-
Slow Down Your Knee-jerk Reaction
Tweet Share on Facebook July 31, 2009 Comment (3)You’re in a meeting, and someone says something that is so stupid you can barely contain yourself.
Slow down.
Your first job, when confronted by an assertion that appears to be way out in left field, is to determine the other person’s view of reality. One psychologist suggests trying to imagine what reality would have to resemble in order for the other person’s viewpoint to be rational.
-
The Easy Way of the Pessimist
Tweet Share on Facebook July 30, 2009 Comment (3)For many people, looking at others who have successfully created a career that lights them up is an inspiration. It helps them think, “If they can do it, I can too.”
For others, it prompts them to start making excuses. “Sure, they can do it,” they think. “They didn’t have all the obstacles I have.” Somebody who is poor might look at someone who successfully pursued their dreams and say, “Sure, it was easy for them. They had lots of money. I’m broke.” While someone who is wealthy might look at someone else and say, “Sure, they could do it. They didn’t have all the obligations and commitments I have.”
The fact is, if you’re looking for reasons you can’t pursue your passion, you’re in luck. There’s no shortage of them. And you can always support that story by finding ways that others who have created the life they want to live had something you don’t.
But that’s not the full picture. You can also find reasons why you can pursue your passion, and reasons why your dreams are possible. And you can always find people who have had to overcome far greater obstacles than you have on the path to success.
-
What to Do When a Dream Job Isn't
Tweet Share on Facebook July 30, 2009 Comment (6)I took a new job (along with a pay cut) because I was impressed with the new boss and it gave me an opportunity to branch into management. I am listed as "Exempt - 40+" and my minimum hours are 9 - 7, which, if you actually take a lunch, is a 45 hour work week. But since IT usually works through lunch, it turns into a 50 hour week. OK, I can suck that up, but in the 7 weeks I’ve been on the job, my average workday has been 14 hours, and although I am pretty much the definition of a workaholic, I’m beginning to burn out. The only reason the IT department is working these insane hours is because upper management won't spend the money to upgrade their equipment and/or hire new people. My boss says that things will get better after the first of the year, and has promised a large raise and a very large bonus, but my trust level is low and sinking fast.
I know you aren't an employment lawyer (see, I read your blog!), but this just seems wrong to me. I know the standard answers: 1) the hot-shot boss I really wanted to work for isn't as wonderful as I thought, otherwise he would be better able to protect his employees, and 2) start looking for a new job. For a lot of reasons, changing jobs again isn't a great idea. First, we are in California, where unemployment is worse than the already dismal national average. Second, I’ve changed jobs a lot, and really need to stick at one place for more than 2 years.
So, is this situation legal because anything goes, with regard to exempt employees, or is it illegal? Not that I am going to sue or anything like that (see above), but I think I could mentally deal with this better if I understood the rules better.
-
Can Social Media Get You a Job?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 29, 2009 Comment (6)If you’re job hunting, you may be tired of everyone telling you to network, network, network.
Sorry. But it’s a fact: networking is the no. 1 way to find a job. And now, thanks to a new invention you may have heard of, “the Internet,” you have a bigger and better way to network:
Social media
-
The Best Workers Can Make Small Jobs Big
Tweet Share on Facebook July 28, 2009 Comment (3)In my town, you can spot young workers along the edges of streets holding signs promoting local store sales. Generally, they're advertising for a waterbed store, or another locally owned retail operation. (On Sunday, however, I did notice a young guy with a Kmart placard. If Kmart is doing it, can this be a new media? Kidding…)
I know these are usually temporary jobs. I wouldn't be surprised to hear there's a temp agency that contracts with the stores to provide this casual labor at a minimum rate. Chances are they even provide transportation to and from the street corner.
But with so many advertising choices hitting non-prospects--what could be better than a sign near your store, inviting nearby customers to stop in? Makes sense to me.
-
7 Mistakes Bosses Make When Giving Criticism
Tweet Share on Facebook July 27, 2009 Comment (7)Giving critical feedback to employees can be difficult, and it’s one area that managers most often handle badly. Here are the most common mistakes managers make when delivering less-than-positive feedback:
Not doing it. Some managers don't give critical feedback at all. They either let low performers remain on their staff forever, or they fire them out of the blue one day--having given the employees no sense of what was coming.
[See what to do when you're unhappy at work]
Doing it too late. Some managers ignore problems as long as possible and don't speak up until it’s become so serious that it's much harder for the employee to recover. Giving regular feedback is part of the job as a manager; those who avoid it are being as negligent as a receptionist who ignores the phone when it rings.
-
What to Do With Negative Energy People
Tweet Share on Facebook July 24, 2009 Comment (9)Jack Welch once wrote about the importance of positive energy. He was describing individuals who bring a buoyant and enthusiastic approach to the job--they may be tackling a tough project, but they are excited and curious and filled with eagerness.
We appreciate these people because we’ve seen their opposites: the perpetual pessimists who, as Zig Ziglar quipped, brighten a room by leaving it. These characters can destroy a team’s morale within minutes and create an environment in which other people don’t want to come to work. They may be bright and talented but something happened along the way that soured them and they can’t wait to share the bad news.
Many will claim to have a serious commitment to the mission. They may express a simple desire to have matters run properly. That sounds nice, but if you watch carefully, you will see a certain gleam in their eyes when things go wrong. These are people who covet disasters. They will resist solution after solution, not because they are perfectionists, but because they don’t want a solution. They are strangely empowered by the negative. It shouldn’t be surprising that they don’t want the negative to go away.
-
Should You 'Friend' a Company Contact For a Job?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 23, 2009 Comment (4)I am trying to get hired at a telecommunications company as a collections manager. I've already submitted my resume, but with the tough job market, I'm trying to get an edge and have no contacts for an 'in.' However, I checked jobster.com, glassdoor.com etc. and have found a local contact, albeit a stranger.
Is it too invasive to try contacting them via facebook/myspace (they have both) and try to garner some getting-hired tips, maybe even the name of the hiring HR manager? I don't want to be too pushy but feel like it would also display my resourcefulness, integrity and determination to get the job.
You know, I get friend requests all the time at my Evil HR Lady E-mail address. I ignore every single one of them. Why? Because if I don't know you well enough to give you my personal E-mail address, I'm not going to friend you in any of those social networking situations.
-
How to Overcome the Perfectionist's Definition of Failure
Tweet Share on Facebook July 23, 2009 Comment (6)Do you ever find yourself resisting taking a step towards something new because you know your performance is bound to be less than perfect? Do you ever beat yourself up because you made a mistake, or somehow didn’t measure up to your high expectations?
If so, you just may be a perfectionist. And if you are, you’re suffering from one of the most toxic ways I see people get in their own way. When your personal rule (spoken or unspoken) is that everything you need to do needs to be perfect, failure is inevitable.
Why? Think of it this way. Draw a ten-inch line on a piece of paper. On the very left end, write “Failure,” and on the very right, write “Success.” Now, a quarter inch from the right, draw another line through the ten-inch line. That gives you a line divided into two sections, one that is 9.75 inches and one just 0.25 inch.
-
How to Stay Off the Layoff List
Tweet Share on Facebook July 22, 2009 Comment (5)If you have a job--and, statistically, it's likely you do--chances are you want to hold on to it. The obvious way is to be excellent at your work, to really know what you’re doing. But guess what? That’s not enough.
You also need to:
Be über-reliable. The trick to über-reliability is the ability to accurately predict how long it will take you to complete a task. That way when you say you’ll deliver on Tuesday, you’ll actually be capable of delivering on Tuesday.
