Recently, the Pixar Animation Studio created a short film about the difficulties of a new employee trying to work in a white, male-dominated environment when she clearly doesn’t fit the mold. The hero of the film (a pink ball of yarn named “Purl”) struggles to be accepted and starts to lose her unique identity in(…)
I will never forget the first time I was invited to attend a project team meeting for a large project. I was so excited and proud to be asked as a non-scientist and administrative assistant to attend this weekly meeting. Here I was, finally sitting at the table as a “team member” — or so I(…)
Once known as Persia, the Islamic Republic of Iran is the 18th largest country in the world. The country is about the size of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain combined. The population is about 70 million. The country’s official language is Farsi, but almost half the population speaks another language. Most people (90%) belong to(…)
If you have to interview candidates for employment, you need to be very careful about the kinds of questions you ask a prospective employee. Many questions could get you or the institution into trouble. And remember that many lawsuits don’t actually originate in the interview room — they often start in “friendly” conversations between the interview(…)
I have business cards, but I must admit that I find it harder and harder to see the point of them. Quite often, I will ask a colleague to send me an email with contact information because that’s efficient and environmentally friendly. If you travel globally, however, think again. In many cultures, particularly Asian ones, the(…)
“I am scared to death of public speaking!” “I wish we, as a department, could take a team building seminar. These outside vendor workshops are too expensive.” “I was promoted to a supervisory position! What information should I know as a new supervisor?” Do these statements sound familiar to you? If so, you’re not alone. Every year at(…)