How To Manage Your Manager
By Geoffrey James | December 6, 2010
If you’re like most people, you probably assume that the success of your career rests upon your basic competence at doing your job. And like most people, you’re dead wrong. While job competence is important, the simple truth is that raises, promotions, career advancement and other perks depend directly on how well you can manage your boss.
If your boss doesn’t warm up to you—or worse, doesn’t remember that you exist—you’ll never land the plum assignments you need to get ahead. Therefore, in addition to performing well, you must make sure your boss (gasp!) actually likes you and knows all the things you’re doing right.
Here’s a simple five step process to make sure that your boss sees you as both a top performer and pleasure to work with… without becoming a brown-noser.
STEP #1: Keep Your Boss in the Loop
If you’re going to get ahead, you’ve got to constantly reassure your boss that you know what you’re doing. More importantly, you’ve got establish the groundwork on which to build a strong working relationship. Here’s how.
The secret fear of every boss is that employees are screwing up and either not telling anyone or (even worse) aren’t aware there’s a problem. To reassure themselves, bosses may sometimes pick an aspect of an employee’s job and begin randomly asking penetrating questions about the details. If you answer these queries with grace and aplomb, the boss assumes you’re competent. Hesitate or evade, and the boss may assume all your work is slipshod.
Since you don’t know in advance which questions your boss might ask, be prepared for every contingency. “One of the dumbest moves you can make is to walk into the boss’s office unprepared,” says Jack Cooper, the former CIO of Bristol-Myers Squibb. “For every hour that you’ll spend meeting with your boss, you should spend 10 hours making sure you can answer any questions that the boss might ask.”
Ten hours of prep? For a one-hour meeting? Okay, that’s probably overkill for a typical employee who interacts with his boss on a daily basis. But for senior managers at big companies where meeting with the CEO is an event on par with a presidential visit, Cooper’s 10-to-1 formula makes sense.
Since you’re probably not going to spend THAT much time, here’s a shortcut — a quick list of exactly what your boss expects of you:
* Credibility. Follow through on assignments and do what you say you’re going to. If you want your boss to trust you, your word has to carry weight.
* Professionalism. Bosses appreciate individuals who are serious about what they do and willing to take the time to achieve a deep understanding of their craft.
* Integrity. The test of integrity is whether you’ll take a stand, even when it’s unpopular with your boss. The boss has the final decision, but it’s your job to make sure it’s the right one.
* Caring. Bosses value relationships with direct reports who care about them. Show that you’re truly concerned about what the boss has to say by responding with solutions rather than complaints.
* Knowledge. Bosses need people who have unique expertise. You don’t have to be a pro at everything, but you do need a specific area of knowledge that your boss values.
Make sure that your work life embodies those five things and you will absolutely be well on the way to becoming a star performer in your boss’s eyes.
STEP #2: Create a Core Message
Sad to say, bosses are often forgetful. They’ve usually got plenty on their mind, and may not always be noticing what a great job your doing. The purpose of this step is to make sure that your boss knows exactly how valuable you are.
It’s irritating, of course. When you’re working your butt off, you naturally expect your boss to know exactly what you’re doing. But even though she may have assigned your work to you, in the crush of daily pressures and changing priorities, your contribution can get lost in the shuffle.
In fact, your boss might easily get so overwhelmed that she thinks that she told you to do something different, but actually forgot. Worse case, you could end up pursuing goals that no are longer important priorities — and then find out that your hard work isn’t valued. It’s unfair, sure. But it happens all the time.
According to Spencer Clark, a former general manager at General Electric, the cure for this creeping invisibility is to become a one-person marketing group, constantly positioning your contribution. “Your most important task is to market your services to your immediate boss,” Clark says.
To do this, create a “core message” — a brief summary of exactly what you’re doing and why it’s vital to the boss’s success.
A core message might be, “My team is designing the follow-on products to our most successful product line,” or “I’m recruiting the hard-to-find technical personnel required for the new R&D facility.” Then, Clark suggests, find a way to work that message into every conversation that you have with your boss-even hallway chats.
The trick is to do this without getting all smarmy about it. Think about ways you can casually talk things up without overselling — and without driving your core message into the ground.
Each interaction should add new information, and when you can, fold the message into the day’s news. Examples:
* “I just got off the phone with a candidate for the R&D job. We’re getting resumes from some really impressive people. It looks like my recruiting program is really working.”
* “We just ran my module through the entire suite of stress tests. It looks like the power control system you told me to build is going to do the job nicely.”
* “The agreement with Acme Corp that you asked me to negotiate might come in a little late, but I think we’re going to get the terms that you asked for.”
STEP #3: Cultivate The Boss’s Influencers
It’s not enough to simply inform your boss of what you’re doing. If you want to advance your career and your personal agenda, you need to make sure that the other “powers-that-be” spread the word about your importance to the company.
Here’s some political wisdom for you. You may think you have a one-on-one relationship with your boss, but you’re actually part of a crowd of people — from your peers to your boss’s peers to your boss’s bosses — who influence the boss’s decision-making.
Like it or not, their comments and gossip will inevitably affect your boss’s opinion of you and your work, so you want to be certain that, if they’re not actively singing your praises, at least they’re reading from the same hymnal.
So here’s what you do. Create a list of everyone who carries weight with your boss. Include their job title and whatever you know about their background and role inside your firm. Now craft a variation of your core message that positions what you’re doing as helpful to each person.
Then use that to frame any conversations you have with them. “You want a consistent message coming from the entire organization, not crossed wires that might confuse the boss about your importance to the organization,” says Ken Evans, former North American VP of sales and marketing at Waste Management.
For example, suppose you’re working in a marketing group, developing new sales channels. Here’s how you keep your manager’s peers updated:
* For Your Boss (VP of Marketing): “I’m developing a channel sales program that will increase revenue and profit.” (This is your core message.)
* For the VP of Engineering: “This new channels sales program I’m developing will get the products you’re designing out to an entirely new class of customer.”
* For the VP of Manufacturing: “With the channel sales program I’m developing, we’ll be able to better predict demand, which will cut down on job overruns.”
* For the VP of Human Resources: “The sales channel program I’m developing will let us expand the business without exceeding headcount limitations.”
* For the CFO: “With the channel sales program that I’m developing, we’ll be able to sell products at a 20 percent higher gross margin than with direct sales.”
* For the CEO: “My boss [name] has got me working on a channel program that’s could improve net profitability by several percent. You ought to ask him about it.”
Take especial notice of that last message. Ultimately, every employee has, as their highest priority, trying to make their own boss look good.
STEP #4: Learn About Your Boss’s Career
Now that you’ve convinced the boss that you’re competent, it’s time to make yourself invaluable.
To do this, you’ll need deliver what the boss wants-even before he knows he wants it. Over time, of course, you can observe and learn, but fast-track the process by researching the boss’s career and asking questions that will help you understand his way of thinking.
This activity has a side-benefit your boss will be flattered that you’re interested — as long as your interest is honest and not purely self-serving. But, then, people are interesting, right? Even your boss.
So here’s what you do. Use the Internet, the grapevine, and the boss’s admin to learn about the boss’s work history. Then, when appropriate, find opportunities (such as during lunch or offsite meetings) to express a healthy curiosity about your boss’s experience.
Apart from the fact that most everyone enjoys talking about themselves, bosses find this kind of inquiry valuable because it provides an opportunity to explain the logic of their decision-making processes. To help you out, here are some sample questions:
* “I was on the web learning more about our industry and I noticed that you presented at the [name] conference. What kind of response did you get?”
* “Your admin mentioned you used to work for [name of firm]. What was the most valuable thing you learned from that experience?”
* “I hear you used to work in the [name] industry. What are the main differences between the way that industry runs and the way this one runs?”
STEP #5: Cultivate Compatible Personal Interests
The ideal situation is to have a boss who looks out for your interests during difficult times. This protectiveness is nurtured when the boss thinks of you not just as a competent contributor but as a kindred spirit.
Therefore, if you want a more expansive and resilient relationship with the boss, you’re going to have to cultivate an interest in something that also interests the boss. Ideally, this should be an interest or activity that segues nicely into the work experience.
For example, if your boss likes to talk business while playing golf, learning to play-and enjoy the game-will inevitably bring you closer.
“To really understand your boss, you need to see him or her as a person, not just as a business contact,” explains Dilip Phadke, Hewlett Packard’s director of business development strategic initiatives. “My current manager is a big soccer fan, and although I was never particularly interested in soccer, I keep up on the topic because it gives us something to talk about that’s not directly work-related but can be used to illustrate the value of teamwork, planning, and so forth.”
While this may seem like “selling out”, it’s really just the same sort of thing that you in other relationships, with friends and with family.
Here’s the simple truth. Likeability is a matter of intention and behavior rather than of personality and chance, so to become more likeable, you find similarities and then raise them to the surface, according to Robert Cialdini, author of the bestseller Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion. “If you can find something that you truly like and respect about a person, then that person will naturally like and respect you,” he says. “While this may seem manipulative, it’s not, because if you truly like somebody, you will be committed to help making that person more successful.”
MY THOUGHTS
last night i had the opportunity to spend some time with some of the greatest bosses i've had the chance to work with. i guess i've been lucky when it comes to bosses. i can only think of 1 or 2 who didn't deserve their title. the rest are true leaders, not just managers. but this article is right. no matter what kind of boss you end up with, there is a way of managing them.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Have Job Satisfaction: Take Ownership of your Job
Take Ownership of Your Job
By F. John Reh, About.com Guide
Any job you do is going to "have your fingerprints all over it." That is why it is so important to take ownership of your job, any job you do, and really own it. Do it the best you can; do it the best it can be done. That is how you succeed.
Passion for the Job
The article Passion Pays notes "when you are passionate about what you do, you do better and you enjoy it more" and explains how that pays off in increased success. Sometimes you can't be passionate about a job, but you can still take ownership. You can still own the job and do it well.
Making A Difference
The people who get promoted are those who make a difference. If there is no difference between what happens when you come to work and when you don't, why would anyone want to pay you?
One simple way to make a difference is to do any job you tackle the best it can be done. That is what taking ownership means. You may not be the best choice for a particular job, but once it is given to you it is up to you to get it done the best way possible.
If you do that, people will notice. And when they see you take ownership of every job you do, they will start to give you the jobs that are important to them. The more you do jobs that matter to your superiors, and do them well, the faster you will move ahead.
Passion, Energy, Pride
When you are passionate about what you do, you have more energy. You care more about what you do. When you care more about what you do, you do it better and you can take pride in what you have done. When you are proud of what you have done, you are passionate about it. It is a cycle that feeds on itself and increases your capability.
On the Other Hand
Try this. Don't take ownership of some job. Just slide through it. Take the easy way out. Let others do the work and sit back and take all the credit when it is done.
Do you think that job will be done well? Do you think upper management is going to be looking for the person who did that job so they can put him/her in charge of the next job? Or when the next layoff comes will that person be on the list of expendable people?
Don't kid yourself. Every job you do has your "signature" on it. People know who did it.
Bottom Line
You want the work you do to be something to be proud of. You want the jobs you take on to help your career, not hold you back. So go above and beyond and really take ownership of every job you do. You will feel better for having done that. And others will notice.
You don't want the Vice President to tell Human Resources, "We can let (your name here) go. He/she never does much anyway." Instead, at the next company meeting, you want the CEO to stand up and say "and special thanks to (your name here) for that great job on the xx project." That is a big step on the way from first time manager to CEO.
MY THOUGHTS
Passion is great! Ownership of your job is all that your boss should ask for. But first, you need to look for an organization whose culture is all about ownership and passion. If you have passion and you work like it's your own company and you find yourself working for an organization where ownership is for the owners and passionate people is a threat to them - then you'll be like a duck in the desert. But then, who cares. At the end of the day, even if it didn't work and you know you gave all the passion you have - that's still something to be happy about.
By F. John Reh, About.com Guide
Any job you do is going to "have your fingerprints all over it." That is why it is so important to take ownership of your job, any job you do, and really own it. Do it the best you can; do it the best it can be done. That is how you succeed.
Passion for the Job
The article Passion Pays notes "when you are passionate about what you do, you do better and you enjoy it more" and explains how that pays off in increased success. Sometimes you can't be passionate about a job, but you can still take ownership. You can still own the job and do it well.
Making A Difference
The people who get promoted are those who make a difference. If there is no difference between what happens when you come to work and when you don't, why would anyone want to pay you?
One simple way to make a difference is to do any job you tackle the best it can be done. That is what taking ownership means. You may not be the best choice for a particular job, but once it is given to you it is up to you to get it done the best way possible.
If you do that, people will notice. And when they see you take ownership of every job you do, they will start to give you the jobs that are important to them. The more you do jobs that matter to your superiors, and do them well, the faster you will move ahead.
Passion, Energy, Pride
When you are passionate about what you do, you have more energy. You care more about what you do. When you care more about what you do, you do it better and you can take pride in what you have done. When you are proud of what you have done, you are passionate about it. It is a cycle that feeds on itself and increases your capability.
On the Other Hand
Try this. Don't take ownership of some job. Just slide through it. Take the easy way out. Let others do the work and sit back and take all the credit when it is done.
Do you think that job will be done well? Do you think upper management is going to be looking for the person who did that job so they can put him/her in charge of the next job? Or when the next layoff comes will that person be on the list of expendable people?
Don't kid yourself. Every job you do has your "signature" on it. People know who did it.
Bottom Line
You want the work you do to be something to be proud of. You want the jobs you take on to help your career, not hold you back. So go above and beyond and really take ownership of every job you do. You will feel better for having done that. And others will notice.
You don't want the Vice President to tell Human Resources, "We can let (your name here) go. He/she never does much anyway." Instead, at the next company meeting, you want the CEO to stand up and say "and special thanks to (your name here) for that great job on the xx project." That is a big step on the way from first time manager to CEO.
MY THOUGHTS
Passion is great! Ownership of your job is all that your boss should ask for. But first, you need to look for an organization whose culture is all about ownership and passion. If you have passion and you work like it's your own company and you find yourself working for an organization where ownership is for the owners and passionate people is a threat to them - then you'll be like a duck in the desert. But then, who cares. At the end of the day, even if it didn't work and you know you gave all the passion you have - that's still something to be happy about.
Haapiness at Work Means Job Satisfaction
Happiness at Work Isn’t Soft, It’s Smart
By Margaret Heffernan | August 19, 2010
You can’t have any more staff; you can’t have any more money. So what are you supposed to do to get more out of the resources you have?
Cheer up your workforce.
“Yeah right,” I hear you say. “We’re still in recession, everyone’s fried — and you’re telling me that in these conditions an effective leader goes around entertaining the troops?”
Yes.
That’s what the economist Andrew Oswald found in a recent experiment. Two groups of volunteers were asked to do some math questions. The task wasn’t tremendously hard but was taxing under pressure. “It might be thought of as representing in a highly stylized way an iconic white-collar job: both intellectual ability and effort are rewarded,” Oswald wrote. The more correct answers each volunteer provided, the higher the pay they would receive.
The difference between the two groups was simple: half got to watch British comedy routines, and the other half did not. Which group do you suppose worked better? The volunteers who’d had a good laugh before they started work, the ‘happier workers’, were 12 percent more productive, and the unhappy ones were 10 percent less productive.
But surely the state of mind of the volunteers played a part, regardless of the film clip? Of course it did. Those who started the experiment depressed by a death or major illness in the family performed 10 percent worse than their peers.
On one level, this could all be dismissed as blindingly obvious. Happy people work better? Of course they do. What’s perhaps more important is that, under the imprimatur of academic research, the economists have validated what all good CEOs know: that emotion and work are deeply connected. This doesn’t mean you have to turn into an office entertainer. It does mean you have to pay attention to how your employees feel and what’s making them feel that way. It also means that the CEOs who’ve always done that aren’t soft, they’re smart. You can study those spreadsheets as much as you like, but you won’t shift your bottom line if the happiness and wellbeing of your employees isn’t a top priority.
MY THOUGHTS
i'm a firm believer that humor in the workplace is important. we need tolearn how to laugh at our bloopers, irritating co-workers, demanding bosses, slow internet connection, lack of funds, etc. despite all of these hassles, work can really be fun. especially when you're enjoying it with others.
By Margaret Heffernan | August 19, 2010
You can’t have any more staff; you can’t have any more money. So what are you supposed to do to get more out of the resources you have?
Cheer up your workforce.
“Yeah right,” I hear you say. “We’re still in recession, everyone’s fried — and you’re telling me that in these conditions an effective leader goes around entertaining the troops?”
Yes.
That’s what the economist Andrew Oswald found in a recent experiment. Two groups of volunteers were asked to do some math questions. The task wasn’t tremendously hard but was taxing under pressure. “It might be thought of as representing in a highly stylized way an iconic white-collar job: both intellectual ability and effort are rewarded,” Oswald wrote. The more correct answers each volunteer provided, the higher the pay they would receive.
The difference between the two groups was simple: half got to watch British comedy routines, and the other half did not. Which group do you suppose worked better? The volunteers who’d had a good laugh before they started work, the ‘happier workers’, were 12 percent more productive, and the unhappy ones were 10 percent less productive.
But surely the state of mind of the volunteers played a part, regardless of the film clip? Of course it did. Those who started the experiment depressed by a death or major illness in the family performed 10 percent worse than their peers.
On one level, this could all be dismissed as blindingly obvious. Happy people work better? Of course they do. What’s perhaps more important is that, under the imprimatur of academic research, the economists have validated what all good CEOs know: that emotion and work are deeply connected. This doesn’t mean you have to turn into an office entertainer. It does mean you have to pay attention to how your employees feel and what’s making them feel that way. It also means that the CEOs who’ve always done that aren’t soft, they’re smart. You can study those spreadsheets as much as you like, but you won’t shift your bottom line if the happiness and wellbeing of your employees isn’t a top priority.
MY THOUGHTS
i'm a firm believer that humor in the workplace is important. we need tolearn how to laugh at our bloopers, irritating co-workers, demanding bosses, slow internet connection, lack of funds, etc. despite all of these hassles, work can really be fun. especially when you're enjoying it with others.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
are work friends real friends?
Work Friends Aren't Real Friends
By Jessica Stillman | September 22, 2010
Of all the difficult aspects of the working world, few things flummox those making the transition from school to employment like the unexpected emotional complexities of offices. You might think you’re not the type to play politics, but everyone soon realizes that bland cubicles across the country mask a complex reality of alliances, feuds, resentments and badly handled insecurities.
WSJ columnist Alexandra Levit recently used her blog Water Cooler Wisdom to warn new entrants to this complicated social reality, not to bring the naive view of friendship that served them well in college to the office. “There are differences between close friends who will be there for you through life’s tough times and people you hang out with while you happen to be stuck in the same building,” she says and suggests that “”you can spare yourself disappointment later on by noting the differences between a work friend and a real friend.” How can you make the distinction? Levit provides a handy checklist of questions to consider:
If your friend left the company, would you still be in touch with her in a year?
If you had a personal emergency, would you consider asking your friend for help?
Do you hang out with your friend outside the office? (weekday lunches, happy hours, and business trips don’t count.)
Have you met your friend’s significant other? What about her friends outside the office?
If your friend received the promotion you were banking on, would you be genuinely happy for her?
If you ran into your friend in the grocery store, would you be able to talk to her for 10 minutes without mentioning work?
Have you seen where your friend lives?
Do you and your friend have anything in common besides your age and your job?
Is Levit’s view of office friendships too chilly for your taste, or do you think she’s right about the ultimate value of most work buddies?
MY THOUGHTS
worth thinking about. seriously. do you have friends at work or just "people you hang out with because you are stuck in the same building"?
By Jessica Stillman | September 22, 2010
Of all the difficult aspects of the working world, few things flummox those making the transition from school to employment like the unexpected emotional complexities of offices. You might think you’re not the type to play politics, but everyone soon realizes that bland cubicles across the country mask a complex reality of alliances, feuds, resentments and badly handled insecurities.
WSJ columnist Alexandra Levit recently used her blog Water Cooler Wisdom to warn new entrants to this complicated social reality, not to bring the naive view of friendship that served them well in college to the office. “There are differences between close friends who will be there for you through life’s tough times and people you hang out with while you happen to be stuck in the same building,” she says and suggests that “”you can spare yourself disappointment later on by noting the differences between a work friend and a real friend.” How can you make the distinction? Levit provides a handy checklist of questions to consider:
If your friend left the company, would you still be in touch with her in a year?
If you had a personal emergency, would you consider asking your friend for help?
Do you hang out with your friend outside the office? (weekday lunches, happy hours, and business trips don’t count.)
Have you met your friend’s significant other? What about her friends outside the office?
If your friend received the promotion you were banking on, would you be genuinely happy for her?
If you ran into your friend in the grocery store, would you be able to talk to her for 10 minutes without mentioning work?
Have you seen where your friend lives?
Do you and your friend have anything in common besides your age and your job?
Is Levit’s view of office friendships too chilly for your taste, or do you think she’s right about the ultimate value of most work buddies?
MY THOUGHTS
worth thinking about. seriously. do you have friends at work or just "people you hang out with because you are stuck in the same building"?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Four Ways to Make a Bad Job Good
Four Ways to Make a Bad Job Good
by Penelope Trunk
The best way to be happier at work is to take personal responsibility for your workplace well-being. Any job can be better than it is right now.
Here are four ways you can improve your job instead of relying on your boss or your company to change:
1. Make a friend at work.
People with one friend at work are much more likely to find their work interesting. And people with three friends at work are virtually guaranteed to be very satisfied with their life, according to extensive research from Gallup published in the book "Vital Friends" by Tom Rath. These findings are independent of what a person's job entails, and what their home life is like.
On one level, this isn't surprising. We're better equipped to deal with hardship if we have friends near us, and we have more fun when we're with friends. So a friend allows us to deal with the ups and downs of work much more easily.
We often think of work and life as separate, and consequently fortify our home life with friends. But we need different friends for different contexts. Having someone you can count on at work to care about you and understand you feeds your soul in a way that used to apply only at home.
Of course, once you have this information, you have to figure out the most effective ways to make friends at work. Because friends don't just materialize in your cubicle -- you need to cultivate them.
2. Decrease your commute time by moving closer to work.
More than three million people have a commute that lasts more than 90 minutes. Many of them justify this commute by saying that their job is worth it, or that it allows them to have a bigger house. But the commute may be doing them great harm at home and at work.
Humans can adjust to almost any amount of bad news, according to Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert. In his book "Stumbling on Happiness," he shows that we think losing a limb will be terrible, but in fact we adjust to it pretty well. In fact, in the long run it generally doesn't affect our level of happiness.
A commute is different, though. It's impossible to adjust to because the way in which it's bad changes every day. So the tension of not knowing what will be bad, and when it will be bad, and not being able to control those things, means we're unable to use our outstanding mental abilities to adjust.
Here's the clincher, though: Even though people tell themselves it won't happen to them, a bad commute spills over into the rest of the day for almost everyone. If you have a bad commute on the way to work and you walk into the office in a bad mood, that's the mood you're likely to have all day. And if you have a bad commute on the way home, you'll probably still be grouchy by the time you go to bed.
3. Know when it's not about your job.
I'm not certain whether this is good news or bad news, but the connection between your job and your happiness is overrated. In general, the kind of work you do isn't going to have huge bearing on whether you're happy or not.
To be sure, your work can make you unhappy (see No. 2 above, for example), but work isn't going to give you the key to the meaning of life or anything like that.
Still, you can do a quick check to make sure you have a job that's good for you. A good job:
• Stretches you without defeating you
• Provides clear goals
• Provides unambiguous feedback
• Provides a sense of control
If you have these things in your job and you're still not happy, it's not your job -- it's you.
So maybe it's time to start looking inside yourself to figure out what's wrong, instead of blaming everything on your job. I'm a big fan of getting help when you feel stuck. Sure, we can all get ourselves through life, but it's often easier to get where you want to be faster if you have someone to help you overcome your barriers.
To this end, you need to know if you need a career coach or a shrink. And if your job meets the criteria on the above list, you could probably use help from a mental health professional in order to find ways to get happier.
4. Do good deeds.
Help people. Be kind. Don't think about what you get in return. Just be nice. In this way, you can make the world a better place in the job you have right now.
Take personal responsibility for your happiness during the day, and do things that make you feel good. You've heard a lot of this before. If you go to the gym, your mood will get better (and your mind will be sharper). If you eat healthy food, you feel better than if you go to McDonald's for lunch. And if you do random acts of kindness, you get as much out of it as the person you're being kind to.
But most importantly, stop looking for your work to give your life meaning. The meaning of life is in your relationships. Cultivate them. A good job is a nice thing to have, but only in the context of larger meaning.
If you're happy outside of work, where you don't rely on your boss or your company, then finding happiness at work will be that much easier.
MY THOUGHTS
i agree that spending too much time on the road affects your demeanor at work. these are good tips. but i like number 4 best. "do good deeds" make people feel good. you can't win all the time. but what does it matter. one happier person because of one good deed more than makes up for those who will never be happy no matter what you do. i'll sleep on that thought.
by Penelope Trunk
The best way to be happier at work is to take personal responsibility for your workplace well-being. Any job can be better than it is right now.
Here are four ways you can improve your job instead of relying on your boss or your company to change:
1. Make a friend at work.
People with one friend at work are much more likely to find their work interesting. And people with three friends at work are virtually guaranteed to be very satisfied with their life, according to extensive research from Gallup published in the book "Vital Friends" by Tom Rath. These findings are independent of what a person's job entails, and what their home life is like.
On one level, this isn't surprising. We're better equipped to deal with hardship if we have friends near us, and we have more fun when we're with friends. So a friend allows us to deal with the ups and downs of work much more easily.
We often think of work and life as separate, and consequently fortify our home life with friends. But we need different friends for different contexts. Having someone you can count on at work to care about you and understand you feeds your soul in a way that used to apply only at home.
Of course, once you have this information, you have to figure out the most effective ways to make friends at work. Because friends don't just materialize in your cubicle -- you need to cultivate them.
2. Decrease your commute time by moving closer to work.
More than three million people have a commute that lasts more than 90 minutes. Many of them justify this commute by saying that their job is worth it, or that it allows them to have a bigger house. But the commute may be doing them great harm at home and at work.
Humans can adjust to almost any amount of bad news, according to Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert. In his book "Stumbling on Happiness," he shows that we think losing a limb will be terrible, but in fact we adjust to it pretty well. In fact, in the long run it generally doesn't affect our level of happiness.
A commute is different, though. It's impossible to adjust to because the way in which it's bad changes every day. So the tension of not knowing what will be bad, and when it will be bad, and not being able to control those things, means we're unable to use our outstanding mental abilities to adjust.
Here's the clincher, though: Even though people tell themselves it won't happen to them, a bad commute spills over into the rest of the day for almost everyone. If you have a bad commute on the way to work and you walk into the office in a bad mood, that's the mood you're likely to have all day. And if you have a bad commute on the way home, you'll probably still be grouchy by the time you go to bed.
3. Know when it's not about your job.
I'm not certain whether this is good news or bad news, but the connection between your job and your happiness is overrated. In general, the kind of work you do isn't going to have huge bearing on whether you're happy or not.
To be sure, your work can make you unhappy (see No. 2 above, for example), but work isn't going to give you the key to the meaning of life or anything like that.
Still, you can do a quick check to make sure you have a job that's good for you. A good job:
• Stretches you without defeating you
• Provides clear goals
• Provides unambiguous feedback
• Provides a sense of control
If you have these things in your job and you're still not happy, it's not your job -- it's you.
So maybe it's time to start looking inside yourself to figure out what's wrong, instead of blaming everything on your job. I'm a big fan of getting help when you feel stuck. Sure, we can all get ourselves through life, but it's often easier to get where you want to be faster if you have someone to help you overcome your barriers.
To this end, you need to know if you need a career coach or a shrink. And if your job meets the criteria on the above list, you could probably use help from a mental health professional in order to find ways to get happier.
4. Do good deeds.
Help people. Be kind. Don't think about what you get in return. Just be nice. In this way, you can make the world a better place in the job you have right now.
Take personal responsibility for your happiness during the day, and do things that make you feel good. You've heard a lot of this before. If you go to the gym, your mood will get better (and your mind will be sharper). If you eat healthy food, you feel better than if you go to McDonald's for lunch. And if you do random acts of kindness, you get as much out of it as the person you're being kind to.
But most importantly, stop looking for your work to give your life meaning. The meaning of life is in your relationships. Cultivate them. A good job is a nice thing to have, but only in the context of larger meaning.
If you're happy outside of work, where you don't rely on your boss or your company, then finding happiness at work will be that much easier.
MY THOUGHTS
i agree that spending too much time on the road affects your demeanor at work. these are good tips. but i like number 4 best. "do good deeds" make people feel good. you can't win all the time. but what does it matter. one happier person because of one good deed more than makes up for those who will never be happy no matter what you do. i'll sleep on that thought.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
How to Be the Ideal Employee
How to Be the Ideal Employee
By Margaret Heffernan
I’ve been talking to a lot of graduating classes lately, and they all ask the same question: what makes for the ideal employee?
There isn’t such a creature, I answer. The best are always their own people. But there are three kinds of people I don’t think
any company can live without. I think of them in terms of the three very best people I’ve been lucky enough to have work for me.
Here’s what they had that others didn’t:
The first fulfilled a function that has gone severely out of fashion: she was a terrific interstitial worker, filling in the
gaps between departments, between specialties, between projects. With an uncanny ability to spot the cracks through which
information, details and responsibility disappeared, she fixed things before they went wrong. She would also tell me when I was
making a dumb decision. Everyone knows it’s stupid to surround yourself with yes men and sycophants. But the trick is to find
people who believe in the mission but remain critically aware. She did that all the time.
The second had Zeitgeist. I never figured out how she did this, but she had a true sense of what was going on in the world:
street sense. She could work in any medium, on any kind of project, and her work was always in tune with the times — cool and
credible. Apart from her ability to work like a Trojan, she never stopped looking and thinking, and she never became cynical.
Every day, every project was a fresh opportunity to learn and to shine. She was the only person I’ve ever known with endless
creative resilience.
The third just had quality. He wasn’t an innovator, and in a flashy, egotistical industry (television), he didn’t make a splash.
What he did have was a burning desire for serious work and a real respect for the people he worked with. As a result, good
people loved working with him. I knew I could always trust him to aim high and never cut corners. He built relationships with
his team that lasted for years, because he cared about everyone’s success.
Did they work for me — or did I work for them? I couldn’t say. I’d argue that no business can succeed without people like this.
What other qualities do you think are essential to great employees?
MY THOUGHTS
ideal? maybe someone who has both his heart and head on the job? we can't have those smart but heartless workers. nor the
softiy bimbos.i guees, someone who produces the results and encourages others to do the same?
By Margaret Heffernan
I’ve been talking to a lot of graduating classes lately, and they all ask the same question: what makes for the ideal employee?
There isn’t such a creature, I answer. The best are always their own people. But there are three kinds of people I don’t think
any company can live without. I think of them in terms of the three very best people I’ve been lucky enough to have work for me.
Here’s what they had that others didn’t:
The first fulfilled a function that has gone severely out of fashion: she was a terrific interstitial worker, filling in the
gaps between departments, between specialties, between projects. With an uncanny ability to spot the cracks through which
information, details and responsibility disappeared, she fixed things before they went wrong. She would also tell me when I was
making a dumb decision. Everyone knows it’s stupid to surround yourself with yes men and sycophants. But the trick is to find
people who believe in the mission but remain critically aware. She did that all the time.
The second had Zeitgeist. I never figured out how she did this, but she had a true sense of what was going on in the world:
street sense. She could work in any medium, on any kind of project, and her work was always in tune with the times — cool and
credible. Apart from her ability to work like a Trojan, she never stopped looking and thinking, and she never became cynical.
Every day, every project was a fresh opportunity to learn and to shine. She was the only person I’ve ever known with endless
creative resilience.
The third just had quality. He wasn’t an innovator, and in a flashy, egotistical industry (television), he didn’t make a splash.
What he did have was a burning desire for serious work and a real respect for the people he worked with. As a result, good
people loved working with him. I knew I could always trust him to aim high and never cut corners. He built relationships with
his team that lasted for years, because he cared about everyone’s success.
Did they work for me — or did I work for them? I couldn’t say. I’d argue that no business can succeed without people like this.
What other qualities do you think are essential to great employees?
MY THOUGHTS
ideal? maybe someone who has both his heart and head on the job? we can't have those smart but heartless workers. nor the
softiy bimbos.i guees, someone who produces the results and encourages others to do the same?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Workplace Rudeness Causes Mistakes on the Job
Workplace Rudeness Causes Mistakes on the Job
Whether you see or experience it, disrespectful behavior can create errors
Jill Provost ON Jul 7, 2010 at 12:33PM
Ever had a boss who chewed you and your coworkers out on a regular basis? Turns out, it’s not just bad for morale—it’s also bad for your performance. According to an article in the July issue of British Medical Journal, rudeness in the workplace causes mistakes. And, it’s not just the work of the person who’s been chewed out that suffers. Bystanders who witness tension, arguments and cruelty also become more accident-prone. While this can be troublesome to any business, it can be dangerous when the workplace is a hospital or operating room, says author Rhona Flin, Ph.D., professor of applied psychology at the University of Aberdeen.
In a poll of 800 North American employees, 10 percent said they experience rudeness at work on a daily basis. And in a survey of surgical health-care professionals, 60 percent of respondents said they had been subjected to aggressive behavior from a nurse or surgeon within the past six months.
In her report, Flin describes a series of studies that point to the troubling effects of workplace discourteousness. In the first, a group of students were invited to take part in an experiment. Those who were insulted by the professor on the way to the test session scored significantly lower on a series of memory tests than those who were not spoken to rudely. According to Flin, human attention is driven by emotion. When an altercation gets us riled up, it prevents us from being able to concentrate on the task at hand.
The next segment tested how students would react to seeing a colleague treated brusquely. Here, the professor told a student who showed up late that he was irresponsible, couldn’t expect to hold a job down in the real world and that he could not participate in the experiment with his classmates. The students who saw the incident performed worse on their cognitive tests than a control group that had not witnessed the negative interaction.
Past research has shown that all it takes is one person’s negativity to spoil an entire work environment. According to the University of Washington study, a single toxic team member can bring down an entire organization. In a follow-up study, they also found that the vast majority of people surveyed could identify at least one bad apple that brought about dysfunction to their team.
Back before I became a company of one, I had my fair share of rude bosses and coworkers who always brought the rest of us down with them. Though I can’t say whether they made my work sloppier, their negativity definitely sapped my mental energy and made it harder to concentrate. Plus, it puts a damper on any enthusiasm you had for your job up to that point. And for me, I know that I do a much better job when I can actually enjoy the task in front of me, instead of worrying about whether I’m going to be the one who gets chewed out next.
MY THOUGHT
i hope i'm not "the" rude person. i'm sure some people think so because i'm frank and i say things people prefer not to hear. but i wonder what's worse - the frank honest person who comes out in the open (but will probably need to work on diplomacy) or the silent worker whose rudeness doesn't come out but does everything they can to undermine you by working through the grapevine.
Whether you see or experience it, disrespectful behavior can create errors
Jill Provost ON Jul 7, 2010 at 12:33PM
Ever had a boss who chewed you and your coworkers out on a regular basis? Turns out, it’s not just bad for morale—it’s also bad for your performance. According to an article in the July issue of British Medical Journal, rudeness in the workplace causes mistakes. And, it’s not just the work of the person who’s been chewed out that suffers. Bystanders who witness tension, arguments and cruelty also become more accident-prone. While this can be troublesome to any business, it can be dangerous when the workplace is a hospital or operating room, says author Rhona Flin, Ph.D., professor of applied psychology at the University of Aberdeen.
In a poll of 800 North American employees, 10 percent said they experience rudeness at work on a daily basis. And in a survey of surgical health-care professionals, 60 percent of respondents said they had been subjected to aggressive behavior from a nurse or surgeon within the past six months.
In her report, Flin describes a series of studies that point to the troubling effects of workplace discourteousness. In the first, a group of students were invited to take part in an experiment. Those who were insulted by the professor on the way to the test session scored significantly lower on a series of memory tests than those who were not spoken to rudely. According to Flin, human attention is driven by emotion. When an altercation gets us riled up, it prevents us from being able to concentrate on the task at hand.
The next segment tested how students would react to seeing a colleague treated brusquely. Here, the professor told a student who showed up late that he was irresponsible, couldn’t expect to hold a job down in the real world and that he could not participate in the experiment with his classmates. The students who saw the incident performed worse on their cognitive tests than a control group that had not witnessed the negative interaction.
Past research has shown that all it takes is one person’s negativity to spoil an entire work environment. According to the University of Washington study, a single toxic team member can bring down an entire organization. In a follow-up study, they also found that the vast majority of people surveyed could identify at least one bad apple that brought about dysfunction to their team.
Back before I became a company of one, I had my fair share of rude bosses and coworkers who always brought the rest of us down with them. Though I can’t say whether they made my work sloppier, their negativity definitely sapped my mental energy and made it harder to concentrate. Plus, it puts a damper on any enthusiasm you had for your job up to that point. And for me, I know that I do a much better job when I can actually enjoy the task in front of me, instead of worrying about whether I’m going to be the one who gets chewed out next.
MY THOUGHT
i hope i'm not "the" rude person. i'm sure some people think so because i'm frank and i say things people prefer not to hear. but i wonder what's worse - the frank honest person who comes out in the open (but will probably need to work on diplomacy) or the silent worker whose rudeness doesn't come out but does everything they can to undermine you by working through the grapevine.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
How to Tap into What Really Motivates You
How to Tap into What Really Motivates You
By Daniel H. Pink
O, The Oprah Magazine | December 08, 2009
The most effective incentive on the planet? It's not a pile of cash, praise or gold stars. There's a far more powerful motivation, says Daniel H. Pink, the guy who turned Oprah on to the power of right-brain thinking , and he's not talking about denial or punishment, either. Scientists are discovering a far more powerful third drive. To tap into it, you need to develop three things: a sense of mastery, autonomy and purpose. Here's how…
1. Discover Your Reservoir of Grit
The thirst for mastery is akin to the thirst for water. It keeps the soul alive. So what is the best way to cultivate a sense to accomplishment? An interesting answer recently came from a group of researchers studying new cadets at West Point to understand why some students dropped out. All the recruits were talented, but the successful students shared a certain quality: grit. Everyone has a reservoir of grit, though you can't tap it for a random endeavor. (There's a reason Dara Torres didn't become an accountant. As a kid, she was willing to swim 2000 yards at 5 a.m.—not balance her mom's checkbook.) To figure out where your reservoir of grit is, ask yourself: "What would I do for free?" Or: "What I'd really like to be doing now is ________." The answers point you toward areas where you'll naturally persevere—and improve.
2. Figure Out Where You Can Be Your Own Boss
We come into this world curious and self-directed—just look at any toddler—but we can become passive and inert in mundane situations, like when we're stuck on the low end of the office totem pole or in the cook/housecleaner/chauffeur role at home. Two business school professors, however, found that people in the least-empowered positions can develop a sense of autonomy. They studied the performance of hospital cleaners, and found that those who went beyond doing the minimum job requirements—chatting with patients or helping make nurses' tasks go more smoothly—reported an increase in job satisfaction. By reframing their duties, the janitors helped make their work more fully their own. This isn't just about taking on more responsibilities. It's about exploring what you can do differently to make your role, whatever it is, more interesting. If you reframe "I have to go the grocery store" to "I'm a player in the worldwide supply chain for food"—okay, no one but a nerd like me will do that—but you could choose to see how your choice of eggs can affect a larger system. Or you can make a game of it and see how fast you can get in and out of there. Either way, you're not at the mercy of a to-do list; you've taken control (if only in a small way) of your time, efforts and responsibilities.
3. Find Your Sentence
Seeking purpose is part of how we're wired—by doing something that endures, we prove that we were here, that we mattered. Clare Boothe Luce once told John F. Kennedy, "A great man is one sentence. Abraham Lincoln's was 'He preserved the Union and freed the slaves.' What's yours?" If you can't seem to access your purpose in life, I've found the best place to start is with Luce's question.
MY THOUGHTS
GRIT! That's it. That's exactly what we have when we find that something that we will do for free. What willI do for free? Exactly what I'm doing right now.I have found my sentence.
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Get-Motivated-Daniel-Pink-Article
By Daniel H. Pink
O, The Oprah Magazine | December 08, 2009
The most effective incentive on the planet? It's not a pile of cash, praise or gold stars. There's a far more powerful motivation, says Daniel H. Pink, the guy who turned Oprah on to the power of right-brain thinking , and he's not talking about denial or punishment, either. Scientists are discovering a far more powerful third drive. To tap into it, you need to develop three things: a sense of mastery, autonomy and purpose. Here's how…
1. Discover Your Reservoir of Grit
The thirst for mastery is akin to the thirst for water. It keeps the soul alive. So what is the best way to cultivate a sense to accomplishment? An interesting answer recently came from a group of researchers studying new cadets at West Point to understand why some students dropped out. All the recruits were talented, but the successful students shared a certain quality: grit. Everyone has a reservoir of grit, though you can't tap it for a random endeavor. (There's a reason Dara Torres didn't become an accountant. As a kid, she was willing to swim 2000 yards at 5 a.m.—not balance her mom's checkbook.) To figure out where your reservoir of grit is, ask yourself: "What would I do for free?" Or: "What I'd really like to be doing now is ________." The answers point you toward areas where you'll naturally persevere—and improve.
2. Figure Out Where You Can Be Your Own Boss
We come into this world curious and self-directed—just look at any toddler—but we can become passive and inert in mundane situations, like when we're stuck on the low end of the office totem pole or in the cook/housecleaner/chauffeur role at home. Two business school professors, however, found that people in the least-empowered positions can develop a sense of autonomy. They studied the performance of hospital cleaners, and found that those who went beyond doing the minimum job requirements—chatting with patients or helping make nurses' tasks go more smoothly—reported an increase in job satisfaction. By reframing their duties, the janitors helped make their work more fully their own. This isn't just about taking on more responsibilities. It's about exploring what you can do differently to make your role, whatever it is, more interesting. If you reframe "I have to go the grocery store" to "I'm a player in the worldwide supply chain for food"—okay, no one but a nerd like me will do that—but you could choose to see how your choice of eggs can affect a larger system. Or you can make a game of it and see how fast you can get in and out of there. Either way, you're not at the mercy of a to-do list; you've taken control (if only in a small way) of your time, efforts and responsibilities.
3. Find Your Sentence
Seeking purpose is part of how we're wired—by doing something that endures, we prove that we were here, that we mattered. Clare Boothe Luce once told John F. Kennedy, "A great man is one sentence. Abraham Lincoln's was 'He preserved the Union and freed the slaves.' What's yours?" If you can't seem to access your purpose in life, I've found the best place to start is with Luce's question.
MY THOUGHTS
GRIT! That's it. That's exactly what we have when we find that something that we will do for free. What willI do for free? Exactly what I'm doing right now.I have found my sentence.
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Get-Motivated-Daniel-Pink-Article
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