Self confidence Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Soft Skills

Should I be Working While Sick?

by Lei Han

Should I be working while sick? The answer ideally is no. If I am sick, I should go home and rest. Come back when I feel better. The real world however is not that simple, especially when we are talking about everyday illnesses, such as a cold or a flu.

Every time I feel unwell, I debate whether to take time off or how to work while sick. This is because in the modern world of Paid Time Off and tight deadlines for busy professionals, we have to figure out the tradeoffs between suddenly taking time off vs the impact of it on our work. Here are five key considerations for many of us. ... read more

3 Soft Skills Lessons from Watching “Trolls”

by Lei Han

I didn’t think this movie, Trolls , was going to be any good. Both of my kids love the music in it. Finally, we watched it last weekend. I was only half watching it for the first 20 minutes. It seemed like just a silly, happy cartoon, with lots of bright colors and singing. My kids were glued to the TV. ... read more

Lei’s Six New Year Aspirations – Trust, Try, Learn, Evolve, Laugh, Give

by Lei Han

I started this tradition last year and really liked how it influenced my decisions and actions the rest of the year. I am doing it again this year to define my new year aspirations

1. Define ways to build new habits instead of setting goals. I found this is helping me evolve into a better human being. ... read more

Happy 2017 – Say Yes

by Lei Han

Happy New Year! Sunday was my annual Hot Chocolate 15K race. My friend Agnes got me into it 3 years ago. It’s a great way to start off the year – a long run (9.4 miles) followed by a nice cup of hot chocolate and an amazing natural high all day.

Well, I didn’t go this year. I woke up at 6:30am and it was POURING. San Francisco had flood warning all weekend. While the race was still on (I couldn’t believe it), I have never ran in pouring rain before and couldn’t imagine being drenched for an hour and half. I was packed but at 7am I decided not to go. ... read more

My Biggest Lessons Learned this Year

by Lei Han

Happy Holidays! Thank you for your interest and support of this blog. I appreciate every email, comments, questions I got this year. Whether it’s a thankful email or constructive criticism, I value them all. Thank you for taking the time to engage with this site and with me.

I hope you are taking some time to enjoy this holiday season with your friends and family. December is the best time to reflect on this entire year ... read more

How to Get Promoted as a Generalist in a Company Full of Specialists

by Lei Han

Are you a “Generalist” or “Specialist” at your company? Both exists in most companies and serve distinct purposes. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary

Generalist is defined as “a person who knows something about a lot of subjects.” – a Partner in a consulting firm is a generalist as he or she would sell work, build relationships, and lead execution teams.
Specialist is defined as “a person who has special knowledge and skill relating to a particular job, area of study” – a Director in a consulting firm is a specialist who usually go deep on a topic but focus on a specific set of tasks (e.g., Lead execution or serve as SME for all Salesforce implementation for financial service industries)

Are you more likely to be promoted as a “Generalist” or a “Specialist” in a company? Many may actually say Generalist are more likely to be promoted. This is because many of our famous leaders, including the US President, are “Generalist.” Our president needs to deal with domestic issues such as gay marriage, abortion, health care, education, etc.. and at the same time know what to do in foreign policy with every major country. ... read more

“Life is Always Just Beginning”

by Lei Han

I went to a seminar last month and heard this saying “Life is Always just Beginning” from a 82 year-old lecturer, Bill McKeown. I have been thinking about these 5 little words ever since. It has helped me re-frame my perspective on life and my inner dialogue.

Do you ever notice how much we speak to ourselves everyday in our own head? ... read more