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How Extra Work Without Extra Pay Can Pay Off
Tweet Share on Facebook December 14, 2009 Comment (16)A reader writes:
I am an administrative assistant at a 10-person marketing company. My new boss just asked me to take on a project that my coworker used to do. I'd be willing to do it, but I wonder if I should. Is it a bad idea to let him give me more work that isn't part of my job description? I want to stay at this company for a long time but he isn't offering me a raise.
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How Good Bosses are Likely to Mess Up
Tweet Share on Facebook December 11, 2009 CommentThe bosses' discussion continues from last week:
“Where am I likely to mess up? That’s easy. Taking on too much. You know that old line about how you should never say 'no' to new projects or opportunities? It’s wrong. One of the most important skills you’ll ever learn is the ability to say 'no,' even to yourself. You can’t do it all, and if you and your staff are really stretched, the odds are you won’t do it well.”
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How to Energize Your Work by Making a Difference
Tweet Share on Facebook December 10, 2009 Comment (5)Here’s a question to ponder: Aside from ensuring a paycheck, what difference does it make that you show up to work every day? I'm not asking that from a snarky “what’s the point?” perspective. I mean it as a prompt for you to start thinking about an opportunity to bring more of what you care about into your work.
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Why the Office Star is No Jack Bauer
Tweet Share on Facebook December 10, 2009 CommentIf you've ever watched 24, you'll notice that there are a heck of a lot of raids that take place. Jack Bauer is always accompanied by heavily armed men with full body protection, while he never wears as much as a baseball cap. Yet, he always says, "I'll go in first."
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10 Tips for Surviving the Holidays Jobless
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2009 Comment (7)If you’ve been jobless for three or six or nine months or more, the holidays can be an especially difficult time. All that mandatory good cheer! Not to mention the pressure to spend, spend, spend. It’s enough to make a Grinch out of anybody, unemployed or not.
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5 Networking Tips for People Who Can't Network
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2009 Comment (17)The subject of networking comes up most often as it relates to searching for a job. Unfortunately, most of us begin to network when we are out of work—not before.
[See 9 insider secrets to getting hired.]
Networking is really about finding common interests with others and beginning new relationships that you aim to nurture long-term. If you are only trying for short-term, me-first kinds of relationships with the people you meet, that's not networking, that's self-promotion.
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How to Find a Mentor
Tweet Share on Facebook December 7, 2009 Comment (3)Having a mentor, especially at the early stages of your career, can be invaluable. You get someone who can advise you on career decisions, help you navigate tricky situations, and even just suggest ways to succeed at the more mundane aspects of office life.
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What Good Bosses Hate to See, Part 2
Tweet Share on Facebook December 4, 2009 Comment (1)Last week’s post took a stab at what would be said in a room filled with good bosses who had been asked what they hate to encounter on the job. The discussion continues:
“Now that we’ve reconvened, let’s run through what we identified last week: You hate surprises. You hate when people permit a small problem to grow into a big one, or when someone boasts about the brilliance of the organization. You hate people who kiss up and kick down, as well as supervisors who don’t develop their employees. Any others?”
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How to Fight Your Career Fears
Tweet Share on Facebook December 3, 2009 Comment (2)Have you ever wanted to do something, but felt afraid to take action? And then, when you finally did it, you realized there really wasn't that much to be afraid of, after all? Or, even worse, you didn't do it and later realized your fears were unfounded?
If you have, you're in good company. Fear is the single most debilitating factor standing in people's way of pursuing what they really want in their careers (and life in general). When you look below the surface at almost everything that blocks people’s aspirations, you'll find fear.
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Why Your Job is Different Than Your Marriage
Tweet Share on Facebook December 3, 2009 CommentI love to read advice columnists. It always cracks me up when someone writes in about her "boyfriend of two weeks." Honey, two weeks is not a boyfriend, no matter how much he declares his undying love to you. The fact that you are writing an advice columnist about this fledgling relationship indicates that you should get out now. You don't owe anything to this person, and if he's causing you that much angst, it will only get worse.
