February 2012: When it comes to managing well, it pays to escape to another world
Good managers know when to take a break—and when to encourage their staff members to, as well. One great way to educate your mind, warm your heart, and feed your soul, is to pick up a good book.
In fact, it’s a delightful diversion that I indulge in all too infrequently. I’ll drive myself over to the public library and wander the stacks until a single book calls my name.
It’s always a random book, nothing that I am hunting for or know that I need to read. It never ceases to amaze me that, more often than not, the book my fingers find is exactly the perfect book that teaches me something that I need to learn.
(703) 834-7580
alice@workforcelearning.com
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Winter 2012, Management Today magazine — “Executives have the power to make layoffs sting less,” explains reporter Chris Petersen in the Winter 2012 issue of Management Today magazine, who turns to Workforce Learning president Alice Waagen for advice.
“When leaders are looking to fill a staff vacancy, I suggest they start by creating an organizational staffing or resource plan,” Alice Waagen told Philly.com. “Think of it as a shopping list based on an actual inventory, not an ideal. Do an inventory of the work that needs to be accomplished.”
To start the new year off right, Alice Waagen offers tips for setting goals. First and foremost, she says, inspire yourself! “A good goal sticks in your mind, wanders around its corners, and pops out occasionally to bug you. You should get excited every time you achieve even small progress toward its completion. If the goal does not inspire you, it will drift off the list. So pay attention to what brings you joy.” Read the article.
May 3, 2011, Philadelphia Inquirer — To determine whether management is for you, ask yourself three questions about your current position, says Dr. Alice Waagen: How much do you love what you do? Can you be happy not doing it? Can you stand watching people do it less capably?
January 18, 2011, SHRM — In her about about HR consulting being a relationship business, reporter Lin Grensing-Pophal interviewed Alice Waagen, who shared: “I am always pleased when a client of mine leaves their current position to join a new organization. I see their transition as potentially increasing my client base.”
Oct. 18, 2010, Daily HR Solution — What are some of the unique challenges HR practitioners face when it comes to working with managerial level employees? Alice Waagen offers insights.
Aug. 23, 2010, Inc. — Your company’s managers are smart, committed, and passionate. How can you make sure they perform to their potential? Dr. Alice Waagen shares advice with Inc.
September 9, 2010, CarolRoth.com — “With unemployment rates still in double digits, many individuals are thinking about becoming entrepreneurs,” explains Carol Roth on her blog today, www.carolroth.com
Dr. Alice Waagen was one of the entrepreneurs chosen to offer a tip.* She said:
Know What You Know: Take as many assessments and tests as possible to learn what you are good at and enjoy. If you have aptitude and interest, you will go far. If not, you can hire someone to do what you are not good at.
August 16, 2010, SHRM — “With training budgets tight, few organizations are choosing to invest in training related to so-called soft skills such as effective communication,” writes SHRM reporter Lin Grensing-Pophal in her article, “Providing Training on HR Issues with Legal Impact: Can HR Go It Alone?”
On the topic of “Strength in Partnering,” she interviewed Dr. Alice Waagen of Workforce Learning, who said: “Whenever a client contacts me to provide training on legal issues, I make it clear that I have no legal background,” said Waagen. “My expertise lies in helping managers direct the work of others.” So, she said, if the client is looking for training that provides an overview of the legal side of managing, “I’m fine with that. For me, the ultimate question is: ‘Are you wanting this training to better educate and inform your leaders on legal issues around managing? Or are you reacting to a current situation that may result in a lawsuit?’ If their purpose is to proactively educate and inform, I’m fine. If their purpose is a reaction to a potential legal situation, I refer them to a colleague who is an HR/employment lawyer.”
May 13, 2010, The Arlington Connection — In today’s newspaper, Dr. Alice Waagen of Workforce Learning put on her philanthropist hat — a hard hat, to be exact — as a participant in National Women Build Week (May 1-9). She was working on behalf of her nonprofit Habitat Women Who Build, a fundraising chapter of Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia.
Arlington Connection reporter Dalia Sava wrote:Alice Waagen is wearing a hard hat and a tool belt and she’s covered in dust from the demolition work she is doing at the Perry Hall Condominium, the Habitat for Humanity 12-unit building on South 17th Street in Arlington. The construction project is an existing apartment building that will be converted to condominiums.
Waagen is taking part in National Women Build Week (May 1-9), an initiative by Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity which challenges women to devote at least one day to efforts to eliminate poverty housing. This is the first Women Build event for Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia.
“My female friends who knew of my work with Habitat would tell me, ‘Oh, I’d love to do that but I can’t hammer, I can’t saw, I can’t give back’ and this drove me crazy because the way that the program works — the volunteer house leaders break down every task so that it’s suitable for anybody’s size, anybody’s level of skill,” Waagen said.
February 2010, Toastmaster magazine — In this month’s issue of Toastmaster magazine, reporter Lin Grensing-Pophal writes:
“Some people seem to have a knack for automatically connecting with others in any setting. For those who don’t, learning how to interact quickly and comfortably with others is critical.”
She interviewed Dr. Alice Waagen, president of Workforce Learning, who said it is critical to have a goal in mind.
Networking should be considered a professional activity and not a casual event, says Waagen, adding that it’s important to start with the end in mind. “The most important lesson I learned early on is to establish for yourself your goal or objective before you go to the event,” she notes. “That way you keep focused and don’t get distracted by the hors d’oeuvres, the drinks or your best buddy across the room.”
Jan. 8, 2010, The Calgary Sun — In an article today that focused on helping desperate job seekers, reporter Dawn Klingensmith explained that many career advisers warn that in today’s oversaturated job market, filling out an online application and waiting with fingers crossed to hear back is tantamount to hurling your resume into a black hole.
“Don’t count on your resume to speak for itself. Follow-up is essential if you want to make an impression,” said Klingensmith, who questioned if it’s possible that a forceful job-search strategy makes the candidate appear pushy, overeager or off-putting? “Taken to the extreme, yes. Even in a fiercely competitive job market, it is possible to come on too strong.”
For more information, Klingensmith asked Alice Waagen, president of Workforce Learning to identify warning signs that will alert job seekers to the fact that they are coming on too strong.
“Some applicants send flowers or candy. This is not a date — it’s a job,” says human resources consultant Alice Waagen.
And if you don’t hear back, take the hint, Waagen advises. “If you’ve left messages and e-mails and don’t get a response, that’s either a strong indication you’ve been rejected or that the hiring manager is a poor manager lacking basic skills,” she says. “It’s time to move on.”