Continuous Learning for Individuals, Management & Business

During the industrial era, it was enough for leaders to have a succinct and linear way of thinking, display a strong sense of authority, and to exude at least a dash of charisma. In today's world, however, we need leaders with a far more complex set of skills and attributes, many of which relate directly to interpersonal relationships. Work relationships are less and less a top-down and hierarchical matter. Instead, they are ever-more dependent on a fluid, creative, and team-oriented mindset.

Oliver Alexander started the co-working space (Remote.ly) just over a year ago on March 7, 2019. They were just beginning to turn a profit, hitting the black for the first time in February 2020. Then Covid-19 hit and their momentum was wiped out. The Federal PPP and EIDL programs helped them survive. Now Remote.ly is looking forward to reopening their doors as Multnomah County enters Phase I of reopening, but things will look very different for Oliver and his customers. This is the story of how Remote.ly is building resilience during challenging times.

Many businesses and organizations strive for inclusivity, but what does it really mean to lead with inclusion in mind? An inclusive leader is someone who can pair and effectively use the skills of leadership, which often include making tough decisions, with the skills of inclusion, which mean listening effectively, taking all suggestions into account, and formulating teams that feel their input is weighted equally with the input of others. When you successfully become an inclusive leader, you find greater trust in your team, better working conditions that result in lower turnover, and general functionality in the office that leads to long-term success.

Teachers tend to spend an outsized amount of their attention on just one or two students in a given classroom. These students sometimes are acting out, not completing work, or actively distracting other students from their tasks. Difficult students make it hard to feel in control of a classroom and create frustration when you cannot accomplish the goals of your teaching plans. 

The world that runs our social media, business applications, and other software products is a complex one that has created some of the most prevalent and well-compensated jobs. Information Technology (IT) offers those who are willing to delve into the technical underpinnings of computers an opportunity to take good care of the systems under their responsibility. Getting trained for information technology careers is easier than you might assume; with Portland Community College, you can train for these careers using the remote professional development training for IT coursework. Offering a wide variety of coursework, this program makes it possible to gain prowess in a particular software, perhaps the one missing gap in your preexisting IT knowledge, or to get started and begin carving out a niche for yourself in this growing industry.

Understanding the power of negotiation is essential for anyone – especially business professionals. Developing key strategies and skills for successful and productive negotiation is key.

No matter how versed we are in workplace experiences, most people still have areas of improvement to find when it comes to conflict management. After all, as many as 85% of people experience conflict in the workplace, according to a CPP Inc. Global Human Capital Report. 

Whether in a workplace, in a family, or in a community group, the arrival of a dispute or conflict can grind forward progress to a halt. When a combination of combativeness and conflict avoidance leads to a standstill, it's easy to abandon important efforts or endeavors, or else see them waste away as participants move on to other tasks. At other times, these conflicts escalate, with multiple parties saying and doing things they later regret that damage their relationships moving forward. 

The world of skilled trades and construction has changed a lot in some aspects, with new materials and techniques that can help buildings, electrical systems, and air conditioning systems run more smoothly. At the same time, many of the techniques that are foundational to everything from plumbing to machining have remained consistent, meaning that there is a robust body of knowledge on these topics that can be taught through online coursework.

Leslie Hildula of the PCC Small Business Development Center offers a presentation on the guidelines set forth by the Oregon Health Authority for re-opening restaurants, retail, and personal service businesses following the "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Coronavirus shutdown. In these two videos Leslie provides information on compliance requirements for the re-opening of small businesses that have been impacted by the Governor's orders.