I’m not an artist. I don’t have the word “designer” in my title. I repeatedly fail to master those pesky Pinterest projects that haunt me at night. But I’m still creative – at least, I’m working on it.

There are two big misconceptions about creativity. The first is that creativity is solely artistry. Just because you can’t design a fancy graphic for a presentation or sketch your self-portrait, it doesn’t mean you’re not creative!

The second misconception is that creativity is a talent. Many believe that you are either born with a creative gene or you’re not. But creativity is a skill, and you can work to improve it over time.

If you’re trying to develop your creativity, keep these three tips in mind:

When was the last time you pushed past the easy ideas for that “aha” moment? As adults, leaving behind what we know can prove challenging or can really bother us. (Farewell, carefree nature.) Acting silly or being adventurous is often reserved for children – but it shouldn’t be. Continue reading →

There are 130-plus employees in Leggett & Platt’s IT department and well over half of them manage either people or projects. As an entry-level IT employee, I get to work with all the management-style combinations you could imagine on a daily basis. It used to make my head spin, so I categorized managers (with the help of trainingmag.com terminology) into 3 main management styles. Then I analyzed the characteristics and came up with ways I could dazzle ‘em all.

The Directing Management Style

Managers who use this style tell employees what to do, how to do it, and when it needs to be done.  They like to poke holes in your arguments, they like to be in full control, and—if we’re all being honest— they can be a little intimidating. They know what they want and they expect no less than their vision (which is often brilliant). Continue reading →

June 2014 marks my 1-year anniversary as a working professional, a transition chapter in my life I call “the slingshot year.” College graduation lifted me from the soft pillow of the educational system and slung me into the concrete wall of Corporate America.

Ouch.

For me, June also marks my first year of 9-5 and no sleeping in on the weekday, my first year of trying to find cheap, professional clothes for a child-sized adult (a lot harder than it sounds), and my first year of actually learning things. That’s right: I’m implying you don’t learn much in college. At least, you don’t learn what you need to know to smoothly transition into the business world.

Continue reading →

This is part two of a series offering practical tips to help you chart your career course with confidence – view the entire series

It’s no mystery there are fewer opportunities the higher you advance in an organization. Politics aside, the people who get those positions have usually been successful at growing their value over time. Whether you aspire to an executive position or have a more modest career target in mind, you’ll likely compete with others for those positions.

In this article, we’ll explore practical tips to help you build career capital. Invest in these four areas – reputation, connections, knowledge, and experience – and you will differentiate yourself from your peers, increase your capabilities, and position yourself well for a promotion.

Continue reading →