*Note:  Dr. Chris Peterson was a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and one of the founders of the field.  In addition to being a beloved teacher, he was also one of the 100 most cited psychologists in the world.  He passed away in October of 2012.  His birthday was today. I loved the way Chris’ voice rumbled in the back of his throat like an oncoming train.  I loved the way he would look up and to the left and say ‘um’ at the end of every phrase, as if searching for the perfect way to convey his thought.  And I loved the way he would lean back against the chalkboard, rest his hands on his stomach and consider every question from a student as if it was a brilliant one. He was a moral compass as… …

Few would argue that job functions have changed rapidly in the past several years. New technologies (like social media) have disrupted the marketing discipline. The push to do more with less has caused companies to merge job functions. The list of changes are seemingly endless. Whether you’re a new college graduate, in mid-career, or even planning to leave the workforce in the next 5-10 years, you probably need to brush up your skill set in order to keep pace with the demands of your employer or potential employer. A lot of people expect their companies to provide the training they think they need. While employer-provided training is useful, it’s only part of the story. According to Halelly Azulay, author of Employee Development on A Shoestring and founder of TalentGrow LLC, only 10% of professional training happens in the workplace. Another… …