Co., said in an article in Workforce Management that the ruling does not mean business leaders can relax. She has spoken with many business leaders and they see the need for doing a better job of communicating their policies, sharing job opportunities and listening to employee concerns. Davis said, "An active, thorough approach to good employee relations is all
April 7, 2013
Article
The Charismatic Leader â Diamond Performance
In an interview, comedian Joan Rivers was asked how she stayed so thin and trim and the interviewer said, âDo you do a lot of exercising?â âOh, my Lord no,â said Rivers. âIf God had intended me to bend over, He would have put diamonds on the ground.â When actress and screen writer, Mae West, was asked about dieting she said, âI never worry about diets. The only carrots Iâm interested in are the carats in a diamond.â Hungarian born American film and stage act
December 19, 2011
Article
Me? In La-La Land?
If the organization provides safety and security for employees, then employees will provide the organization with their brawn. But what about the brain? That is a different issue. Money buys employeesâ brawn: at least you can see them at their desk by 8:00 a.m. and see them leave at 5:00 p.m. You observe them walking the halls with papers in hand, working at their computers, talking on the telephone, and in other ways physically doing their jobs. They appear to be working h
August 4, 2011
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Happiness at Work? Is it Possible? Yes, if You Know the Nuances of Happiness
Do you ever feel lethargic and lost at work? Do you ever feel vulnerable and powerless, like a tiny cog in a huge machine? Do you wish that you could be truly happy at work? âHappiness at work is elusive,â says psychiatrist Dr. Kerry J. Sulkowicz. Sulkowicz teaches that a better goal is to enjoy your work and strive for high performance. That is more realistic. Why? Happiness is complex. It is difficult to sustain for long periods of time. It often ebbs and flows with the
November 18, 2010
Article
Let's-Talk-Leadership-Help Your Employees Do More in Less Time
Because of thunder storms in Atlanta, the flight from Dallas to Atlanta had been delayed twice. On the third attempt, we were boarding and I felt hopeful of actually getting off the ground. My hopes faded fast when the tired-looking flight attendant came down the aisle quietly announcing that if we were not permitted to take off in the next 15 minutes, the crew would have exceeded their 16-hour work day and we would have to taxi back to the terminal and await another flight.
October 15, 2010
Article
Depuzzle Human Behavior
By Karla Brandau, CSPrnCEO of Workplace Power Institute Organizational camaraderie and productivity involve relating to others across a chasm of significant behavioral differences. Improving your "people skills" helps you figure out how to bridge the gap between yourself and others thereby making the organizational climate more supportive and collaborative. Now is a perfect time to assess the office atmosphere in your organization. (Why wait another second?) Is it often tense
September 16, 2010
Article
Driving Higher Levels Of Performance On The Corporate Racetrack: Finish First
Since the first auto race in the United States took place in Evanston, Illinois in November of 1895, being the first to receive the checkered flag at the finish line signifying a win is the ultimate success. Finishing first causes heated competition in the racing world.n nDo you want to distinguish yourself in your organization? Reach higher levels of success? Get promoted? Then finish first.n nYour organizational success is built on your ability to produce and be a finisher.
July 29, 2008
Article
The New Global Marketplace Requires The Versatility Of A Swiss Army Knife
On our last trip to Zurich, Switzerland, my son wanted my husband and me to bring him back an authentic Swiss Army knife. Steve and I shopped until we found the ultimate knife as pictured above and brought it home to Mark. n nIt was well made, had solid craftsmanship, and was true to its core selling point: it was knife! But it was not just a knife â it was anything from a cork screw to a fingernail file. If you ever owned or examined one of these knives, you may have marve
July 29, 2008
Article
Be more successful: Create "ME INC."
Would you like more...n- ..."Achievement Minded" status in your organization or with your clients?n- ...Of the right kind of projects or clients?n- ...Earning potential? n nThen take three steps to develop an image that brands you! Start today to create "ME INC." n nIn our chaotic lives filled with confusing messages from a plethora of competitors, a personal brand makes you impossible to ignore and prevents you from becoming a commodity like wheat, sugar or coffee beans. Com
May 6, 2008
Article
What?! Luck Comes from Hard Work?
When I complained about my lack of luck to a friend of mine, she quoted Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States, who said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."n nIt is easy to be scared of real work. Thomas Edison, American inventor said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." n nDo you believe success is a matter of luck? Does opportunity or luck elude you? Do
May 5, 2008
Article
Seven Sizzling Solutions To Predictable Hourly Stressors
There is a significant relationship between time management and stress management. If you are a better time manager, you experience less stress and if you manage your stress, you are a better time manager. Time and stress are siblings. If they get along, everything is rosy but if they fight, life is pretty is miserable. n nI was asked to customize a program for Whirlpool and as the meeting planner outlined their needs, it dawned on me that she was describing predictable stres
February 21, 2008
Article
Seven Calculated Choices To Make Your Career Leap Like A Geyser
"Life leaps like a geyser for those willing to drill through the rock of inertia." -- Alexis Carreln nWhen I was 10 years old, our family vacation was to Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. I remember watching in awe as the Old Faithful geyser of its own free will and choice erupted out of what appeared from a distance to be solid rock, sending hot water and steam high in the air.n nThis experience made it possible for me to visualize the above quote by Alexis Carrel, "Life leaps li
February 21, 2008