As the economy has gotten worse, I’ve noticed an upswing in the number of people asking me to work for free.  I don’t think these organizations quite understand that I make my living writing and speaking, so when I do these things for no pay, I don’t eat.  They rationalize that they are paying me in exposure – meaning that more people ...

My friend and 30/20 Vision radio show co-host Lindsey Pollak and I had the opportunity to contribute to Marci Alboher’s New York Times career coach roundtable on management consulting and investment banking as careers for soon-to-be college grads.  Here was the question, as well as highlights from our responses: “I will be graduating ...

 Have you ever wondered how super-successful business owners with millions of customers get started?  Surprisingly, many don’t spend years toiling in Fortune 500 brand powerhouses, some had no money or no connections going in, and some weren’t even trained in marketing. NYU marketing professor David Vinjamuri, in his new book ...

Can you imagine a workplace with no pointless meetings, no boss hovering over your shoulder, and no punishment for arriving at 9:05AM?  Two online friends of mine, Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson, have just released a new book based on their popular Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) concept, which they pioneered with electronics giant ...

Every year, I get asked by one media outlet or another how to handle the office holiday party.  This year, I decided to share the advice I and others provided to the Wall Street Journal last weekend:   “We spend so much time communicating on Blackberries and e-mail, the office party is a rare opportunity to really meet the people who ...

Have you noticed that if you send an e-mail to a Web site address labeled “Info” (for example, info@company.com), you will never, ever hear back from a real person?  It seems that this “Info” address is akin to a black hole, and it’s particularly upsetting if the site lists no other person or entity you can contact with a question or ...

It seems like every other business book I pick up lately is written by a successful entrepreneur who either A) experienced a ridiculous amount of trial and tribulation to pursue his dream – such as living homeless for a year – or B) shunned a traditional education and drove a high-powered career on resourcefulness alone.  I wondered aloud why ...

My colleague Steve Rubel participated in a teleconference for PR professionals hosted by the Public Relations Society of America. During the session, the moderator, Peter Himler, asked him what three essential sites or tools that professionals should be using as they go out and navigate this crazy new media landscape.   Steve says that his ...

I’m always lamenting the annoyances of business travel.  Whole days wasted on airplanes.  Having to feel your way around strange airports and cities.  Unavoidable expenses that the company finds an excuse not to pay for.     Except when I think about it, some of the most fun I’ve had away from home has taken place on ...

I am always instructing people to be fastidious about written communications at work – including casual e-mails.  This means choosing your words carefully and proofreading any and all documents before you send them out into the world.  In this era of virtual teams and constant e-communication, how you come across in writing is a critical ...