Welcome to Misti's Insights
“Luck or Skill”
A question posed by the Washington Post: Q: How much does achieving success rely on luck vs. skill? This week a Western Maryland lumberjack named Darvin Moon won $5 million in the World Series of Poker. He insists he is no more skilled at cards than any recreational...
The Next Million-Dollar Idea May Be Yours
Too often people of all generations wait around for someone to notice them, help them articulate their gifts, tell everyone how amazing they are and provide opportunities for them to shine. Well, they might just end up waiting around forever. And that’s a shame,...
Bare
By Misti Burmeister© November 9, 2009It‘s Fall, and as I watch the trees in D.C. evolve from deep green, to a beautiful shade of yellow, to a vibrant red (some moving more quickly through this process than others) leaving a sea of reds, yellows, greens and...
What Impact Do You Have?
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Buddhist proverb “Misti, I’m a high school senior and will likely get an advanced education and not enter the workforce for another 10 years,” said my intern just a few weeks into the role...
Honoring And Celebrating Connections And Communities of Women: Connecting Boomers To Bloggers
What is the recipe for success when four generations enter the workforce with different values, expectations, and approaches? How do you navigate through the differences and reach common ground? Join Misti Burmeister from 3:30 - 5:30 PM to learn the "Five Shifts to...
All for One and One for Office Morale
Carolyn quickly realized when her company was getting in over its head. As controller of a box-manufacturing company, she sees P&Ls as well as new orders coming in. And though the business wasn’t profitable, the sales team was on fire, and new...
Don`t We All Need a Little Narcissism?
A response to: “Social Media is for Narcissists” https://mashable.com/2009/08/25/gen-y-social-media-study/ Let’s first define “Narcissism.” According to Dictionary.com it is, “An inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive...
Finding The Bar
Sure, I know no one is perfect or knows everything about anything – and that the people most willing to admit that are usually the most successful. Yet part of me has held on for a long time to the fundamental desire to hide my imperfections from everyone, to...
Why Do We Need Leaders Anyway?
A response to the following article: https://blogs.watoday.com.au/executive-style/managementline/2009/07/31/genxleaders.html The most important focus of this article is our need for excellence through leadership. While the article focuses on how Boomers are existing...
Get Hired: 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Job
Hindsight is 20/20, my friend. And as I’m watching many friends and clients searching for jobs right now, I see a clear trend emerging – one that reminds me of the last time I was job hunting. They attend as many networking functions as possible, post résumés to...
Getting Naked with Leadership Development in Today’s Market
While the vast majority of companies are slashing their training budget, the wisest companies are doing just the opposite–investing in their talent. No one has said it better than Henry Mintzberg has in his Harvard Business Review article,...
Communication Saboteurs: Egos
It was a motivational morning. I’d just finished moderating a powerful panel of four talented professionals – each superbly representing his or her generation. They shared their own unique struggles to find their places in the workforce and discussed strategies...
Why is Fairness Vitally Important?
In a recent article - https://tinyurl.com/kkwfrf - the author quoted Dianah Worman, Adviser, Diversity ... “The more you inspect the diversity agenda, the more it is apparent that focusing on people as individuals and delivering fairness for everyone is vitally...
Response to: “You shouldn’t care about a multigenerational workforce”
What I like most about this article is the fierce commitment to treating people as individuals, rather than someone from a particular generation. Too often we get caught up in stereotypes and completely miss the mark for what a particular person is trying to...
Will More Women in Leadership Positions Actually Help Our Economy?
Boomers have done a tremendous job paving the way for women in the workforce. Now that many of them have found their way into leadership positions, they get to reach out and help other women elevate their career, right? Unfortunately, many of them are choosing to...
Keep your Job while Colleagues are Dropping Like Flies
Brian knew his company would soon do a round of layoffs. His natural reaction was to put his head down, do his work and hope no one would notice him. Biggest possible mistake! Consider the message people send when they hide their heads in the sand. Does it suggest...
3 Tips on Using Social Media to Get the Perfect Job
I have seen people get a new job through using social media, especially Facebook! I have also witnessed numerous people squash their chances of getting a position based on the “stuff†they put on their social media sites. Yes, many employers DO research on...
3 Essential Steps to Finding the Perfect Job
As I’m watching many of my friends/clients search to find a job right now, I see a clear trend that reminds me of the time I was searching for a job. They are attending as many networking functions as possible, sending out as many resumes as they can and posting...