Chief financial officers have dealt with auditors since the days of the abacus. Smart chief technology officers bring in friendly hackers to test the ability of firewalls to withstand cyber attacks. Facilities managers conduct evacuation drills. However, aside from airlines and a few industries susceptible to high-profile incidents, it is rare to see mandated, periodic …

The movement of women into senior leadership positions continues to be incredibly slow in the U.S. Among Fortune 500 companies, only 16% of corporate officers, 14% of board directors, 5% of top earners, and just over 1% of CEOs are women. Women in these settings continue to be viewed as having more nurturing, supportive, and communal tendencies, and are evaluated more harshly than men if they demonstrate these qualities, especially in more senior leadership roles.

As with many walks of life, there are many views on project management. The following short discussion demonstrates brilliantly the differing views of people relating to the task of project management and the responsbilities of a project manager. When having met an organisation recently I was talking to a few project managers, and one of …

Marcia Zidle, a certified career strategist and business coach, works with high-potential, high-impact executives, managers and professionals to advance their careers and grow their leadership capabilities. Marcia, CEO of, Leaders At All Levels, has over 25 years of leadership, operations, and consulting experience with businesses as well as non-profits, government agencies, healthcare providers, and community …

If I were to ask you if your company or organization had a crisis plan, more than likely you would answer, “Yes.” That’s because managers are increasingly becoming aware of the need to be prepared when something goes wrong. On the other hand, if I were to ask if your crisis plan stipulates detailed steps …

When you create goodwill with customers by actually DELIVERING those benefits, they will tell their neighbors, their kids’ teachers, and their golf buddies.

Consider how the culture of your organization and the HR programs in your organization drive motivation. Do the HR programs focus on the stance that it is a manager's job to motivate their staff?

I’m Marcia Zidle and I’m the host of this blog. You can read more about me next to my picture in the sidebar. This blog will be about various aspects of career management, will focus especially on practical tips and tools, and will include posts from guest writers. You can learn more about this blog …

The main premise of this blog entry is that among all the leadership skills taught to prospective female managers and leaders, education in the successful use of personal and organizational power is still sorely lacking. It is well accepted that the skills that enable a person to excel in their chosen field are very different than the ones necessary to lead and manage others. However, for women, the challenge is different than for men, not necessarily only because of possible discrimination, but because our socialization still does not prepare us to handle organizational power and influence well.

Good crisis management is rarely about attracting a lot of attention and staying in the news. In fact, many fine examples of crisis management have gone nearly unnoticed except for the parties involved. This quote from a NY Times article explains: “Companies that typically handle crises well, you never hear about them,” says James Donnelly, …