career blog | a harrison barnes
Choose Your Frames of Reference Wisely
I spent the summer following my first year of law school working at the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) in Washington, DC. The entire summer and the events leading up to it resulted in one of the strangest experiences I have ever had. After...
Filed under Featured, Finding a Job 22 CommentsUpgrade Your Career and Life by Finding Work to Be Done
Several years ago, I decided I didn’t want to work in a law firm anymore. The problem was that I didn’t know what else I could do besides practice law. Also, I didn’t have any money. In order to continue to make a living, I needed to...
Filed under Featured, Goal Setting 4 CommentsDo Not Ever Be Afraid to Broadcast Your Value
One of my favorite quotes is by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote: “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” A similar quote is this: “Build a better mousetrap, fail to advertise it or let people know about...
Filed under Featured, Getting Ahead, How to Succeed 3 CommentsEvery day when I sit down to work in the morning and turn on my computer, I receive several emails and comments about the companies I run and about me personally. Some people write to tell me I’m the stupidest person they’ve ever encountered. Other...
Filed under Featured, How to Succeed, Life Lessons 15 CommentsLearn Something from the Upper and Lower Class: Do Not Be Paralyzed by Others’ Opinions
A great deal of talent is lost in the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whom timidity prevented from making a first effort; who, if they could have been induced to begin, would in all probability have gone...
Filed under Featured, Finding a Job, The Role of Jobs in Today’s World 10 CommentsYou Need to Bring a Singular Focus to Everything You Do
What makes a person really good at something? The answer to this question is identical to the reason for exceedingly high success in any profession. There are people who are really good at finding jobs. People who are good at finding jobs bring an incredible...
Filed under Featured, Getting Ahead, Goal Setting 6 CommentsYour Life Is Controlled by Your Decisions and Your Commitment to Them
Over 20 years ago, I was at a relative’s house in the country and he made a crazy statement (which he appeared to believe) that all Japanese were Jewish, and that was why they were in the process of controlling all the car manufacturing in the world,...
Filed under Featured, Life Lessons 27 CommentsYou Need to Be Seen as an Authority
Several years ago I learned about the power of authority while operating an asphalt business in Michigan. When I initially started the company, it was called something like “Barnes Asphalt Service” or something along those lines. When I showed...
Filed under Featured, How to Succeed, Life Lessons 11 CommentsWhen I graduated from law school, I worked in Bay City, Michigan, for a federal judge for a year. Bay City is a former lumber town whose fortunes had long gone down the tubes when the lumber industry went away some 100 years ago. After lumber went away,...
Filed under Featured, Getting Ahead, Life Lessons 10 CommentsFind an Employer with Similar Values
In 1997, I was working for a federal judge in Bay City, Michigan. It was cold and I was working in a rural area that left a lot to be desired. Even the judge I worked for got the hell out of there when he could go to another part of Michigan. While...
Filed under Featured, Keeping a Job, The Role of Jobs in Today’s World 7 Commentsshowing 1-10 of 70 NEXT »
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