Articles by Dr. Marla Gottschalk

Being Human at Work

When our oldest child entered middle school, we found it necessary to meet with his principal. At that time of course, school was his full-time job — and there were developing signs that it was the wrong job. As parents, we felt the need to discuss a strategy to address the job-person fit. To be […]

Let’s Face It: Gen Y Still Has it Right

In 2011, I drafted my first blog post entitled: Gen Y Has it Right. I wrote the post because of discussions claiming that Millenials were completely different from other groups at work. On some level, I thought this was an excuse to ignore workplace elements in dire need of revision. On another level, there was […]

Outsmarting the Imposter Syndrome

Feelings of self-doubt can plague all of us — and in some cases these harbored doubts threaten to derail our work lives. The chatter of these disconcerting “pangs” can become quite vocal as we approach (or settle) into a new challenge. While I do not recommend debating if this is worthy of your attention (it […]

How to Bounce Back: 5 Resilience Building Strategies for Your Career

I’ve often wondered why building resilience isn’t a key business imperative. My opinion is such, primarily because being human, is often at odds with work life. Work can routinely bring stress, negativity, setbacks and outright failures — and most of us are challenged to combat the effects. We often frame conversations about resilience with stories of […]

Sustaining Us: How Organizations Are Evolving to Meet the Future Of Work

Recently, GE explained how it will deeply revise performance reviews — an often untenable practice which has plagued organizations, both large and small for decades.  Heavy with the burden of process and time, yearly reviews have long been the bane of organizations and managers. When the facts were thoughtfully considered, the value of these reviews simply wasn’t […]

The Exit Interview: What We’re Missing When Employees Leave Us

It’s difficult to pinpoint the single, most compelling reason why organizations can’t learn. However, after listening to the challenges of organizations where their people are concerned, I’ve come to realize it is far less about acknowledging the need for change — and much more about how to transact identified needs into action. There are distinct inflection […]

Hack Your Career: Here’s How

I’ve just read Harvard Business Review’s “Hackathons Aren’t Just for Coders“. Everyone should have the opportunity to let their creative juices flow — in an environment where ideas are considered and taken seriously. Hackathons bring together people and ideas. A rare event in today’s world. Interestingly, there is another area where a little “hacking” needs to occur: […]

Building a Bold, New HR: 10 Things We Need Now

Building something new always demands a moment of pause. So, we did just that. We paused and posed a much needed question: If you could disrupt one aspect of HR to help employees — what would that be? To say the least, these weren’t one-word, one-sided responses. (Please note this is not a scientific study. […]

What Just Happened? Decoding the Job Interview

There is plenty of advice out there concerning what to say and do, during an employment interview. However, I find there is little written about how to sort out the jumbled mess of feelings and observations that you are left with. Even with the best of intentions and lists of potential questions — interviewing is […]

Why Your Organization Should be Worried About Boredom

We’ve all experienced episodes of boredom at work. Yet, we rarely consider the potential consequences for both individuals and organizations. In most cases, we are unaware of its presence. However, boredom certainly does occur — even in the most enduring, established organizations. As such, I’d like to pose a question to managers and team leaders: Is […]

Another Soft Skill We Forget: Self-Development Strategies

I’m deep into the current season of The Voice. It is the only television show that I watch on an actual television. (NetFlix and my computer screen usually win my attention. See one my favorite Voice contestants perform below.) What fascinates me most about The Voice is how these individuals have managed to invest their […]

How Can We Be Happier At Work?

We seem to be working longer hours with greater intensity, yet feeling satisfied with our work lives has proven elusive for many of us. While we continue to invest more time and energy into our careers — we somehow remain disconnected from our work. We express that we are pushing far too hard, yet according […]

The Social Contract Driving Organizational Sustainability

What will allow the modern organization to thrive going forward? I believe the key driver of organizational sustainability is the strength of the social, or psychological, contract that develops between an employer and its employees. This often unstated and undervalued doctrine fuels not only employee commitment, but also an organization. The power of this social […]