February 10, 2012

Heading On Vacation

Looks like I'm leaving just in time as Toronto is scheduled for a cold-snap this evening. I'm taking the next week off to recharge the brain and hopefully get a little creativity and inspiration back into my life. I can't wait to share the experience with you when I'm back!
Don't expect a tan though!

February 8, 2012

What do you Fan on Facebook?

Just a few Facebook pages that I like to check in with - what are your fave pages?

1. Become a fan of the services they're all on Facebook with millions of service-men/women along with family and friends actively chatting. The Marines page does a particularly good job with engaging its members with photo contests, news updates, and human interest stories. (just make sure you get the official pages) - seriously smart PR peeps working there!
2. Social Media for the Military - correlating to the blog of the same name, the site is a good place to check in on news related to social media in the military. Articles, videos, analysis, and additional resources are provided.
3. defence.professionals - of the defpro.com community, this page is a great way to stay on top of the incredible amount of news this site covers. Throw this page feed into your NetVibes dashboard.
4. TechCrunch and Inc. - both great biz/tech publications with a talkative community. I like reading the feedback about articles here. Be warned though, sometimes you have to wade through the "hate."

Happy reading!

February 5, 2012

Workplace Incivility, It's on the Rise

For parents out there, you're likely aware of, or dealing with bullying at schools. Anti-bullying campaigns are everywhere. But did you know it's on the rise in the workplace in a much more devious guise? Incivility. It's the silent-bullying that could be killing your business according to this article in the Calgary Herald. We've all experienced it or witnessed it, heck you may have even participated in it at one time or another. Incivility at the workplace are the emails without using a person's name, purposefully omitting to say "please" or "thank you," and can go so far as to be condescending and passive aggressive to colleagues.

There are a number of reasons for this behaviour: stress, lack of self-awareness, lack of empathy for others, and it can also be a response to the incivility already occurring at the office. Frankly, I think if you're aware you're doing this, you're just a bully. I can't be bothered to sugar coat it. If you're unaware of your behaviour then someone needs to bring it to your attention ASAP.

In the "real world", if someone treated you this way you might tell them to "get stuffed" and eliminate them from your life. In the workplace however, this incivility can be difficult to identify, prove or address and quickly become a de-motivator for employees impacting overall morale and performance.

Are you paying attention to this more subtle type of bullying? Are your managers setting the example to inspire others in the organization to follow?