I think about creating value all the time. I mean ALL the time. It didn't used to be that way. The status quo was that I worked hard toward project goals, got my paycheck every two weeks, had my weekends off to do as I liked, and waited to see what the percentage raise was going to be. Anyone identify with this?

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In today's difficult global economy many companies are facing the prospect of corporate layoffs. Following a workplace violence shooting in Santa Clara last Friday, we have had many requests for information on how companies can better prepare for Reductions In Force ( RIF 's), how to recognize the Warning Signs for Violence, & ways to minimize Workplace Violence.

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A resume simply isn't enough in a competitive job market. Getting your resume noticed is tough enough. Getting an interview is even harder. The internet offers networking opportunities - LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc. - but even they don't seem to capture the attention that you need to get a foot in the door. So what does it take to get attention? In a highly visual, multi-media world, it makes sense that a visual portfolio of your abilities and accomplishments is at least part of the answer.

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There are many meetings in Silicon Valley about innovation, technology, start-ups, and entrepreneurs. If one of the panelists or speakers is a woman, inevitably someone asks the question why there aren't more women founders or more start-up women in technology and science. While the number of women small business owners hovers around 50 percent, the number of women founders of hi-tech start-ups is in the low single digits. What makes the technology industry different?

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The last five weeks have been insane for me, working 80+ hours and 7 days a week. It is times like this that good intentions for eating healthfully go out the window. It seems much easier to order fast food. Easier maybe in the short run, but in the long run you will end up with an energy deficit and ill health. Fast food is full of calories, fat, salt, processed carbohydrates, and lots of additives. There are ways to make healthy delicious food fast, often faster than ordering in.

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It's spring and summer is just around the corner. And with thoughts of summer come concerns about weight and how you can fit into those summer clothes. Yes, dieting is hard to do but there is one easy change you can make that will help you to lose weight and feel better too. The trick? Eat more vegetables! Vegetables help you feel full, replace other foods that aren't as good for you, and make you healthier at the same time. If health is your goal, along with looking good and feeling better, eat more vegetables!

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When I was in high school, Betty Friedan's book, The Feminine Mystique, changed my life.nHaving read it, I had an increased awareness and concern about our rights as women but, at the time, I was thinking about personal rights, not financial rights.

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There has been a great deal of research recently devoted to the relationship between money and happiness. The consensus is that once basic needs are satisfied, happiness doesn’t increase as income increases. Surprisingly, surveys of people who have won the lottery are not much happier than the average person.

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Welcome to the third article in a series devoted to those of you that have built a business that is successful enough to attract buyers, and you are thinking of selling it. There are many ways to increase your business's valuation: recasting financials, improving the management team, upgrading technology, documenting your business policies, procedures and intellectual capital are just a few of a multitude of actions you can take.

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This is the fourth article in a series that is focused on the successful woman entrepreneur that is considering selling their business. The big question is: can the business run without you? It creates an obstacle to selling a business when a business owner has built their business to be too dependent on them. In the rush of the moment you may think it is easier or cheaper to do things yourself than delegate, but potential business buyers will work to discover this issue. They need to be assured that the business can operate without you, and you may have unwittingly created one that can't.

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Does your life lack meaning and direction? By defining your life purpose, you can gain clarity, focus, and direction in your life. Our purpose is our reason for being - it's why we’re here on this earth. Each of us has a unique purpose in life. It's up to us to uncover our purpose and fulfill it. By doing so, we will be a blessing to others, and be blessed as well.

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For many people it is easier to make a new plan than to put it into action. Are you one of these people? You may be motivated to make a change, know what you want to do, and may even have a strategy mapped out. But there you sit - consumed by inaction - needlessly delaying tasks you know you need to do in a way that is counterproductive. A common term for this state of affairs is procrastination - and textbooks are full of explanations for what causes procrastination, to include the following: being unrealistic about time, fear of change, fear of failure, or disorganization. But one of the most interesting "causes" is perfectionism - because when perfectionism mixes with procrastination it can spawn the perfect storm I call "the Problem with Starting Fresh."

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In just a few days, the 40th annual Earth Day will be celebrated in schools around the country with students of all ages learning about the environment and what they can do to sustain our planet. Whether classrooms will choose to clean up their school communities, start a recycling program or share tips to conserve the earth's natural resources, improving the environment will be the primary focus.

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Within a small business, the primary decision maker is usually the owner or manager-a person who is primarily focused on customers and cash flow and who doesn't generally want to think about technology. So if you want to get new technology incorporated into a small business environment, how do you convince the owner?

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At AT&T, Alicia Abella is widely regarded for her efforts in developing long-distance collaboration tools. In her capacity as Executive Director of Innovative Services Research at AT&T Labs, she led a group of researchers dedicated to eliminating the need for plane travel and other commuting methods that potentially harm the environment or overuse energy resources.

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Please take a moment to join me in remembering a great woman who died yesterday, at the age of 98, Dr. Dorothy Height - a passionate advocate for civil rights and women who stands as a role model and source of inspiration for everyone who believes that we are here to make a positive difference in the world.

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