Before the C.I.A. went live with their invasion of Osama Bin Laden’s enclave, they Red Teamed the operation. I had never heard of Red Teaming before this week, but it sounds sexy and mysterious, so no doubt Hollywood will soon turn it into everyday slang. A news show I saw taught me that Red Teaming is testing your strategy with an unaffiliated third party. In the C.I.A.’s case, they went to intelligence experts who had...

One of the greatest determinants of success for ambitious middle level managers is the existence of a sponsor. Sponsorship, unlike mentorship, is a two-way street in which protégés and sponsors depend on one other to help each of their careers. A protégé offers her sponsor exceptional work product, loyalty, and a unique view of team and company dynamics; she can help him fulfill his goals and build his legacy. A sponsor pro...

After months of job search agony, you might have an urge to immediately accept any offer you receive. But before you give a final answer, take time to learn a little more about what the company has to offer. Remember, now your potential employer is trying to sell you, and that means you can ask important questions about benefits and compensation that may have seemed pushy or self-serving during the interview process. Now, I...

There’s nothing better than having a mentor at work—someone to offer you guidance in your career, give you advice on your day-to-day responsibilities, and help you succeed within the organization. So when that person leaves? Well, it can be tough. Not only did you likely just lose your biggest advocate, you may also have just lost your closest friend at the office. The good news is, if you approach the transition correctly,...

Whether you have just started your first job or you are several years into your career, it’s not too early to pave the way for a leadership role ahead of you. In fact, if you don’t start thinking about how you can become successful in the future, success may elude you down the road. That’s because there are certain career path essentials that you need to consider and skills you need to acquire to achieve a top position in...

Every company has an unwritten set of rules. These are the rules that no one reveals; you just have to figure them out on your own. But it’s important that you do or you may be judged by your colleagues.At my company, I learned quickly that the junior employee picks up the tab for client dinners, taxis, and tips. I wasn’t unusually perceptive; my boss hoisted several restaurant bills on me so I clued-in. As I became more se...

Most professionals know they should strengthen relationships with senior managers, but they often don’t spend enough time cultivating friendships with same-level colleagues, or even those junior to them. If your associate in the next cubicle has become one of your best friends, you will happily spend time with her, but how about that quiet guy who is tough to talk to? Or your junior colleague? In the office, it’s easy to ha...

Email, used heavily in the corporate world over the past 15 years, has made businesses much more efficient. But office emailing can drag you down when you have to wade through useless emails. Some executives complain that they receive 300-400 emails a day and wish their offices would cut down on extraneous emailage.Here’s an example. You are copied on an email with 10 other recipients. Seven of your colleagues “Reply All” b...

Wouldn’t it be nice to finish interviewing a candidate and be able to say, “This is the one” or even “This isn’t the one!” But so often, we’re left somewhere in between. It’s worthwhile honing your interviewing skills to save your company the time and money that’s involved in making wrong talent decisions. The added benefit for you personally is that if you become a good interviewer, you will certainly become a better inte...

During a job interview, much of the focus is on the job candidate’s skills, experience, and qualifications. But the interview process can also be an important way for the interviewee to learn more about his or her potential manager. LJNRadio touches base with Terri Tierney Clark, career advisor, speaker, and best-selling author of "Learn, Work, Lead: Things Your Mentor Won't Tell You," to discover how a job seeker can effec...