"Back to Work RI" Campaign Aims to Create Jobs Amid Pandemic   Gov. Gina Raimondo announced a new initiative aimed at helping Rhode Islanders get back to work. (patch Rhode Island)   With thousands of Rhode Islanders out of work amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced a new, multi-million-dollar initiative focused on job creation.   As reported in Marketwatch... It took 10 years for the U.S. economy to create 23 million new jobs. It took the coronavirus pandemic just a month to destroy almost as many. The mind-boggling deluge of layoffs suggests the lost jobs nearly match all the employment gains since the end of the...

To Thrive In Today's Business Climate, Critical Thinking is Critical     In a good economy, a bad business decision can be overcome. In today's business environment, it can be catastrophic     What exactly is meant by the term “Critical Thinking”?   The Foundation for Critical Thinking defines it as “…the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluation information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.”   Or, as paraphrased by Ransom Patterson in College Infogeek, critical thinking is simply “…deliberately and systematically processing information so that you can make better decisions and...

$600 weekly jobless benefit will likely lapse before more aid is passed     Laid off workers would see a lapse in the additional benefits reducing their weekly income by more than two-thirds in many states.   Despite the overall success Washington has had getting aid to the jobless through this crisis, many Americans still appear to be suffering. More people are reporting trouble getting enough to eat. Households have been skipping loan payments, and many are worried that the U.S. may be on the verge of a housing crisis this summer as eviction moratoria are lifted. Cutting people off from aid will only make those problems worse, while pushing the wider economy...

If you can't pivot, tack     When discussing the difficulties of running a business during the COVID-19 crisis, many have urged us to "pivot". Pivoting, in the sense that you need to alter what you do, or change the direction your company is taking. In a recent Facebook posting, the idea of business pivoting was taken to task, and an alternative was suggested.   The word “pivot” can be used as either a noun or a verb. When used as a noun, pivot is defined as “the central point, pin, or shaft on which a mechanism turns or oscillates”. When used as a verb, it...

What You Don't Say Is Important Too!   Strength is admired and sought after. Everyone wants to look strong and confident. This is true in personal relationships as well as in business. The words you use with your employees and your coworkers need to be convincing and devoid of ambiguity.   Judith Humphrey, writing in Fast Company, makes the case for losing your dependence on certain verbs that can all too easily creep into our lexicon. These words are common, but also lazy. Don’t forget that one of the important uses of verbs is to convey “action”.  In business, you’ll want to be seen...