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Five Principles of Goal Setting Theory
Most westerners believe you can achieve more by setting goals. But why is this such an accepted practice? Psychologist Edwin A. Locke and his colleague, Dr. Gary Latham, are credited with popularizing the modern concept of strategic goal making. Their work, research that spanned 25 years, confirmed the ancient notion…
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Goal Setting Quotes Throughout History
January is a time when many of us take a breath and collectively endure the ritual of setting goals for the coming year. The custom is commonly regarded as a positive tradition and either taken for granted or at least in good humor. But where does the idea of setting…
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The Importance of Writing Down Goals
If you have spent any time in corporate life you are probably familiar with the concepts of goal setting, S.M.A.R.T. goals and so on. While you may know that those who engage in a deliberate process of identifying and setting goals are more successful overall than those who don’t, you…
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COUNTIFS – Excel’s COUNTIF for Multiple Criteria
As Excel users, we're never satisfied! We see a powerful function like COUNTIF that gives us the ability to find and tally data based on a huge assortment of specified criteria and we still want more. Namely, the ability to count our data based on multiple criteria specifications. COUNTIF a…
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How to Make a Radar Chart in Excel
Pie charts, bar charts and line charts are familiar friends to Excel users. But there's a less well-known chart out there that can pack a lot of information into a single, visually powerful image. The Radar Chart, also sometimes called a spider or star chart, lets you compare multiple items…
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Export Excel Charts to Word and PowerPoint Using Copy/Paste
Once you have spent the time crunching numbers and creating a beautiful chart in Excel, you'll probably find that you want to use it again and again in reports and presentations. Microsoft makes it easy to share objects between its Office programs, but few methods are easier than Copy/Paste. We…
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Mandatory Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors
Federal Contractors awoke to a Labor Day game-changer. President Obama signed an Executive Order on September 7, 2015, mandating paid sick leave for employees working on federal contracts. This new mandate affects all federal contracts beginning in 2017. Adding up the numbers, it seems that a worker will accrue one…
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IRS Issues Proposed Rule Clarifying Laws Regarding Same Sex Marriage
Employers! You no longer need to hold your breath hoping you are “doing it right” regarding same sex marriage equality laws. On October 23, 2015, the question of how employers and other entities must handle the definition of marriage for IRS tax purposes was answered in the IRS proposed rule regarding implementation…
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Is Overtime Pay for Exempt Employees Really Becoming Law?
Well, not actual overtime pay for exempt employees. But, it will feel that way when your overtime exempt workers hear this: “You may be getting a pay raise if you make less than $50,440 a year (before taxes)!” Wait, what? About 15 million salaried overtime exempt employees who have earned about…
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Excel Black Friday Shopping List Template
This template was created so you can have the best game plan when going into Black Friday. It can be used for new or seasoned Black Friday shoppers. Here is how the table works: Column A has your date/time. Be sure to enter AM or PM so that when you…
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