Use Breathing to Stay Grounded in Stressful Moments

February 15, 2017

Use Breathing to Stay Grounded in Stressful Moments

Practicing mindfulness is as much physical as it is mental. Paying attention to your body can help you stay calm in stressful moments. This is called anchoring — noticing your physical experience rather than avoiding it. The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and focus on how it feels to have your lungs fill and then empty of air. This gives your body a break from your mind’s chatter and a chance to regulate after amping up in response to a perceived threat. When we’re in distress — for example, thinking we’re going to mess up a big presentation — we psych ourselves out. Taking a breath can make you more aware of your surroundings and less gullible to these falsehoods. A brief moment is all you need to remind yourself that you can handle what is thrown at you.

Adapted from “A Simple Way to Stay Grounded in Stressful Moments,” by Leah Weiss

Working with a Colleague Who’s a Jerk When the Boss Isn’t Around

February 14, 2017

Working with a Colleague Who’s a Jerk When the Boss Isn’t Around

You know that colleague: the one who is cooperative and nice when your boss is in the room, but completely changes their behavior the minute you’re alone. It’s tempting to rat the person out to your boss or to call out the inconsistent behavior. But for the sake of your career, don’t play their game. Badmouthing the person to other colleagues or rolling your eyes when they speak will only make you look bad. Instead, stay positive. Keep it cordial and constructive. Focus on the work you need to get done together, not on their behavior. Remember that good bosses aren’t duped over the long run. Chances are, your manager will eventually see through this person — or already does. The behavior will eventually catch up to them.

Adapted from “How to Handle a Colleague Who’s a Jerk When the Boss Isn’t Around,” by Amy Jen Su

Use Keywords in Your Email Subject Lines

February 13, 2017

Use Keywords in Your Email Subject Lines

When you send an email, the first thing your recipient sees is the subject line, so make sure it’s as clear as possible: What is your email’s purpose? What do you want your recipient to do? Take a page from military personnel. Their subject lines use keywords in all caps to note the email’s purpose. For example:

(1) INFO – For informational purposes only
(2) REQUEST – Seeks permission or approval by the recipient
(3) ACTION – The recipient must take some action

These demarcations might seem obvious or needlessly exclamatory, but they make your emails stand out in the recipient’s inbox. So if you need to send your direct reports a status update, try using the subject line: INFO – Status Update. If you need your manager to approve your vacation request, you could write REQUEST – Vacation. Using these key words also forces you to think about what you really want from someone before you contribute to their email clutter.

Adapted from “How to Write Email with Military Precision,” by Kabir Sehgal

Three Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Avoid Burnout

February 10, 2017

Three Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Avoid Burnout

Everyone faces stress at work, but some people are able to handle the onslaught of long hours, high pressure, and work crises in a way that wards off burnout. You can get better at handling stress by making several mental shifts:

(1) Don’t be the source of your stress. 
Resist your perfectionist tendencies and your drive for constant high achievement. Recognize when you’re being too hard on yourself, and let go.

(2)Recognize your limitations. 
Don’t try to be a hero. If you don’t have the ability or bandwidth to do something, be honest with yourself and ask for help.

(3) Re-evaluate your perspective. 
Do you view a particular situation as a threat to something you value? Or do you view it as a problem to be solved? Change how you see the situation to bring your stress levels down.

Adapted from “Why Some People Get Burned Out and Others Don’t,” by Kandi Wiens and Annie McKee

If Colleagues Keep Asking You for Help, Set Some Boundarie

February 08, 2017

If Colleagues Keep Asking You for Help, Set Some Boundaries

It’s nice to know that colleagues trust you with their problems. But being the person who coworkers always turn to for support can be exhausting and stressful, so it’s important to learn to say no. You can be supportive while putting up boundaries:

(1) Convey empathy.
Make it clear that you feel your colleague’s pain and that you’re not denying that their feelings are legitimate.

(2) Tell your coworker that you’re not in a position to be helpful to them right now. If you feel comfortable explaining why, do so.

(3)Refer them to another coworker or someone who’s working on something similar, so they can help each other. You can also suggest an article, book, or other resource on the topic.

(4) Let go of the guilt.
There is only so much help you can provide before burning out.

Adapted from “When You’re The Person Your Colleagues Always Vent To,” by Sandra L. Robinson and Kira Schabram.

To Beat Burnout, Assess How You’re Spending Your Time

February 06, 2017

To Beat Burnout, Assess How You’re Spending Your Time

Relentless stress can easily lead to burnout, but it doesn’t have to. Reassess your schedule and make time for self-care. Start by taking a few minutes to look at exactly how you’re spending your time over the next week. This can be done on paper, in a spreadsheet, or in a productivity app. For each block of time, record what you’ll be doing, whom you’ll be with, how valuable the activity is, and how you’ll feel afterward. For the latter, use a scale from one to 10, where one is angry or drained and 10 is joyful or energized. At the end of the week, pinpoint the activities that negatively affect your mood and take action to limit them. Use that recovered time to do things that boost your energy. And set aside time for restful, positive activities away from work, like taking a yoga class or spending time with friends.

Adapted from “Beating Burnout,” by Monique Valcour

To Have More “Aha” Moments, Find Solitude

ry 02, 2017

To Have More “Aha” Moments, Find Solitude

Have you ever had a brilliant idea while taking a shower, or knitting, or working out? “Aha” moments tend to pop up when our minds are quiet and our consciousness is at rest. You can nurture these moments by creating an environment of silence and solitude. No matter how busy you are, do your best to take breaks between meetings and find some alone time. Go to an empty conference room or, even better, leave the office and take a walk outside. Once you’ve reached a quiet spot, ignore what’s going on around you and focus on your inner thoughts. Put your phone on airplane mode to completely disconnect for a block of time. This will allow your mind to truly wander, so your brain won’t miss the next lightbulb moment when it happens.

Adapted from “4 Steps to Having More ‘Aha’ Moments” by David Rock and Josh Davis

February 01, 2017

Turn a Coworker’s Negative Feedback into an Improved Relationship

No one likes getting negative feedback — especially from a peer — but demonizing your coworker who was honest with you won’t get you anywhere. 
After all, they took the time to give you feedback because they care about you and your success. So enlist their help. 

Schedule a time to follow up on what they told you. It doesn’t have to be right away, especially if you’re still thinking through how to better improve your behavior. But once you’re ready, reach out. Sit down together, tell them that you are intent on improving, and explain how you will measure success. Ask them for their input on your plan and whether they have any suggestions for specific actions you can take. Not only will they be there to support you along the way, but they’ll also be more invested in your improvement — and your relationship.

Adapted from “Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career,” by William Treseder

Manage Your Emotions by Focusing on Your Values

February 09, 2017

Manage Your Emotions by Focusing on Your Values

Our emotions are signals that can give us data about what is important to us, but only if we pay attention. next time you feel emotional at work, take a step back and consider what it’s telling you.

 Let’s say that you’re anxious about giving some difficult feedback to one of your direct reports. Why do you feel anxious? In examining your emotions, you realize that you’re worried about being fair because she’s a good employee. Consider how having, or not having, the conversation will bring you toward or move you away from being fair.

 Looking at the situation in this light, you can see that giving her the feedback and helping her to succeed is actually more fair to her — and to your whole team — than caving to your anxieties. You’ve been able to unhook yourself from your immediate emotions in order to make a better choice that is true to the values that underlie them.

Adapted from “How to Manage Your Emotions Without Fighting Them,” by Susan David

Create Your Own Networking Event

February 07, 2017

Create Your Own Networking Event

If you want to expand your network, skip the traditional events and create a setting where you can interact with people looking to achieve the same things you are. One way to do this is by hosting your own get-together with people you already know, and ask them each to bring a friend. This will give you control over the attendees, the setting, and the outcome. Start by asking yourself if any of your connections have similar passions. Do any of them play poker or enjoy attending musicals or sporting events? The key is to create a shared experience for you and your guests. Although business might come up in conversation, try to avoid getting stuck in “networking mode.” You want people to get to know one another in a genuine way. Ideally, you’ll end up with some new connections and everyone will have had a nice night out — thanks to you.

Adapted from “Don’t Waste Your Time on Networking Events,” by Derek Coburn

3 Ways to Create a Culture of Innovatio

January 30, 2017

3 Ways to Create a Culture of Innovation

If you want your employees to be more creative in their day-to-day work, you can’t rely on Ping-Pong tables, bean bag chairs, or one-off events like hackathons. To encourage more innovation, foster a sense of challenge:

Give your employees projects that are demanding, while also making sure the tasks are a good match for their skills and resources.

Don’t just give a new project to whoever has free time or could finish it most easily. Before you delegate, ask yourself, “Who would feel challenged by this project and has the capacity to rise to the challenge?”

Aim for 70% success. If you expect everyone to nail a task with 100% success, they are unlikely to take risks, which is an innovation killer. Letting them know that 70% success is OK will ensure they don’t play it too safe.

Adapted from “Help Employees Innovate By Giving Them The Right Challenge,” by Amantha Imber

Enlist Your Friends and Colleagues to Support a Big Career Move

January 18, 2017

Enlist Your Friends and Colleagues to Support a Big Career Move

You’ve weighed the pros and cons, and after careful consideration you’ve decided to make a big career move — quit your job, change industries, or go back to school. You know it’s the right choice for you, but your friends and colleagues aren’t convinced. How do you persuade the people you respect to support your decision? First, consider their motivations. Most people think they’re being helpful by playing devil’s advocate, but it may be that your move has them questioning their own career choices. If it seems like they’re projecting, take their advice with a grain of salt. Second, really listen to their concerns. Those close to you may be right to express some hesitation over your career change. Assure them that you’re taking their advice and objections seriously. Lastly, emphasize that this decision is ultimately yours and that it’s you who has to live with the consequences.

Adapted from “What to Do When People Don’t Support Your Next Career Move,” by Dorie Clark

Assign Roles Before Your Next Virtual Meeting

January 17, 2017

Assign Roles Before Your Next Virtual Meeting

Let’s face it: Leading a virtual meeting is no easy task. You need to plan carefully to overcome challenges such as awkward silences, technical glitches, and participants who multitask. Start by setting clear expectations for participation. Before the meeting, send out a “code of conduct” email to give everyone a chance to understand how they can participate productively. Assign roles ahead of time, taking into account participants’ usual behavior during calls. For example, if you have a chatty colleague who gets easily distracted, give them a task that will help them stay focused, such as keeping time. If the people in your meeting don’t know each other well, assign someone to pose targeted questions to spark conversation and minimize the number of awkward silences on the line. Make sure to let attendees know that you want to hear from each of them and that you’ll cold call people if you want to hear more about an idea or ask them to step back from the discussion if they start to dominate it. The clearer the roles are in a virtual meeting, the easier the conversation will flow.

Adapted from Running Virtual Meetings (20 Minute Manager series)

Establish Trust Before Delegating Big Decisions

January 16, 2017

Establish Trust Before Delegating Big Decisions

Delegating tasks to employees and then trusting them to make decisions for themselves is often far harder than it sounds. To be able to delegate decisions, you need to do two things: establish trust and accept failure as a possibility. You can build trust by interacting one-on-one with your employees, observing them doing their daily jobs, and providing feedback. That way, when it comes time to delegate a task, you’ll better understand your employees’ strengths and weaknesses and know who is ready to take on more responsibility and who needs more experience before tackling big decisions. You also have to recognize that failure is a natural part of delegation. Without it, you won’t get your team to innovate and take risks. If you accept that failure is a possibility when trying something new, you’ll have a much easier time giving up some of your decision-making responsibilities to others.

Adapted from “Superbosses Aren’t Afraid to Delegate Their Biggest Decisions,” by Sydney Finkelstein

Hold Your Own Personal Career Day

January 13, 2017

Hold Your Own Personal Career Day

We all want meaningful work. But we can’t rely on others to give it to us. We need to take responsibility for building a career that has purpose — now and well into the future. Start by setting aside your own personal career day to think strategically about your career journey and what matters most to you. Calculate how many more years, days, and hours you expect to be working, even part-time. Most people vastly underestimate how long a career lasts, so do some simple math. Hint: The average retirement age in the United States is 65, but it’s going up. Many people are choosing, or needing, to work well into their seventies. Take inventory of how much “career fuel” — transportable skills, meaningful experiences, and enduring relationships — you have. These are skills you can carry with you from job to job, company to company, and industry to industry. Assess whether your fuel levels are growing, stagnating, or perhaps even declining. Then ask yourself what you can do in the next year to replenish them.

Adapted from “Developing a Strategy for a Life of Meaningful Labor,” by Brian Fetherstonhaugh

Make Feedback Feel Normal

January 10, 2017

Make Feedback Feel Normal

Let’s face it, giving and receiving feedback can be uncomfortable ! 
To make it easier, you don’t necessarily have to get better at saying the exact right thing; you just need practice. 
Step 1 : 
If you see someone doing something they can improve, offer your observations right away ! 
 Don’t wait until your next meeting to provide your input; give it in the moment. 
You want as little time as possible between identifying and discussing the problem. 
Step 2 : 
After you address the problem, offer a “patch up” to help them know that you respect them. 
Your ' motive ' behind this feedback-giving is important . 
 If they know that you’re trying to help them and hold them accountable, they are less likely to push back. 

Adapted from “How to Make Feedback Feel Normal,” by Joseph Grenny  

Help Your Managers Do Their Jobs Better

January 05, 2017

Help Your Managers Do Their Jobs Better

When you’re managing managers, your job is twofold: You need to make sure they’re producing good work (as with any employee) and that they’re effectively supporting their teams. People learn how to lead from their bosses, so set a good example. Manage your people in the way that you expect them to manage their own teams. In your one-on-one meetings, ask directly about how they are coaching people and giving feedback. This sends a signal that these things are important. But don’t dictate exactly how the managers should manage. You have to allow them to lead in their own way, and they need to figure out what’s authentic to them. It also helps if you can boost their profile with their direct reports. Praise them publicly, ask for their advice in front of others, or assign them part of a presentation that lets them show off their expertise. The people who work for your direct reports look to you for clues as to how they should feel about their managers. If you respect the person and the job she’s doing, so will they.

Adapted from “How to Manage Managers,” by Amy Gallo

Make Your Meeting More Effective by Following Up

January 04, 2017

Make Your Meeting More Effective by Following Up

It’s easy to think that your work is done when you walk out of a meeting. But the decisions made in the room will only be effective if you carefully follow up. Start by writing a succinct summary note, describing what was discussed and clear action steps. Attach any notes from the meeting. Draft this in a way that allows others to forward your message to anyone who missed the meeting or who cares about what occurred. Record any task due dates in your calendar so you can make sure they’re completed. If there’s someone who has a particular stake in the meeting outcome, such as your boss, follow up in person to make sure they’re aware of the decisions made and next steps. Finally, spend some time reflecting on the meeting, how you did as a facilitator, and what you could do better next time.

Stop Giving Your Team Unnecessary Work

December 29, 2016

Stop Giving Your Team Unnecessary Work

No one likes busy work. And yet, not only do we all have it, but most managers assign it. If your team is buckling under deadlines and stress, assess whether you’re giving them unnecessary tasks and then figure out how to ease the burden. Start by regularly auditing your team’s work. Ask team members to estimate how much time they spend on each task, how central the task is to their role, and how much value each task yields. For those tasks that are needless or low in value, solicit your team’s suggestions for how to reduce or eliminate them, and work together to implement solutions. Often, improving communication and granting greater autonomy can help to get rid of any inefficient processes. Keep in mind that you may not be the one assigning the unnecessary work. Advocate for your team by insisting on better information when your team receives unclear or conflicting directives from above. And always make sure your team gets the resources it needs to perform and thrive.

Adapted from “How to Know Whether You’re Giving Your Team Needless Work,” by Monique Valor

Draw a Picture of Your Business Model

January 03, 2017

Draw a Picture of Your Business Model

Growing companies face a predictable problem: Over time, the business becomes too complex for its own good. To untangle this complexity, forget over-engineered PowerPoint presentations or lengthy reports. Turn to pen and paper, and draw a picture of your business model. What does it look like at its most basic level? 

Make clear in your drawing what really matters to the business. Focus on the key outcomes, whether they’re in-store sales or revenue from secondary products. 
Then think through and write down what causes those things to happen. With this picture in front of your team, dive into the implications for what the organization should be focusing on — and, more important, what it could stop doing.

 If a unit can’t clearly show a link between what they do every day and the outcomes they hope to drive, resolve to eliminate it. The simplicity of a hand-drawn model can also help to separate out responsibilities, streamline communication, and determine decisions more quickly.

Adapted from “To Reduce Complexity in Your Company, Start with Pen and Paper,” by Rita McGrath

"What to Do When Everyone Else Is on Vacation

December 28, 2016

"What to Do When Everyone Else Is on Vacation " 

It’s no fun when you’re alone in the office and every email you send gets an autoresponder, reminding you that you’re the only one who’s not on vacation. But there are benefits to working when everyone else isn’t. You can use the alone time for:

(1) Focused work. 
This is the perfect time to tackle important projects you’ve been putting off. Work on tasks that require the uninterrupted time you rarely get, like developing your go-to-market strategy or launching a new podcast.

(2)Tidying up. 
Devote a day or two to cleaning up those minor tasks that have been impeding your productivity throughout the year. Perhaps it’s cleaning off your desk so you can find your files when you need them, or finally getting all of your expense reports squared away, or writing a recommendation letter for your former intern.

(3) Networking. 
Chances are good that you aren’t the only person in the office this week. Connect with people who are also working and schedule a long lunch or coffee to reconnect.

Adapted from “How to Stay Motivated When Everyone Else Is on Vacation,” by Dorie Clark

Empathy Matters When You’re Making a Tough Decision

December 27, 2016

Empathy Matters When You’re Making a Tough Decision

When faced with a hard choice, it’s comforting to think that if you can just get the right information and use the right analytics, you can make the right decision. But serious problems are rarely black-and-white, and tools and techniques alone won’t give you answers. You also need empathy. 

Put yourself in the shoes of the people who will be affected by the outcome of your decision — employees, customers, or otherwise. 
Consider what you would really care about if you were in another person’s situation. 
Ask yourself, and others, what you would be thinking and feeling if you were among the people hit hardest by the decision. If you’re not sure, reach out to those people or to people who can represent their experience in direct, concrete ways. If you’re making this decision in a group — as many tough calls are made — ask someone in the room to play the role of the outsider as vividly and persuasively as they can, so everyone else hears at least some version of the needs of the people a decision will affect.

Adapted from “Timeless Advice for Making a Hard Choice,” by Joseph L. Badaracco

Help Others Know How to Influence You

December 26, 2016

Help Others Know How to Influence You

To be effective, you need to be open to different viewpoints and perspectives. In fact, diversity of thought leads to more-creative problem solving, higher-quality decision making, and greater innovation. 
To demonstrate openness, consider yourself a partner in helping others influence you. 
Tell them what kinds of information will lead you to change your mind. Never use your rhetorical ability to weaken their case — instead, help them strengthen it. 

For example, if you disagree with your CFO when she tells you that you must reduce headcount immediately, help her by saying something like, “I was disagreeing with you because I thought you were saying we’re facing two quarters of lower earnings. If that’s the situation, I’m willing to deal with the analysts. But if you’re saying we’re really looking at four quarters of lower-than-expected earnings, then I’m willing to make cuts now.” 

The more others know what will influence you and the more you help them articulate their case, the sooner you can decide whether that information and reasoning warrants changing your mind. After all, if you want others to be open to your influence, you need to be open to theirs.

Adapted from “How Leaders Can Help Others Influence Them,” by Roger Schwarz

" 3 things to Consider - Before Asking for New Analytic

December 23, 2016

" 3 things to Consider  - Before Asking for New Analytics " 

When it comes to requesting new data or analytics from data scientists, a lot of managers don’t know the right questions to ask to get the information they need. 
But if you don’t frame the request correctly, you might leave your analyst uncertain about how to proceed. Here are three questions to think about:

(1)What will you do with the data? 
Be as specific as possible about what decisions you and the company will make based on the information. 
The data scientist, by hearing what you hope to achieve, can then collaborate with you to define the right set of questions to answer and better understand exactly what information to seek.

(2) Is the data readily available? 
Ask if someone has already collected the relevant data and performed analysis — either in your company or using public data. The ever-growing breadth of public data often provides easily accessible answers to common questions.

(3) How do we get the data? 
Data scientists must decide between (a)  using data compiled by the company through the normal course of business, such as in observational studies, and (b) collecting new data through experiments, which can be expensive ! 
 As part of your conversation with analysts, ask about the costs and benefits of these options.

Only Celebrate Certain Types of Failures

December 16, 2016

Only Celebrate Certain Types of Failures

We all know there can be no innovation without risk. Encouraging risk taking and accepting failure can help boost innovation. But that doesn’t mean you should have a blanket endorsement for all failure. In many cases, failure is bad. Sometimes people fail because they didn’t do their homework. Sometimes they fail because they lacked skills or hadn’t practiced enough. These categories of failure should never be celebrated. Rather, leaders should accept that fumbles, false starts, and, yes, failures are part of the game. The uncertainty that accompanies innovation means that sometimes people will do everything right and still have a commercial failure. In those cases, shut the project down quickly and encourage people to move on. And don’t waste time looking for a scapegoat.

Adapted from “4 Assumptions About Risk You Shouldn’t Be Making,” by Scott Anthony

Use Social Media to Learn More About Your Industry

November 28, 2016

Use Social Media to Learn More About Your Industry

Social media may seem to be an endless stream of selfies, political rants, and clickbait articles, but there’s a lot you can learn from it. In fact, you can use social media to build professional skills, knowledge, and relationships. Start by thinking about what you want to learn. If you’re keen to know more about your industry, follow smart industry leaders on LinkedIn and Twitter to see what they’re reading and talking about. You can find industry hashtags on Twitter to discover great new resources. If you know the specific subfield or topic you want to learn about next, you can focus your reading in that specific area to develop expertise. Think about skill gaps, too: If you do a lot of presentations and are getting tired of those boring old Excel pie charts, start looking at infographics on Pinterest to get inspiration for how you can do a better job of presenting data.

Adapted from “Using Social Media to Build Professional Skills,” by Alexandra Samuel

Companies Should Be Transparent About Their Crises

December 15, 2016

Companies Should Be Transparent About Their Crises

When a company faces a crisis, there’s often a temptation to hide it, in the hope that no one will notice. Research shows this is always a bad approach. Attempts to sweep incriminating information under the rug will attract extra attention if and when the crisis surfaces, further damaging your company’s reputation. It’s far better to get out in front of a crisis and do what’s called “stealing thunder”: self-disclosing the problem before the media gets hold of the story. This is not just more ethical; it’s more sensible, as well. Here’s why: Self-disclosing increases the credibility of your spokespeople and your organization. When a company breaks the news about its negative event, the problem can appear less severe. Consumers perceive any subsequent media attention about the crisis as a follow-up — they think, “I’ve already heard all about this” — and therefore pay less attention to it.

Adapted from “Companies Fare Worse When the Press Exposes Their Problems Before They Do,” by An-Sofie Claeys, Verolien Cauberghe, and Mario Pandelaere

4 Steps to Improving Your Writing

January 25, 2017

4 Steps to Improving Your Writing

You probably write on the job all the time: proposals to clients, memos to senior executives, a constant flow of emails to colleagues. How can you ensure that your writing is as clear and effective as possible?

(1)Challenge yourself to be more concise.
 If you chopped out a sentence or two — or eight — would the reader even notice?

(2) Identify your bad habits. 
Recognize jargon, passive constructions (“Something must be done!”), and imprecise language as bad habits that make it harder for others to get the meaning of what you’re saying.

(3)Pair up with another writer. 
People tend to have complementary problems: Maybe you write too long and your colleague struggles to organize ideas. The job of an editor or a peer reviewer is to show you what you cannot see. That’s why two flawed writers can make each other better.

(4)Build disciplined feedback into the writing process.
 When good writers are whipsawed by contradictory reviews, it leads to bad results. With sufficient notice and carefully organized review cycles, you can fix problems and keep your writing coherent.

Adapted from “Your Writing Isn’t As Good As You Think It Is,” by Josh Bernoff

When Trying to Get Buy-In, Give Your Audience a Clear Call to Action

February 03, 2017

When Trying to Get Buy-In, Give Your Audience a Clear Call to Action

We all know the basics of good presentation skills: Don’t read from a script, don’t overwhelm your audience with too many slides, and so on. But for a particular kind of high-stakes presentation, one in which you’re trying to get buy-in from decision makers, the basics aren’t enough. You also need to articulate a clear call to action. What do you want your audience to do? The next step may seem obvious — you want people to invest in your company or approve the budget for the full-scale launch — but it’s rarely that clear to the audience who is hearing your pitch for the first time. So use the last few moments of your presentation to clarify exactly what action they can take to show their support. Also mention your timeframe — a deadline can help to urge them into action.  

Adapted from “A Checklist For More Persuasive Presentations,” by Dorie Clark

When Networking, Be Yourself

January 26, 2017

When Networking, Be Yourself

It seems like the right approach to networking: Figure out what the person you’re connecting with wants to hear, and then work to impress them. But tactics like self-promotion and ingratiation can backfire. Research shows there are two reasons why: Trying to anticipate what will impress the other person both increases your anxiety and makes you feel inauthentic. So don’t adjust your behavior to cater to others’ preferences. Instead, focus on aspects of yourself that you want to highlight. Talk about topics that interest you. Ask questions that you are genuinely curious to know the answers to. Don’t worry about projecting a particular image. Feeling at ease goes a long way toward leaving a good impression.



Adapted From “When Networking, Being Yourself Really Does Work,” by Francesca Gino

New Leaders, Take Care of Your Body and Mind

January 27, 2017

New Leaders, Take Care of Your Body and Mind

Moving into a leadership position for the first time can be one of the most stressful moments in your career. To weather the transition, start by shifting your mindset. Focus on what excites you about the switch — not on what scares you. This will help you relax into your role and mitigate self-doubt. Practicing mindfulness techniques, such as meditation and controlled breathing, will develop your ability to stay calm and poised in challenging situations, such as running a contentious meeting or making a high-stakes decision. Lastly, you won’t succeed unless you take time to care for your overall health. You may be strapped for time, but don’t put off going to your annual medical check-up or finding a therapist if you’ve been struggling mentally. Sound sleep, regular exercise, good nutrition, and mental health are especially important when taking on a new role.

Adapted from “To Succeed as a First-Time Leader, Relax,” by David Brendel