Seven signs of job burnout
By Janet Fowler, Investopedia.com
http://lifewise.canoe.ca/Investopedia/2011/03/29/17793221.html
With the current economy's move towards efficiency, many employees are facing greater demands for their time. Perhaps through downsizing in the organization or cutbacks in operating funds, many organizations are running leaner and employees are often feeling the pressure. When employees feel intense pressure in the workplace, this can lead to stress, anxiety and even burnout. Burnout comes when an individual faces prolonged exposure to stressors, leading to a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion. Many people don't even realize that they're experiencing burnout until they suffer health issues as a result. Use these signs and symptoms to help determine if you're experiencing job burnout.
1. Procrastination or Loss of Motivation
Do you remember the days when you were eager to get to the office and felt the satisfaction of meeting a major deadline? An important aspect of success in the workplace is feeling an internal desire to perform, and finding satisfaction in the work that you do. If you no longer feel the motivation to strive for perfection, find yourself procrastinating or simply putting in the minimal amount of work to meet deadlines, you might want to examine what's brought on the change in your motivation.
2. Absenteeism and Lateness
Calling in sick often? Constantly showing up late or leaving early? Employees who are often absent could potentially be experiencing burnout. If any excuse not to attend seems good enough, or if you're desperate to leave as soon as possible, it may be a good idea to investigate the reasons you're feeling this way. It is also a possibility that if you are ill more often that this could be related to burnout. People who are unhappy or stressed often have a weakened immune system.
3. Every Day Seems Like a Bad Day
Do you find yourself responding negatively every time someone asks you how your day was? If your negative feelings tend to revolve around your workplace and you're unable to think of anything positive that happened during your workday, this is definitely a symptom of job burnout. Taking some time to find the positives in each day may help to make your job seem more tolerable.
4. Isolating Yourself from Others
No longer taking lunch or coffee breaks with your coworkers? Trying to dodge out of the office without having to say goodnight? If the days of being the life of the office party are gone, perhaps you should step back examine the reasons. Isolating yourself from others can be a symptom of a much larger issue, such as anxiety, burnout or depression. If this behavior seems isolated to the workplace, this could definitely indicate job burnout; however, any time you notice yourself withdrawing from others, you should question what's brought on the change.
5. Cynicism
Feeling like things will never improve, or finding yourself questioning what you're even doing at work? Feelings of negativity, bitterness or resentment towards your job, or feeling like the work you do will never be good enough indicates job burnout. Take a moment to ask yourself if what you're feeling is rational. Are things really as bad as you perceive them to be?
6. Overreacting
Do you find yourself becoming angry or frustrated with almost everything your coworkers or clients say or do? If you have outbursts of anger over small issues in the workplace, job burnout could be the culprit behind this behavior. If your coworkers are walking on eggshells any time you're around, then you probably need to step back and reevaluate. Remember that your coworkers are just trying to do their jobs as well. Reminding you of a deadline, asking you to attend a meeting, or inviting you to chip in on the office lottery pool isn't an invitation to vent your frustrations.
7. Depression
At its very worst, depression can be the outcome of experiencing prolonged burnout. Depression can manifest itself in many ways. Changes in sleep pattern, increase or decrease in appetite, emotional outbursts, refusal to participate in social activities, and isolation are all symptoms of depression. Unexplained physical pains may also be attributed to depression. Depression, when left untreated, can cause individuals to take part in self-destructive behaviors, such as excessive drinking. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should speak to your doctor as soon as possible. (Job loss can be devastating. Learn how to anticipate it and quickly get back on your feet.
The Bottom Line
If you're experiencing a number of the signs and symptoms of burnout, you should examine the cause of your feelings and what you can do to change your workplace environment to make it healthier for you. Don't be afraid to address the issues that are making you feel stressed or unhappy. Ultimately, if you feel like a change of environment would be best, it might be time to start looking for a new job. If this isn't an option for you, there are other possibilities. Perhaps requesting a transfer, or asking for new job tasks that will revive your interest can help to improve your motivation.
Finding motivation or happiness in other parts of your life can help to improve your outlook at work as well. Making a point of spending your off hours on hobbies, taking a vacation, or being physically active may help to improve your attitude and ability to handle stress overall. If you are at the point where you are experiencing burnout to such an extent that you are feeling depressed or taking part in self-destructive behaviors, you should speak to your doctor about long-term risks to your health and wellness, or possible treatments.
MY THOUGHTS
Bottom line - one or two of the above is already a symptom of the worst to come. Don't wait until you have all 7 signs.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
WAYS TO WIN IN ANY BUSINESS SITUATION
5 Ways to Win in Any Business Situation
By Steve Tobak | September 30, 2010
http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/5-ways-to-win-in-any-business-situation/5681?tag=content;drawer-container
Steve Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, said “Think Win-Win.” Jim Camp, author of Start With No, calls win-win “… the seductive mantra used by the toughest negotiators to get the other side to compromise unnecessarily …” He says those negotiations end up as win-lose.
Want to know who’s right? Well, determining the best approach to any business relationship or negotiation is very much situational, but still, relatively straightforward. Whether it’s a job opportunity, a consulting opportunity, a potential vendor or customer, an internal relationship, whatever, it’s more common sense than you think.
That said, it does confuse and confound a lot of people, even senior executives and business leaders. For example, a post by Niland Mortimer on BNET starts out like this:
The rules of business decision making more often than not are based on the principle of “I win. You lose.” Companies, and their employees, proceed invincibly down the path of unilateral rightness. Compromise is out of the question. Collaboration is tantamount to defeat. I win. You lose. Damn the consequences.
Now, I’m not going to say “I win - you lose” never happens. Sure it does. In fact, it makes complete sense … in certain situations. For example, it’s the only way to approach competitors because market-share is more or less a zero-sum game. But otherwise, that’s neither the way to win nor the way it works in the real world. Frankly, I don’t know where Mortimer’s assertion comes from, but it’s not consistent with my experience.
So, to clear up all the confusion and distinguish between the different approaches, here are 5 Ways to Win in Any Business Situation:
1. Internal relationship between coworkers. Win-win, collaborate, all the way. Anything else is dysfunctional. Sure, the dysfunctional stuff - back stabbing, taking credit for someone else’s work, sugar-coating BS, CYA - all exists, but don’t fall into that trap. You either have to play it smarter or find a company that doesn’t accept that kind of crap.
Goal: Win-win
2. Boss-employee relationship. Again, Win-win, collaborate, all the way, same as with coworkers. Companies don’t exist for you, your boss, or your employees. They exist for two reasons: to provide a product or service to customers, and to provide value to shareholders. All employees at every level should be aligned to do that, simple as that.
Goal: Win-win
3. Competitors in the marketplace. I win - you lose. Period. Market competition is a zero-sum game, simple as that. To suggest otherwise is idiotic. And yes, you should befriend your competitors, call them frienemies, hang out and party with them, anything you like. Just listen more than you talk. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?
Goal: I win - you lose
4. Customer-vendor relationship. Customer-vendor relationships should always yield the perception of a win-win, especially if you want an ongoing relationship. That said, when you approach negotiations, your goal is to get the better deal while the other guy thinks he did okay too. I think of that as “I win - you don’t lose.” Camp provides a pretty good approach for doing that. It’s not easy at first, but you do get better at it with experience.
Goal: I win - you don’t lose
5. Job or consulting opportunity. It’s important to note that, in this situation, you all have to live with each other after the fact. So, whichever side of the equation you’re on, don’t overpromise and risk underdelivering or underplay your hand and risk losing the gig. Best to be genuine. That said, when it comes to negotiating dollars and cents, it’s the same as customer-vendor.
Goal: I win - you don’t lose
MY THOUGHTS
Personally,I think win-win is very ideal. Maybe because it's very hard to accomplish. I agree with this article - it is indeed situational.
By Steve Tobak | September 30, 2010
http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/5-ways-to-win-in-any-business-situation/5681?tag=content;drawer-container
Steve Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, said “Think Win-Win.” Jim Camp, author of Start With No, calls win-win “… the seductive mantra used by the toughest negotiators to get the other side to compromise unnecessarily …” He says those negotiations end up as win-lose.
Want to know who’s right? Well, determining the best approach to any business relationship or negotiation is very much situational, but still, relatively straightforward. Whether it’s a job opportunity, a consulting opportunity, a potential vendor or customer, an internal relationship, whatever, it’s more common sense than you think.
That said, it does confuse and confound a lot of people, even senior executives and business leaders. For example, a post by Niland Mortimer on BNET starts out like this:
The rules of business decision making more often than not are based on the principle of “I win. You lose.” Companies, and their employees, proceed invincibly down the path of unilateral rightness. Compromise is out of the question. Collaboration is tantamount to defeat. I win. You lose. Damn the consequences.
Now, I’m not going to say “I win - you lose” never happens. Sure it does. In fact, it makes complete sense … in certain situations. For example, it’s the only way to approach competitors because market-share is more or less a zero-sum game. But otherwise, that’s neither the way to win nor the way it works in the real world. Frankly, I don’t know where Mortimer’s assertion comes from, but it’s not consistent with my experience.
So, to clear up all the confusion and distinguish between the different approaches, here are 5 Ways to Win in Any Business Situation:
1. Internal relationship between coworkers. Win-win, collaborate, all the way. Anything else is dysfunctional. Sure, the dysfunctional stuff - back stabbing, taking credit for someone else’s work, sugar-coating BS, CYA - all exists, but don’t fall into that trap. You either have to play it smarter or find a company that doesn’t accept that kind of crap.
Goal: Win-win
2. Boss-employee relationship. Again, Win-win, collaborate, all the way, same as with coworkers. Companies don’t exist for you, your boss, or your employees. They exist for two reasons: to provide a product or service to customers, and to provide value to shareholders. All employees at every level should be aligned to do that, simple as that.
Goal: Win-win
3. Competitors in the marketplace. I win - you lose. Period. Market competition is a zero-sum game, simple as that. To suggest otherwise is idiotic. And yes, you should befriend your competitors, call them frienemies, hang out and party with them, anything you like. Just listen more than you talk. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?
Goal: I win - you lose
4. Customer-vendor relationship. Customer-vendor relationships should always yield the perception of a win-win, especially if you want an ongoing relationship. That said, when you approach negotiations, your goal is to get the better deal while the other guy thinks he did okay too. I think of that as “I win - you don’t lose.” Camp provides a pretty good approach for doing that. It’s not easy at first, but you do get better at it with experience.
Goal: I win - you don’t lose
5. Job or consulting opportunity. It’s important to note that, in this situation, you all have to live with each other after the fact. So, whichever side of the equation you’re on, don’t overpromise and risk underdelivering or underplay your hand and risk losing the gig. Best to be genuine. That said, when it comes to negotiating dollars and cents, it’s the same as customer-vendor.
Goal: I win - you don’t lose
MY THOUGHTS
Personally,I think win-win is very ideal. Maybe because it's very hard to accomplish. I agree with this article - it is indeed situational.
Monday, March 14, 2011
WHAT CUSTOMERS REALLY WANT
WHAT CUSTOMERS REALY WANT
from the article "10 Things All Customers Want"
By Steve Tobak | February 1, 2011
http://www.bnet.com
Never before in history has a society bought and sold so much stuff. We’re all part of a giant food chain of products and services. That means, in all likelihood, that you’re not only a customer, but you have customers, too.
Since you’re on both sides of the equation, it stands to reason that you’d treat your customers the same way you’d want to be treated, right? It seems so obvious.
But do we do that? Do we do the obvious thing? No, most of us don’t. Instead, we hoist customers high up on some pedestal. And because we revere them, we treat them differently … when we shouldn’t.
We think of our customers as authority figures. And how do we interact with authority figures? Our parents, our teachers, our bosses? Differently. We’re not genuine with them because we’re afraid it will change their opinion of us. We put on airs. We spin the truth.
That’s dysfunctional behavior with all sorts of unintended consequences.
I’ve been selling products and services as far back as I can remember. My customers have ranged from corporate giants to tiny startups, from engineers to CEOs, from Tokyo to Istanbul. And you know what? They all want the same things. Some are relatively straightforward while others are counterintuitive. In any case, here are …
10 Things All Customers Want
1. Your honest assessment of the competition. Customers want information. And if you can be balanced and honest about it, they’d love to get your assessment of the competition.
2. Bad news. Give it to them straight, face-to-face, in a timely manner. Moreover, be prepared to pull out all the stops to make things right for them. Bad news is part of life and business. It happens. Deal with it.
3. The truth about your company or product’s shortcomings. You know they’re going to figure it out sooner or later. Don’t you think it’s a better idea for them to hear it from you first? Encourage them to provide honest feedback in real time so you’ve at least got a chance to address their concerns openly.
4. Be there when they need you. Availability in real time is everything, these days. It saves them time and that’s huge. Be there when they need you. It’ll make all the difference.
5. Something that goes beyond the call of duty.
6. Cut out the small talk. Time is everyone’s most precious asset these days; don’t waste it.
7. Make their jobs easier. When was the last time you actually asked what will make their jobs easier, what their specific priorities are with respect to the product or service you provide, what you can do differently to be a better vendor, or what keeps them up at night?
8. Give them your undivided attention. Don’t take calls or visitors when you’re meeting with them. Don’t get easily distracted, either; just pay attention and listen when they talk.
9. Pick up the phone and call. When it’s something important to them, picking up the phone and calling instead of emailing, every so often, is a big deal.
10. Thank them for their business. Next time you see your customer, look him straight in the eye and tell him how much you enjoy working with him and appreciate the opportunity.
Bottom line. Every single one of you could have written this post by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. It should be easy, since you’re somebody else’s customer. So do that. You’ll be amazed by what you come up with.
MY THOUGHTS
i keep going to a certain store or establishment because they treat me well. by 'well' i mean they they are available for questions, they go away when i don't want them around, they show they care without being patronizing. the author of this article is right - think of yourself as a customer. then deal with your customers the way you want to be treated.
from the article "10 Things All Customers Want"
By Steve Tobak | February 1, 2011
http://www.bnet.com
Never before in history has a society bought and sold so much stuff. We’re all part of a giant food chain of products and services. That means, in all likelihood, that you’re not only a customer, but you have customers, too.
Since you’re on both sides of the equation, it stands to reason that you’d treat your customers the same way you’d want to be treated, right? It seems so obvious.
But do we do that? Do we do the obvious thing? No, most of us don’t. Instead, we hoist customers high up on some pedestal. And because we revere them, we treat them differently … when we shouldn’t.
We think of our customers as authority figures. And how do we interact with authority figures? Our parents, our teachers, our bosses? Differently. We’re not genuine with them because we’re afraid it will change their opinion of us. We put on airs. We spin the truth.
That’s dysfunctional behavior with all sorts of unintended consequences.
I’ve been selling products and services as far back as I can remember. My customers have ranged from corporate giants to tiny startups, from engineers to CEOs, from Tokyo to Istanbul. And you know what? They all want the same things. Some are relatively straightforward while others are counterintuitive. In any case, here are …
10 Things All Customers Want
1. Your honest assessment of the competition. Customers want information. And if you can be balanced and honest about it, they’d love to get your assessment of the competition.
2. Bad news. Give it to them straight, face-to-face, in a timely manner. Moreover, be prepared to pull out all the stops to make things right for them. Bad news is part of life and business. It happens. Deal with it.
3. The truth about your company or product’s shortcomings. You know they’re going to figure it out sooner or later. Don’t you think it’s a better idea for them to hear it from you first? Encourage them to provide honest feedback in real time so you’ve at least got a chance to address their concerns openly.
4. Be there when they need you. Availability in real time is everything, these days. It saves them time and that’s huge. Be there when they need you. It’ll make all the difference.
5. Something that goes beyond the call of duty.
6. Cut out the small talk. Time is everyone’s most precious asset these days; don’t waste it.
7. Make their jobs easier. When was the last time you actually asked what will make their jobs easier, what their specific priorities are with respect to the product or service you provide, what you can do differently to be a better vendor, or what keeps them up at night?
8. Give them your undivided attention. Don’t take calls or visitors when you’re meeting with them. Don’t get easily distracted, either; just pay attention and listen when they talk.
9. Pick up the phone and call. When it’s something important to them, picking up the phone and calling instead of emailing, every so often, is a big deal.
10. Thank them for their business. Next time you see your customer, look him straight in the eye and tell him how much you enjoy working with him and appreciate the opportunity.
Bottom line. Every single one of you could have written this post by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. It should be easy, since you’re somebody else’s customer. So do that. You’ll be amazed by what you come up with.
MY THOUGHTS
i keep going to a certain store or establishment because they treat me well. by 'well' i mean they they are available for questions, they go away when i don't want them around, they show they care without being patronizing. the author of this article is right - think of yourself as a customer. then deal with your customers the way you want to be treated.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
GET TO WORK ON TIME
Get To Work On Time...Or Else
Best Excuses For Being Late
By F. John Reh, About.com Guide
Mar 1 2011
In economic times like these, when there are at least 10-15 applicants for every job opening, employees who still have jobs are making more of an effort to get to work on time according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com. But that doesn't mean that those who are late don't have interesting reason or excuses for their tardiness.
The survey, conducted in November and December 2010, found that 15 percent of workers admitted to being late for work at least once once a week, down from 16 percent the previous year and 20 percent in 2008. It may be worth noting that the economic downturn did not begin until late in 2008. According to the survey, one-third (32 percent) of employers said they have terminated an employee for being late. Some are more lenient.
Reasons For Being Late
The survey found the most often used excuses were
* traffic-related (30 percent),
* lack of sleep (19 percent),
* bad weather (9 percent), and
* childcare issues (8 percent).
Our Survey
An About.com survey of managers revealed a variety of creative and interesting excuses used by employees who are late for work. These include:
* My wife's brother got arrested on our front lawn, and we were fighting whose fault it was.
* I had to go to the doctor because I have triple pneumonia. (And, were those his exact words.)
* A young lady, who lived a short distance away, did not arrive on time (because) having a pencil skirt on, she could not walk quickly.
* The cat was sick and I had to clean up after her.
* her boyfriend was involved in a fender bender and ended up getting in a shouting match with the other driver who then stabbed him in the neck and drove off.
* He had to take time off to shop for a new phone because he'd dropped his in the toilet that AM and he couldn't live a minute without a cellphone. He's no longer with us.
* She and her spouse argued whose turn it was to stay home when their son woke up sick that morning.
* He had to go and search for his wedding ring, which he thought he had dropped on a gravel road the night before while hunting.
* Her electric garage door opener wouldn't work because of a blown fuse and she had to wait for her husband to come manually raise the door.
* Her son woke up with a loose tooth missing and she had to stay home till he pooped so she could find it.
* The storm knocked out my power and the alarm did not go off.
* I will be late cuz last night there was a storm and I could not get my underwear to dry.
* The Army have exercises in the morning and they blocked the only exit from the complex.
* I would have been here on time if all those other cars weren't on the streets.
The employee whose excuse was "I was too tired to come in on time, so I decided to sleep in and rest up to be more productive" no longer works there.
What's Your Excuse
What is the best, most amusing excuse you have heard? Or have used yoursef? Share the best one you've heard.
MY THOUGHTS
i doubt managers find these excuses amusing. especially if the person concerned is an habitual latecomer. if he's habitually late, i'm surprised he's still allowed to make these excuses (if e still had the job!)
Best Excuses For Being Late
By F. John Reh, About.com Guide
Mar 1 2011
In economic times like these, when there are at least 10-15 applicants for every job opening, employees who still have jobs are making more of an effort to get to work on time according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com. But that doesn't mean that those who are late don't have interesting reason or excuses for their tardiness.
The survey, conducted in November and December 2010, found that 15 percent of workers admitted to being late for work at least once once a week, down from 16 percent the previous year and 20 percent in 2008. It may be worth noting that the economic downturn did not begin until late in 2008. According to the survey, one-third (32 percent) of employers said they have terminated an employee for being late. Some are more lenient.
Reasons For Being Late
The survey found the most often used excuses were
* traffic-related (30 percent),
* lack of sleep (19 percent),
* bad weather (9 percent), and
* childcare issues (8 percent).
Our Survey
An About.com survey of managers revealed a variety of creative and interesting excuses used by employees who are late for work. These include:
* My wife's brother got arrested on our front lawn, and we were fighting whose fault it was.
* I had to go to the doctor because I have triple pneumonia. (And, were those his exact words.)
* A young lady, who lived a short distance away, did not arrive on time (because) having a pencil skirt on, she could not walk quickly.
* The cat was sick and I had to clean up after her.
* her boyfriend was involved in a fender bender and ended up getting in a shouting match with the other driver who then stabbed him in the neck and drove off.
* He had to take time off to shop for a new phone because he'd dropped his in the toilet that AM and he couldn't live a minute without a cellphone. He's no longer with us.
* She and her spouse argued whose turn it was to stay home when their son woke up sick that morning.
* He had to go and search for his wedding ring, which he thought he had dropped on a gravel road the night before while hunting.
* Her electric garage door opener wouldn't work because of a blown fuse and she had to wait for her husband to come manually raise the door.
* Her son woke up with a loose tooth missing and she had to stay home till he pooped so she could find it.
* The storm knocked out my power and the alarm did not go off.
* I will be late cuz last night there was a storm and I could not get my underwear to dry.
* The Army have exercises in the morning and they blocked the only exit from the complex.
* I would have been here on time if all those other cars weren't on the streets.
The employee whose excuse was "I was too tired to come in on time, so I decided to sleep in and rest up to be more productive" no longer works there.
What's Your Excuse
What is the best, most amusing excuse you have heard? Or have used yoursef? Share the best one you've heard.
MY THOUGHTS
i doubt managers find these excuses amusing. especially if the person concerned is an habitual latecomer. if he's habitually late, i'm surprised he's still allowed to make these excuses (if e still had the job!)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
ALLOCATE YOUR TIME
Tick Tock: Tips for Allocating Your Time
By Sean Silverthorne | May 13, 2008
Do you spend your work time as effectively as you could? Let me answer for you. No.
Everyone from CEOs to front-line managers squander their most valuable resource — time — like an untuned automobile wastes fuel. Our opportunities to create real value for the organization are chipped away by everything from trivial e-mail exchanges to putting out petty corporate fires.
How do we tune our time management to make us run more productively? A couple of recent posts on Harvard Business offer some interesting approaches to thinking and dealing with the problem. The first approach is to consider what you are working on, the second discusses ways to making how you work more effective.
The Curse of Multitasking
Columbia Business School professor Rita McGrath posts on the importance of focusing most of your time on tasks, jobs, and roles where you create value. The more you multitask, she says, the less effective you become. She suggests you separate the attractive opportunities from those less attractive by developing a set of evaluation screens that help you set priorities. Read her post for more details.
In Are You Spending Time the Right Way, executive coach Melissa Raffoni outlines a three-step process for using your time more strategically. In summary she asks you to:
Break your responsibilities into strategic and tactical categories such as growth and improvement, managing people, and administration.
Determine how much of your time should be devoted to each category. “To answer,” she writes, “factor in the competing claims on your time: the activities that enable you to generate the most leverage, the company’s strategic priorities, and the short-term needs of your supervisors, direct reports, and customers.”
Make sure your conclusions align with the mission of our superiors and the company overall. Do you and your boss see eye-to-eye on where your commitments should be?
With this information in hand, Raffoni suggests you conduct an audit of how you actually spent your own time last week by looking at your calendar. Are your time commitments strategic? If not, learn how to box time and delegate to get the most out of your schedule, she says.
MY THOUGHTS
i hate to admit it but i've wasted lots of time and resources while multi-tasking. some of you can probably relate with burnt food because you were also doing laundry. retyping correspondence because you were on the phone while composing it. wasting a lot of meeting time not because the meeting was useless but due to the fact that you were busy doing other work or worse, texting.
thing is, we get so hooked-up with the idea that multi-tasking is a skill you should be proud of. you get so good at it has become a habit. and now you're finding it hard top focus. well, all habits can be unlearned. you just need to desire it. then takes things from there.
By Sean Silverthorne | May 13, 2008
Do you spend your work time as effectively as you could? Let me answer for you. No.
Everyone from CEOs to front-line managers squander their most valuable resource — time — like an untuned automobile wastes fuel. Our opportunities to create real value for the organization are chipped away by everything from trivial e-mail exchanges to putting out petty corporate fires.
How do we tune our time management to make us run more productively? A couple of recent posts on Harvard Business offer some interesting approaches to thinking and dealing with the problem. The first approach is to consider what you are working on, the second discusses ways to making how you work more effective.
The Curse of Multitasking
Columbia Business School professor Rita McGrath posts on the importance of focusing most of your time on tasks, jobs, and roles where you create value. The more you multitask, she says, the less effective you become. She suggests you separate the attractive opportunities from those less attractive by developing a set of evaluation screens that help you set priorities. Read her post for more details.
In Are You Spending Time the Right Way, executive coach Melissa Raffoni outlines a three-step process for using your time more strategically. In summary she asks you to:
Break your responsibilities into strategic and tactical categories such as growth and improvement, managing people, and administration.
Determine how much of your time should be devoted to each category. “To answer,” she writes, “factor in the competing claims on your time: the activities that enable you to generate the most leverage, the company’s strategic priorities, and the short-term needs of your supervisors, direct reports, and customers.”
Make sure your conclusions align with the mission of our superiors and the company overall. Do you and your boss see eye-to-eye on where your commitments should be?
With this information in hand, Raffoni suggests you conduct an audit of how you actually spent your own time last week by looking at your calendar. Are your time commitments strategic? If not, learn how to box time and delegate to get the most out of your schedule, she says.
MY THOUGHTS
i hate to admit it but i've wasted lots of time and resources while multi-tasking. some of you can probably relate with burnt food because you were also doing laundry. retyping correspondence because you were on the phone while composing it. wasting a lot of meeting time not because the meeting was useless but due to the fact that you were busy doing other work or worse, texting.
thing is, we get so hooked-up with the idea that multi-tasking is a skill you should be proud of. you get so good at it has become a habit. and now you're finding it hard top focus. well, all habits can be unlearned. you just need to desire it. then takes things from there.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Ways to End Up With a Career You Hate
Five Sure-fire Ways to End Up With a Career You Hate
Oct. 7 2010 - 5:28 pm | 2,860 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments
Posted by Chrissy Scivicque
I spend a lot of time sharing information on how to love your career. I talk about making thoughtful decisions, establishing a path and actively managing your goals.
But, equally important, is avoiding those roads that will lead to inevitable career unhappiness. Sometimes, they’re hard to spot. But I’ve found five that are clear, unmistakable danger zones. Take a look below and make every effort to avoid these traps.
1. “…but I’m good at this”
So, it’s not something you want to do, it’s something you can do. I get it. Sounds good at first. Take advantage of your skills and all that. But sooner or later, it wears thin. I see this quite often with mid-career professionals. They’ve been chugging right along, doing what they do, and suddenly they realize they’ve been sucked into a void of discontent. Don’t dedicate your energy to something just because you have the ability. You deserve to be at least somewhat selective. And if you desperately want to do something that you’re not naturally good at, you always have the power to grow your skills.
2. “…but I need the money.”
It sounds like such an obviously bad idea and yet, so many people fall for this one. Money isn’t enough to keep you happy for long. Yes, we all have financial needs that must be met. But, if that’s the sole reason you’re in your career, prepare for misery my friend. There are—literally—MILLIONS of ways to make money. Find something that offers another kind of satisfaction as well. Compensation comes in many forms and your paycheck is just one.
3. “Things will get better.”
Staying the course and hoping that things improve is a sure-fire way to waste time. If you’re in a career that’s making you miserable, it’s probably safe to say that things can’t change enough to make it worthwhile staying. Maybe they can. Maybe your awful boss will retire and you’ll be promoted and the company will be purchased by Google. But I like to encourage a proactive mindset. Do what you can to improve the situation and, if things don’t change significantly and quickly, start the process of moving on. Don’t stick with it just because you feel invested. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that things will just magically get better with time.
4. “I’m afraid.”
If fear is holding you back, you’re not alone. This is the number one reason people stay in careers they don’t enjoy. The unknown path is always scary. But be honest with yourself. If you never confront your fear, you’ll never know what could have been. You don’t want to look back on your life at the age of 70 and have regrets or questions. A few calculated risks lead to a life well-lived. Maybe not always an easy or expected life, but one you can be proud of.
5. “Nothing else would be any better.”
This is the kind of thinking that takes over when you’re unhappy. You just give up. And it’s my job to remind everyone—yes, everyone—that there are ways to find happiness at work. No one is cursed with the miserable career plague. It’s a temporary state, IF you are willing to do the work. Don’t ever believe you’re stuck.
The kind of thinking described above is normal and tempting. We all fall into these thought patterns on occasion. The good news is that you can snap yourself right out of it. You CAN find career nourishment.
MY THOUGHTS
a job that makes you miserable? of course it sucks. and the power to make it better is in your hands. moving on may not necessarily mean moving to a new job. what's the guarantee that it's going to be better? moving on does not also mean moving now. unless your job will bring you to your grave this very minute. i'm talking of real threats to you and your family. otherwise, move with caution. take heed of the points presented in this article. but check and double check if you are the reason you have a miserable job.
Oct. 7 2010 - 5:28 pm | 2,860 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments
Posted by Chrissy Scivicque
I spend a lot of time sharing information on how to love your career. I talk about making thoughtful decisions, establishing a path and actively managing your goals.
But, equally important, is avoiding those roads that will lead to inevitable career unhappiness. Sometimes, they’re hard to spot. But I’ve found five that are clear, unmistakable danger zones. Take a look below and make every effort to avoid these traps.
1. “…but I’m good at this”
So, it’s not something you want to do, it’s something you can do. I get it. Sounds good at first. Take advantage of your skills and all that. But sooner or later, it wears thin. I see this quite often with mid-career professionals. They’ve been chugging right along, doing what they do, and suddenly they realize they’ve been sucked into a void of discontent. Don’t dedicate your energy to something just because you have the ability. You deserve to be at least somewhat selective. And if you desperately want to do something that you’re not naturally good at, you always have the power to grow your skills.
2. “…but I need the money.”
It sounds like such an obviously bad idea and yet, so many people fall for this one. Money isn’t enough to keep you happy for long. Yes, we all have financial needs that must be met. But, if that’s the sole reason you’re in your career, prepare for misery my friend. There are—literally—MILLIONS of ways to make money. Find something that offers another kind of satisfaction as well. Compensation comes in many forms and your paycheck is just one.
3. “Things will get better.”
Staying the course and hoping that things improve is a sure-fire way to waste time. If you’re in a career that’s making you miserable, it’s probably safe to say that things can’t change enough to make it worthwhile staying. Maybe they can. Maybe your awful boss will retire and you’ll be promoted and the company will be purchased by Google. But I like to encourage a proactive mindset. Do what you can to improve the situation and, if things don’t change significantly and quickly, start the process of moving on. Don’t stick with it just because you feel invested. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that things will just magically get better with time.
4. “I’m afraid.”
If fear is holding you back, you’re not alone. This is the number one reason people stay in careers they don’t enjoy. The unknown path is always scary. But be honest with yourself. If you never confront your fear, you’ll never know what could have been. You don’t want to look back on your life at the age of 70 and have regrets or questions. A few calculated risks lead to a life well-lived. Maybe not always an easy or expected life, but one you can be proud of.
5. “Nothing else would be any better.”
This is the kind of thinking that takes over when you’re unhappy. You just give up. And it’s my job to remind everyone—yes, everyone—that there are ways to find happiness at work. No one is cursed with the miserable career plague. It’s a temporary state, IF you are willing to do the work. Don’t ever believe you’re stuck.
The kind of thinking described above is normal and tempting. We all fall into these thought patterns on occasion. The good news is that you can snap yourself right out of it. You CAN find career nourishment.
MY THOUGHTS
a job that makes you miserable? of course it sucks. and the power to make it better is in your hands. moving on may not necessarily mean moving to a new job. what's the guarantee that it's going to be better? moving on does not also mean moving now. unless your job will bring you to your grave this very minute. i'm talking of real threats to you and your family. otherwise, move with caution. take heed of the points presented in this article. but check and double check if you are the reason you have a miserable job.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
How to Manage Your Manager
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.
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.
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