Good employees look out for their company and their boss, even if it means standing up to the boss. Good bosses don’t want “yes” people to lazily agree with all of their decisions. Sure, everyone likes to feel validated and hear that their ideas are wonderful, excellent, and stupendous, but a good boss knows to … Read more
You don’t have to change who you are to be successful in your career. You may have to change some habits and add a little “window dressing” to your appearance and comportment, but part of what makes you unique and help you stand out from the competition is that you are, well, YOU. So be … Read more
With all the communication tools available to us, there is still massive mutual mystification when it comes to clearly understanding each other. Many factors contribute to that, including the languages people speak in our diverse workforce. A US Census report on findings from 2009-2013 found that sixty million Americans speak languages other than English at … Read more
Every day, all day long, each one of us “acts” for whatever role we are playing at the time: spouse, friend, parent, boss, subordinate, and so forth. It’s not that you’re faking it, rather you are learning, adapting, and taking responsibility for your effect on others. You are choosing who you want to be each … Read more
People like to say business isn’t personal, but it is personal. All of life is people personally interacting with other people. Work is people interacting with people but with money and title attached to it. (Personal, in this post, doesn’t mean inappropriately intimate; you needn’t border on sexting.) Every interaction in business has the potential … Read more
It’s time to put on some real pants. Yes, your sweatpants are cozy, but in-person work and work events are happening again and unless you work in a very specific industry, you’re going to need to “up your game,” so to speak. But it’s more than just your clothes that may need changing. You have … Read more
A reputation for integrity and trustworthiness is worth whatever it may cost to build it. Integrity can make or break your career. Building trust at work makes you more likely to be promoted, motivates your peers and subordinates to follow you, and helps you stand out from the crowd. Conversely, break trust (even once) by … Read more
If you want to improve effectiveness at work, start by slowing down instead of speeding up. I was in a meeting with two executives discussing group training for some of their managers and department heads. Suddenly, a woman burst in to inform one of the executives about a change in appointments. With rapid-fire words, she … Read more
I wore a yellow dress to my mother’s funeral. It caused the wags of the relatives to whisper in disapproval but my mother had instructed me to wear it before she died. She knew I’d be sad and she wanted to remind me to be untroubled and lead a cheerful life like she had taught … Read more
Just as you owe it to people to praise them, you owe it to them to offer constructive feedback. When you have individuals directly assigned to you, it is essential to be a teacher, mentor, positive critic, and advocate for their personal and career growth. You can’t do this if you aren’t giving constructive feedback. … Read more