Author: Danielle Clark

Dr. Danielle Clark is a witty heart-centered millennial. She wears many hats in this beautiful + crazy thing we call life. She is a proud wife, and cat, dog and human mama who works as a psychic medium, intuitive life coach, spiritual teacher and business professor. Dr. Danielle’s life work is focused on helping people heal from self-judgement, trauma and grief so that they can release their suffering and tap into the highest version of themselves. Danielle’s been blessed to do that for herself and that’s why she’s made it her mission to pass along her wisdom to others. Danielle is from just north of Boston. She currently lives in the Tampa Bay area. She believes with a little love, grace and humor anything is possible. She invites you to join her blog Onwards at drdanielleclark.com and to connect with her on social media.

3 work lessons I learned in my 20s that saved my career

I’m thankful for all of the great career lessons I learned in my 20s. Thanks to the poor decisions and mistakes I made (and yes, there were a lot of those) I started off my 30s feeling prepared to kick butt in the workplace. As I reflect back on what many people refer to as “their selfish years,” here are three of the most important lessons I learned.

You won’t make it if you fake it

In my early 20s, I was overly concerned with giving others the impression I was smart and knew it all. Even if I didn’t understand what someone was saying or asking I would nod my head and act as if I did.

This behavior backfired in a few ways—I’d leave meetings confused, disengaged and unprepared to work on my action items AND there were times I had to confess that I pretended to know something.

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No experience? 5 steps to help you transition to a career in human resources

After 11 years in customer service and call center management, I decided I wanted a switch and HR was calling my name. I was missing the direct HR experience but had transferable skills and my self-awareness, research and networking helped me secure a job in human resources management in less than six months.

These are the steps I took to achieve my goal of becoming an HR professional (and hopefully they can help you too)

Engage a career coach

If you aren’t sure whether you should change careers or are uncertain about how to get started, working with a career coach may be a great first step for you.

When I first considered a transition to HR, I did a Google search and reached out to a career coach for direction and advice. I received valuable insight about my knowledge gaps and the potential challenges I may face trying to move into HR. My coach then helped me to put together an action plan to ensure I met my goals.

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Good or bad, lack of feedback is hurting employee engagement

When managing employees, giving feedback is one of the most important aspects of your job. Feedback gives your team members the opportunity to better their individual performance while keeping them engaged, aware and feeling valued.

Despite the many benefits, it’s not happening nearly as much as it should. In fact, 65 percent of employees say they want more feedback. While there is a variety of reasons why managers aren’t giving enough feedback, I believe the anxiety of giving corrective critique tops the list.

Where managers’ fears lie

As a people manager, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to muster up the courage to give someone constructive criticism. On many occasions, I have found myself concerned that my employees may not be receptive to my feedback or that our conversation may discourage or demotivate them.

In the past, this fear has gotten the best of me and has caused me to avoid corrective conversations I should have had.

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How 15th century sailors’ work songs can help make us better leaders today

In a recent trip to a maritime museum, I had the opportunity to help raise a ship’s sails while singing sea shanties—15th century shipboard working songs—with a crew and all of a sudden I had a revelation.

As 10 other people and I were belting out sea shanties while hard at work, I instantly saw the value of our team singing. Within seconds, perfect strangers who had never worked together were all in sync. This got me wondering. How could we as leaders bring the benefits of sea shanties into the workplace?

Could we use the principles of these work songs to get our employees in rhythm and feel a slight relief of pressure from their day-to-day grind? The next day, the answer hit me. Good communication in the workplace is the sea shanty of the past.

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4 tips on writing an impactful post-interview thank you note

Sending a thank you note or email after being interviewed is a must. If you don’t send one, you aren’t displaying common courtesy and may give the impression you don’t value the interviewer’s time, the job opportunity or your reputation.

This, of course, could directly (and negatively) impact the hiring decision. I know many managers who have not hired someone based on not receiving a thank you note, and as a fellow hiring manager, I have followed the same rule of thumb. In and of itself, sending a thank you note isn’t good enough.

If your follow-up note or email doesn’t generate excitement and keep you at the forefront of the hiring manager’s mind, all it does is help ensure you aren’t guilty of an interview etiquette blunder.

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How ‘Fred’ can help your team find their passion

About a year ago, a good friend of mine and fellow manager introduced me to Mark Sanborn’s book The Fred Factor, his answer to rekindling employee engagement and motivation.

He raved about the book’s lessons, but I didn’t take his advice right away, and instead, I put the novel on my need-to-read back burner book list. Now a year later, I am proud to report I finally read The Fred Factor―I just wish I read it sooner.

Who is Fred?

The star of the book, Fred, is a real-life mail carrier who turns the simple act of delivering mail into meaningful interactions that make a big difference in the lives of his customers. He goes the extra mile for the people he serves, not because he has to or because he is looking for recognition, but because he genuinely cares about people and is passionate about his work and his life’s purpose―a message managers and leaders should take with them.

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Want to be a better leader? It’s time to get out of your comfort zone

I was once guilty of thinking I was a leader because I held a management title. I directed people, had control and managed day-to-day activities, and therefore, thought I knew what it meant to be an effective leader.

My leadership strengths were my systems, procedures and subject matter expertise. I took pride in always knowing the answer and being able to help others.

After working at the same company for 10 years and managing the same group for seven, I decided I was ready for a change.

While I was proud of myself for taking a professional and personal risk, I was also extremely worried I wouldn’t be as effective of a leader because I didn’t understand my new team’s systems, jargon, policies and procedures.

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Why I now think twice before saying sorry in the workplace

Before leaving a previous employer, I asked my team to provide feedback on my leadership style so I could apply my learnings to my new job and beyond. Most of the responses I received back were either positive reviews or constructive suggestions I was already aware of and working on.

But, there was, however, one new piece of guidance. “Don’t say sorry so much.”

At first, I was shocked. How could saying, “I’m sorry” be considered an area of improvement? Fortunately, I didn’t have to guess and ponder too long as my employee followed up her statement with supporting details and insight.

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4 meeting etiquette mistakes you don’t even realize you’re making

Your behavior before, during and after a meeting can have a big impact on your professional image. More often than not meetings are reoccurring giving co-workers the opportunity to notice your behavioral trends and associate you as either a positive contributor or a detractor. To ensure you’re not being associated as the latter, it’s critical to demonstrate good meeting etiquette.

While some meeting etiquette rules are obvious (i.e. don’t be on your phone, be on time, demonstrate good listening skills) some are less obvious. From my experience, there are four common types of meeting actions that damage people’s reputation without that person even realizing it. Continue reading “4 meeting etiquette mistakes you don’t even realize you’re making”