Engagement is one of the most crucial aspects of retention, management and development and all too often, we fail at this process. One of our biggest failures is often at the beginning of engagement, the hiring process, where we present the job/role in a shiny box with a big bow so that the potential candidate can’t resist. I suggest unwrapping that box, leaving the price tag on and having a candid discussion about the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of the job, including:

If you find yourself in a situation where you are reporting to someone who could technically be your son or daughter, it may be a difficult situation to cope with. Here are some sound tips to make the best of the situation... 

Advice to the boomer employee reporting to the Gen-Y boss:

• Let go of your ego: Resisting change will only harm your career and make you less valuable. 

The demographic landscape in corporate America is rapidly and radically changing. More and more Generation Y employees are entering the workforce while the Boomers are making their plans for retirement. The corporate culture that we are familiar with, a culture that embraces hierarchy, corporate politics, loyalty, and promotion based on tenure, was created by the Boomers and Traditionalists. However, with new blood comes new demands and new expectations of what the workplace should offer and the role that work should play in our lives.

Ever notice that the time you allot to completing your tasks on your to-do list always seems to take three times longer than you planned? I was complaining to a friend the other day about this same issue, catastrophizing that, “it’s never going to all get done” because everything takes so much longer than planned. This wise friend of mine said to me, “Getting things done in the time you’ve allotted to get them done is just luck.