Archive for 'In the Workplace'
Lead like a Leader
December 17th, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Imagine you’re planning a hiking trip: you’ve got your heavy pack of supplies (your employees) and your map (revenue goal). However, you have a sprained ankle and can barely support your own weight. Do you march off into the wilderness with the responsibility of your employees on your back, or do you take care of yourself until you’re strong enough to support them? Even if you have all the right tools and assets from your employees and associates, you can’t expect anyone to carry you through the wilderness of successful business practices. This doesn’t mean we need to become master salespeople or instant CEO’s before we take on a larger business model. It simply means that we need to fortify on an individual basis as much as possible in order to build up an indestructible team.
As the cornerstone of your business, you are the first stone set in the construction of your team. Just as it is with masonry, all other employees will be set in reference to the cornerstone, thus determining the strength and position of the entire team. In order to be a solid cornerstone, you must first completely believe in yourself-take a mental inventory of all your abilities and personal gifts. One of the quickest ways to fail is to tell yourself that you don’t have the correct experience. If we allowed experience to rule our goals, then we’d never accomplish anything new. But reviewing our own talents reveals that, even without experience, we do have the means to accomplish our goals.
Ordinary Everyday Job Stress
September 5th, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Even at good workplaces, job stress builds up from time to time. Sometimes it is simply stress from home that you drag with you to work. Other times the workplace itself is the source of tension.
During an election year like this one, many major corporations forbid partisan political talk during working hours. This is a wise rule. However, smaller companies may be less regulated, and political disagreements can flare up among employees. How can you deal with the tension? Besides the obvious advice to try to stay out of the arguments altogether, there are other things you can do to keep calm.
Are your usual work breaks really breaks? Now might be the time to schedule that long-discussed lunch date with a friend so that you can slip away from the office at noon. Have you investigated the strolling possibilities within the immediate vicinity of your worksite? A small publishing firm with offices located in a semi-industrial area once employed me. I began taking 15-minute walks to get away from the hot discussions that dominated our firm’s afternoon coffee breaks during one particular political scandal. The autumn sunlight, the cool breezes, and the wildflowers growing along the railroad tracks provided more than escape. They were unexpected delights.
Job Stress at Evaluation Time: Hold Your Boss Accountable, Too
September 5th, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
A principal charged a teacher with chronic tardiness during an annual job performance review. When asked for the reason, the principal cited a time the first bell rang as the teacher was running off tests in the school office. The incident indeed happened, but only once. When calmly confronted with this fact, the discomfited principal agreed to re-write her evaluation.
A performance review with an unpredictable boss requires preparation. First, simply remind yourself of your past workplace achievements. No false humility is allowed here. Success breeds confidence, but only if you acknowledge it. Second, review the main responsibilities listed in your role description or employee handbook. Do this to remind yourself of what’s most important about your work-and also in case you need to remind your boss.
BNET says that good managers always use “a behaviorally based measure tied to the important dimensions of the job” [emphasis added]. Good managers also document employee performance in an organized, ongoing fashion, giving their annual reviews a firm basis in fact. Finally, they address any serious shortcomings in performance as they arise, without waiting for the annual review.
You don’t have to put up with a job review that departs from professional standards. But first you need to know the standards.
Job Stress at Evaluation Time: Try a New Mantra
September 3rd, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Job reviews, ugh! If you are conscientious by nature, chances are you have already evaluated yourself a thousand times without exactly giving yourself glittering reviews.
Sometimes, though, it is good to stop thinking about your own job anxiety and put yourself in the position of your employer. How would you feel reviewing someone else’s performance? Doubtless you would strive for objectivity. Even if you really liked an employee and deeply appreciated the person’s work, you would balance your positive comments with one or two suggestions for improvement. You would do this even if you had to strain to think of any. On the other hand, if you were not pleased with an employee yet still wanted to be fair, you probably would overcompensate for your displeasure and cut the person any breaks you could.
The bottom line is that unless your boss is a sociopath or you are a total doofus, you waste your energy fearing an evaluation. Some anxiety-prone students prepare for tests by training themselves to avoid the self-defeating mantra of “What if I fail?” Instead they
ask themselves, “So what if I fail?” Maybe you need to change your usual mantra, too.
Ordinary Everyday Job Stress
September 1st, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Even at good workplaces, job stress builds up from time to time. Sometimes it is simply stress from home that you drag with you to work. Other times the workplace itself is the source of tension.
During an election year like this one, many major corporations forbid partisan political talk during working hours. This is a wise rule. However, smaller companies may be less regulated, and political disagreements can flare up among employees. How can you deal with the tension? Besides the obvious advice to try to stay out of the arguments altogether, there are other things you can do to keep calm.
Are your usual work breaks really breaks? Now might be the time to schedule that long-discussed lunch date with a friend so that you can slip away from the office at noon. Have you investigated the strolling possibilities within the immediate vicinity of your worksite? A small publishing firm with offices located in a semi-industrial area once employed me. I began taking 15-minute walks to get away from the hot discussions that dominated our firm’s afternoon coffee breaks during one particular political scandal. The autumn sunlight, the cool breezes, and the wildflowers growing along the railroad tracks provided more than escape. They were unexpected delights.
Improving Your Day Job: Making a Change
August 29th, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Sometimes you have the opportunity to find another job within your company. While saving a lot of paperwork and hassle, these jobs may be hard to find. You can maximize your opportunity to move around your company by doing a little investigating and networking.
The first step is to understand your company and its various departments. You can use your company directory, annual reports or other company publications. The second step is to find a way to extend your network into the areas that are most interesting. You may have already made a few contacts, but every area has its “person-to-know” who should be your main target. Sometimes being a little more outgoing on the elevator or in the cafeteria will help you make necessary connections.
It is a good idea to know what you want to ask or say when you stumble upon an opportunity to talk to your target contact. This is an opportunity to get more details about other areas in your company, build relationships, sell your skills, and put yourself in the running for any positions that might come open in the near future. Networking and knowledge can move you closer to landing a better job.
Improving Your Day Job: Altering Your Mindset
August 27th, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Often when we dislike our jobs, we are stuck in the mindset of “I can’t.” It seems that we can’t escape our job descriptions or our daily routine. However, the only thing we can’t escape is our own negative mindset. As long as you accomplish your assigned tasks, you should be able to help with other projects and broaden your experience range.
You have the power to change your approach to work. Take the initiative when an opportunity presents itself. If you volunteer for new opportunities, you might find tasks you enjoy more than your daily assignments. Hidden prospects may reveal themselves if you are proactive at work.
Even if you despise your current employer, you can choose to see it as an opportunity for personal growth. Every day you remain in a bad job, you show yourself you can persevere through adversity. Improve your transferrable skills, so when the time comes you are readily employable elsewhere.
People recognize those who take initiative. If you show enthusiasm toward your work, you are more likely to be chosen for greater opportunities. Even if you can’t change your working situation, change your focus. Don’t wait for things to happen to you - make them happen.
Improving Your Day Job: Doing Your Research
August 25th, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Research isn’t just for the job search. You can improve your current circumstances by getting in-depth information on your industry, your profession and your projects. Many people find their way into jobs that they are not specifically trained for. For example, Peter graduated from college with a degree in English. He had taken no business classes at all, but after graduation he found a job with a local non-profit organization. He became very involved with the organization’s mission and began reading everything he could about non-profit management, grant writing and fundraising. He increased the diversity of his daily tasks and, when his direct superior decided to leave, he was offered a promotion.
If you are uncertain where to begin, start looking for articles about your company using a news search engine. Look at what your industry competitors are doing. Find trade journals and take the time to learn technical terms and tactics. If you are still unsuccessful, stop by a local newsstand and pick up a copy of Business Week, the Wall Street Journal or another business magazine which looks relevant to your company. These general publications should give you the leads you need to enhance your understanding of your company and your job.
Keep Your Calm: Dealing with Confrontational Clients
August 22nd, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
Even if you enjoy your coworkers and your boss is a saint, angry clients and customers can still make your work life difficult. Dave Kahle, a sales consultant and motivational speaker, equates dealing with confrontational people to cracking a hard-boiled egg.
The customer’s anger is like the shell of the egg, the hardest part to break through. Kahle advocates letting customers vent their frustrations because it will help calm them down. If you listen carefully, you can capture the basic problem. When antagonists pause for breath, empathize with them and make a connection. If you are calm, you can maintain control of the situation.
Next, identify the root problem, the white of the egg. Get the details from the customers and apologize for the inconveniences that have occurred. While it may be tempting to place the blame on your company’s infrastructure or the customer’s misunderstanding, avoid this temptation as it won’t help the situation.
Finally, it is up to you to solve the yoke of the customer’s problem. If you can’t do it immediately, let customers know when you will get back to them. Following this process will minimize the conflict and will help you deal with difficult customers effectively.
Dealing with Difficult Bosses and Supervisors
August 20th, 2008. Published under In the Workplace. No Comments.
So you’ve just landed your dream job, your coworkers are friendly, and everything seems peachy, except the fact that your boss seems like an ogre in his corner office. Bad boss syndrome happens to most of us, but we don’t have to be victims; we can manage our managers.
The first step is to open the lines of communication with your boss, by setting up a meeting to discuss your role in the company. This meeting may help you understand why your boss seems so intimidating. Try to find common ground which will help you communicate with your boss in the future.
Your coworkers can be the best allies in this situation. By making connections and gaining their trust, you can get valuable information about pertinent projects. If you succeed in your projects, you will demonstrate the leadership skills that your boss is lacking. You will also prove that you are dependable and responsible, which may lead you to other opportunities.
If there is no way to manage your boss, you may need to talk to the human resource officers in your company to find an alternative position. If active efforts cannot improve the working situation, you need to find a position more conducive to your personal growth.