Archive for 'Professional Development'

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Strengths. Space. Success.

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As promised, I am providing you with an update from our staff retreat regarding our Strengths Finder exercise (see the Recruitment Minute “Hide not your talents” from December 14, 2012). We met at JG Domestic in Philadelphia for our annual day-long retreat (next time you’re in the City of Brotherly Love, be certain to pay this Jose Garces restaurant a visit). We began the day with this exercise to kick things off.

As you may recall, the point of Strengths Finder is to determine your natural talents and work to prioritize those, rather than improve weaknesses that will most likely never become your strengths. We first made everyone scramble around the room interviewing co-workers to get ...

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Categories: Change, Professional Development

Hide not your talents

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“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?”
-Benjamin Franklin

As we come to the end of what seems like a fast year, many of us take stock in what has been and what could be. We’ll celebrate the successes we’ve achieved, and for some, mourn the losses hoping for a better new year.

New Year’s Eve has become a special holiday to me — excited about the potential that lies ahead and what I could do to improve my life going forward.

Many people will do the same, but will focus on their weaknesses, trying to improve through starting a weight-loss program or joining a gym, cutting out the swearing, drinking less, being more ...

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Categories: Authenticity, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, College Recruiting, Marketing, Professional Development, Student Recruiting

NACAC — A gathering of 4,000 extroverts

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This year’s NACAC conference was all about the conversation. At the TargetX booth, in the hotel lobby, over drinks and meals, in the streets of Denver, I learned one thing for certain:

Admissions people like to talk.

Pattie Skrha, Director of Admissions at Baldwin Wallace University, summed it up best when she said, “It’s a gathering of 4,000 extroverts who like to talk!”

Most conversations were about admissions and recruitment. Even better most were optimistic and gave the conference an upbeat tone. Maybe it was Denver’s elevation, maybe it’s that everyone is accepting that things have really changed in the past five years and we’re in a new ...

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Categories: Change, College Recruiting, Conferences, Free on Friday Webcasts, NACAC, Professional Development

It’s all about the experience

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As I was flying home from TargetX’s annual Xpert Summit last week, a light went off above me. I wish I could say it was some great idea; however, it was our plane getting hit by lightning. Many of us have been through some pretty strong turbulence, but that was the first time I experienced rolling side-to-side.

My mind flashed to my kids, but I was quickly brought back to the moment when the young man next to me jerked his head to look at me with fear in his eyes, that I’m pretty sure read, “Help me, Mommy!” Now you may think I was shot back to reality by his fear…it was actually the fact that he looked ...

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Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Experience, Free on Friday Webcasts, Professional Development, Xpert Summit

Professional development is not your employer’s responsibility

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Whoa!  If you’re an employer reading this, I can already hear your exhales of relief.  But we’ll get back to you in a moment.  If you’re an employee, I feel your anger directed toward me right now.  So, let’s focus on you first.

Let me repeat.  ”Professional development is not your employer’s responsibility.”  If you have decided that the job you are in is the basis of your career, then why on earth would you put the ownership of your growth in the hands of someone that might not care or might not give it the priority it deserves?  It is your responsibility to manage and pursue your professional (and yes, personal — they are in fact connected) goals.

But it’s not ...

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Categories: Leadership, Professional Development, Uncategorized, Workshops and Events