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#Leadership: How an Introvert can Thrive In an Extrovert Workplace…Companies Set Up for Extroverts in their Work Environment, But also Introverts Lose Out in Understanding How to Move Up & Negotiate for Themselves in the Workplace

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About five years ago I made a commitment to myself that in my career I would only stay at companies where I felt comfortable.  That being said, I’m an introvert working in an extrovert world.

OvercomeFear

If you are an introvert–like me–you get energy from being alone. And this can be a problem considering most companies today are big open offices with little audio and visual privacy. One of my friends works in a law firm and she has her own office. I always tell her I am in awe of this “office” phenomenon. I watch “Mad Men” and I can’t imagine what life was like for these advertising executives who had offices that were a home away from home. For the most part in the Bay Area offices are something of the past. Only some offices remain in law offices, accounting firms and other more conservative institutions where privacy is essential.

Today I work for a great employer that allows me to work from home most days. Most of the time the only thing encroaching on my space is my Yorkie rescue dog Athena who rests her little head on the sock on my foot.

But most people commute to an office, and for those commuters who are introverts, being at work is actually more distracting than being at home. People often tell me they are interrupted numerous times while at their computer even with headphones on. The research supports these statements. In a 2013 study employees who worked in open offices said that “lack of sound privacy” was a significant problem for them. More than 30 percent complained about the “lack of visual privacy.” Most of us can imagine what this feels like.

The truth is I am one of those people who just prefers to work in a quiet and even isolated environment. I get my best ideas when I am exercising by myself. I still do a lot of the things that extroverts do, but these activities take me longer to both prepare and recover.

I make presentations at conferences a few times a year and when I do I spend hours preparing. For me parties and networking events must be followed by emergency downtime.

 

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I believe it is harder to be an introvert in an extrovert world, but as long as you ask for what you need it is possible to thrive and be happy at work.

Susan Cain is an author and speaker who wrote Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking.

Cain draws attention to the reality that today’s workplaces are heavily biased toward extroverts. In an interview with NPR Susan Cain talks about the difference between what used to be a world in which introverts (like President Lincoln) thrived to today’s world of rampant extroversion.

….the extrovert ideal really came to play at the turn of the 20th century…suddenly, people were flocking to the cities, and they were needing to prove themselves in big corporations, at job interviews and on sales calls…We moved from what cultural historians call a culture of character to a culture of personality. During the culture of character, what was important was the good deeds that you performed..But at the turn of the century, when we moved into this culture of personality, suddenly what was admired was to be magnetic and charismatic…Movie stars, of course, were the embodiment of what it meant to be a charismatic figure. So, part of people’s fascination with these movie stars was for what they could learn from them and bring with them to their own jobs.”

Cain goes on to talk about the fact that companies are set up for extroverts because they’re created for maximum group interaction. If you’re reading this you know that not everyone works well that way. Cain highlights that the average amount of space per employee actually shrunk from 500 square feet in the 1970s to 200 square feet today. Let’s be real, how many people are taking stretch or meditation breaks in 200 square feet of space? If you have introverts packed into these offices it’s likely your introvert employees are spending more time worrying about the workplace than they are focusing on their tasks.

Forget open office plans–did you know that 70 percent of U.S. offices have no or low partitions? Silicon Valley has been the leader in bringing down the dividers. Not surprisingly, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg designed the largest open floor plan in the world, housing nearly 3,000 engineers….

Did you know that Mark Zuckberg is himself introverted? I wonder if a young Zuckerberg would have himself thrived in this environment.

While some people might get energy from this environment, people like me would be highly distracted in an open office plan. But my fellow introverts, do not fret. Just because you aren’t extroverted doesn’t mean you can’t make a situation work for you.

The silver lining in all of this is there are a ton of amazing introverts out there working for great companies and shaping experiences that are conducive to being introverted. Recently I met Pat Wadors, Chief HR Officer at LinkedIn. I was so excited to see she labelled herself an “introvert” on her Twitter profile–I felt like she and I were from the same camp; the camp of introverts working in an extrovert world. She writes about making beautiful employee experiences for employees where employees are showered with options. There are advocates today who are working to create more diverse work spaces where introverts have choice.

On a related note, it seems that not only are companies set up for extroverts in their work environment, but also introverts lose out in understanding how to move up and negotiate for themselves in the workplace. Recent research from Levo League says that the highest earning women are extroverts–ENTJ (Extroverted Intuitive Thinking Judging) and ESTJ (Extrovert Sensing Thinking Judging) are making the most money. Perhaps this is because introverts are expected to grow up and understand how to navigate an extroverted world. They are expected to know how to lobby for themselves in asking for a raise or promotion–and the fact is most of us were never coached how to do this. We wouldn’t even know where to start unless we had someone helping us.

I believe step one in thriving in an extroverted world is understanding what you need to be comfortable and happy at work. Write it down. This way when you find your next employer you have a list of your caveats. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Both you and your employer will be happier in the end.

Lastly understand that there’s no shame in being an introvert. Consider this list of famous introverts: J.K. Rowling, Rosa Park, Mahatma Ghandi, Emma Watson, Marissa Mayer, President Barack Obama, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Michael Jordan, Hilary Clinton, Gwenyth Paltrow, Eleanor Roosevelt, Christina Aguilera, Bill Gates, Audrey Hepburn. So are you an introvert working in an extroverted workplace? How have you been able to manage?

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not her employer. Tweet to Blake on Twitter to share at @BlakeMichelleM.

 

Forbes.com | May 11, 2015 | Blake Morgan

Your #Career: The 8 Most Common Cover Letter Mistakes that could Cost you the #Job…As Easily as an Impressive Cover Letter can Land you an #Interview, a Generic & Rushed One can Send your Application Straight to the “No” Pile.

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As easily as an impressive cover letter can land you an interview, a generic and rushed one can send your application straight to the “no” pile.

cover letter

Recruiters cherish brevity — keep you cover letter to one page.

We turned to Amanda Augustine, career management expert and spokesperson at TheLadders, an online job-matching service for professionals, and asked about the most common cover letter pitfalls.

Here are eight costly errors to avoid:

1. Not having one at all

TheLadders found that 50% of recruiters believe a cover letter is essential, while the other half admitted to never reading them. “Since you don’t know which type of recruiter will read your application, it’s better to play it safe and include a cover letter,” recommends Augustine. 

However, if you’re applying to a position online and are asked to upload your materials to an electronic system, make sure they provide a spot to include your cover letter, she advises. “There’s no point of taking the time to carefully craft the document if the application won’t accept it.”

2. Using a generic template

“Sending a general cover letter with every job application is just as bad as not sending any cover letter at all,” says Augustine. “If you are using the exact same cover letter for every job application and simply swapping out the company name, you’re wasting your time. Your cover letter shouldn’t be an afterthought.”

Customize each cover letter you write, she says. Use it as opportunity to detail why you would be a great fit for the specific position, and don’t be afraid to infuse some personality to stand out from the crowd.

3. Opening with “Dear sir” or “Dear madam”

Figure out exactly who you’re sending your cover letter to and address them by name. “Do a little online snooping and check with your network to see if you can determine the name of the hiring manager or the recruiter in charge of the job opening,” she suggests.

However, this is easier said than done in some instances. You may have to use to a generic “Dear Recruiter” opening, she admits, but only resort to this after you’ve put in all the research you possibly could. 

4. Not carefully proofreading 

According to a social recruiting survey, 66% of recruiters reconsidered a candidate whose social media profiles contained spelling and grammatical errors. If they don’t take well to typos on Facebook or Twitter, they likely will toss your application if your cover letter is plagued with mistakes.

cool office working laptops couchFlickr / Dev BootcampTwo sets of eyes is better than one.

You should have multiple sets of eyes making edits. “Carefully proofread your cover letter. Then read it again. Then have a friend proofread it,” Augustine says.

5. It’s all about you

While it can be beneficial to show some personality in your cover letter, be wary of going overboard or delving into irrelevant information. “Recruiters don’t care that you’ve always dreamed of working in fashion,” explains Augustine. “They want to understand why you’re interested in this position and more importantly, why you’re qualified for the role.” 

Your cover letter is prime real estate. Use the bulk of it to focus on explaining how your experience and skillset will meet the employer’s needs.

6. Worshiping the company

It can be tempting, but resist the urge to shower the hiring manager with compliments in your cover letter. “Don’t tell them you love their company; instead, specifically mention something about their brand, company mission or strategic direction that you strongly support,” Augustine says. “In other words, prove that you’ve done your homework and know something about the company or industry.”

7. It’s too long

Recruiters spend an average of six seconds scanning your résumé. They cherish brevity. 

“A good cover letter should be no longer than one page,” says Augustine. “Remember, the recruiter already has your résumé. There’s no need to rehash your entire work history all over again. Instead, use this opportunity to highlight your qualifications that matter most for this role.”

8. There’s no ‘call to action’

You want to end your cover letter with a bang by reiterating your enthusiasm and creating a “call to action.” Rather than just thanking the employer for their consideration, take a more proactive approach; let them know that you will follow up within a week and encourage them to reach out with any questions that may arise. 

“Don’t leave the ball in the recruiter’s court,” says Augustine. “Create the next step in the process so you have the opportunity to follow up.”

 

Businessinsider.com | May 6, 2015 | 

 

#Leadership: How To Manage Office Bullies, From Co-workers To Bosses…Bullies Typically Manage Up & Make Life Difficult for their Subordinates, although some Terrorize their Colleagues & Bosses Too. Their Motto is “My Way or the Highway,” & they Follow the Office Bully Code of Conduct

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Bullies typically manage up and make life difficult for their subordinates – although some terrorize their colleagues and bosses too. Their motto is “My Way or the Highway,” and they follow the Office Bully Code of Conduct:

♦ Be cold. Never let them see emotion.

♦ Be selective. Only let people who agree with you join your circle.

♦ Be defensive. Make it clear that you’re not open to constructive feedback.

♦ Manage up. After all, your bosses are the only people who matter.

Stressed

♦ Be condescending. Real power brokers prey on other peoples’ insecurities.

♦ Be divisive. Make it clear that you have favorites, and pit them against each other.

♦ Screw retention. No employee is worth fighting for.

♦ Use the stick, not the carrot. Positive motivation is overrated.

♦ Stir the pot. Getting people wound up makes things interesting.

♦ Own your turf. Don’t let others set your boundaries.

♦ Expect the world. Demand more than is reasonable.

♦ Be volatile. Explode randomly to keep them walking on eggshells.

♦ Skip the thanks. Acknowledging others takes time away from you.
The code of conduct may seem humorous or hyperbolic, but it’s no laughing matter to the victims of the office bullying – who comprise 35% of the workforce, according to Workplace Bullying Institute.

Everyone remembers the boss from hell and how they escaped. Early in my career, my boss was the office bully. I spent a lot of corporate time keeping a log – a diary of sorts – of all his nefarious behavior. I was so worried about him finding out about my log book that I brought it home every night. It was an extremely stressful time, but fortunately it was short-lived. The CEO negotiated a departure agreement with him a few months after I joined the firm. You – or a colleague at your company – may not be as lucky.

 

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My experience reflects the statistics. Drawing on the WBI study, veteran human resources consultant Susan Heathfield reports that 72% of bullies are managers. Whether the bully is in a leadership role or an entry-level job, the damage can seep into all aspects of the company. Most employees (and often vendors, partners, and clients too) know who they are, and the tales of bad behavior take on a life of their own. Some bullies are aware of this and even take pride in it, but the climate they create is bad for business. It takes valuable time away from great work, and it undermines even the most stellar branding efforts.

The personal toll of working in a harmful environment can have a major impact on your success, health and happiness. Living this way every day creates a constant level of stress. Even the most hardline senior managers should care about that because it can wreck productivity.

If you’re being bullied, here’s what you can do to make it stop:

  1. First, acknowledgethat you are being bullied, and acknowledge that it’s unacceptable.
  2. Don’t go it alone.Consult with a trusted friend or colleague and let them know what’s been going on. Get their guidance and support. If you can, reach out to a mentor or someone who is senior to you and has been at your company a long time.
  3. Take care of yourself.Look at the impact of bullying on your health and stress level, finding ways to counteract the negative impacts. You need to be running on a full tank to deal with the bully. Consider meditation and other stress reduction techniques (here’s a link to Quick Calm from Jordan Friedman) to maintain your health. Also, get smart on the topic of handling challenging people. Books like Coping with Difficult People may help.
  4. Prepare your case.This helps you get clarity about what is happening and serves as proof should you need it. Be clear about exactly what behavior is happening and when it happens. Document events and circumstances with as much detail as you can. Build allies. If you see this bullying happening to others, reach out to them. Identify witnesses too.
  5. Take action.At the same time, don’t do anything that would put yourself or your job in danger, and don’t take on his or her tactics. Be calm, level-headed and respectful. If you can confront the bully without putting yourself or others in harm’s way, do so. Don’t confront when emotions are high or your energy supply has been depleted. Be direct, letting the bully know that you will not tolerate the behavior. According to Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon in their book I Hate People, “Bullies are only effective when they’re on solid ground. Ground that you can take away.” Their advice? “The next time he swears or heaves a phone book, call it out. Point out that he’s swearing or yelling, and leave the room. Or end the call. . . . You’re wrapping Bulldozer’s fury with tough love. By making statements about his conduct, you’re putting him on notice. Keep up your game and by the second or third attempt, Bulldozer will tire of spinning his treads in the sand.”
  6. Seek support.If directly confronting your bully isn’t the right option or has little or no effect, you will need to report the behavior to your boss. If your boss is the bully, you’ll obviously need to tell an upper manager or go to HR. The work that you did to document what has been happening will be crucial, as will allies and witnesses who can support you and back up your story.
  7. If all else fails,consider pursuing a role in another part of the organization, or seeking opportunities elsewhere. If you’re working for an organization that tolerates or even encourages bullies, that’s not the right place for you. When the company’s values are so different from your own, your career goals (which drive your personal brand) will suffer. Spend time finding the right opportunity, and pursue it when it becomes available. Just knowing you are working toward getting away from the bully will help you feel more empowered. And when you land that new job, consider using your exit interview to document your reason for leaving.

Follow me on Twitter and check out my latest book, Ditch. Dare. Do! 3D Personal Branding for Executives.

 

Forbes.com | May 10, 2015 | William Arruda

 

#Leadership: If You’re Guilty of the Following, Chances Are Everyone Hates Your #Emails…Find Yourself Doing any of the Following? Just Stop.

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A recent survey by consulting firm Kelton Global indicates that about 90 percent of Americans spend at least 90 minutes a day on email–that’s about the same amount of time they spend eating.

IMAGE: Getty Images

Email is especially important to managers, entrepreneurs and business owners, as it is often the primary form of communication with contacts. Relationships can be formed, sustained, or even destroyed through email. Additionally, troublesome email habits can creep into your organization, with results ranging from annoyance to severe frustration.

What are some of the most common email irritations? Here are four, along with easily implemented solutions.

1. You write too much.

According to research by Fractl and Buzzstream, 60 percent of people agree that brief emails are most acceptable, whereas 48 percent think wordiness is mostly unacceptable.

Do your emails include unnecessary details? Maybe you’re trying to answer every potential question, or you just can’t resist taking a jab at someone.

Years ago, I did some freelance work through an agency for a difficult client. The experience was horrible, and I wrote a detailed email to the owner of the agency (let’s call her Liz) to explain why I wouldn’t take any more work from this specific customer. I received a reply with the following:

“That doesn’t really sound good. But this is life and their way of doing business.”

Since I knew Liz and her communication style well, I didn’t take it personally. But I did find that second sentence discouraging, and felt she lacked empathy for my situation.

Fix: When writing your email, ask yourself if a specific point or sentence is needed. Does it add any value?

When in doubt, leave it out.

 

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

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2. You cc everyone. For everything.

As you may know, the term “cc” stands for “carbon copy,” and is a throwback to the olden days of office work. Back then, carbon paper was used to make copies of office memos. A list of names (or initials) were included at the bottom of the page, indicating who needed a copy. Some individuals would get copied on almost everything.

As the amount of correspondence has increased significantly, so has the number of people in cc. Many complain they are copied on hundreds of emails a day, leaving them feeling spammed by their own colleagues.

Fix: Only copy people who are directly involved with the topic you’re working on, or who have indicated a desire to stay in the loop.

3. You forget email isn’t private.

Have you ever received a reply to an email that you actually wrote to someone else, but was then forwarded? As you re-read your original message, this time with the new recipient in mind, you thought: ‘Woops. Maybe I should have worded that differently.’

Remember, you never know who’s going to end up reading an email. There’s even the chance you mistakenly send it to the wrong person.

Fix: Follow the advice of The Daily Beast contributor Olivia Nuzzi, whose response to the recent hacking of Sony Picture’s internal emails inspired one of my favorite tweets of all time:

Dance like no one is watching; email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition.

4. You forward long message strings.

Tell me if this has ever happened: You receive an email with a message saying ‘Hi ___, can you handle this’, followed by multiple back and forth messages.

Did you find that annoying?

So does everyone else.

Fix: Instead of simply forwarding an email chain, take a minute to summarize the issue for your reader. Feel free to highlight or quote a relevant passage if you think it will be helpful.

Fix these bad habits today, and you may find replies coming just a little bit quicker.

#Leadership: Hesitating to Accept Help? 5 Great Reasons to Get Over It…Smart Managers/Entrepreneurs Know Why Going it Alone is a Surprisingly Stupid Move

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What should you do when someone offers assistance or support for you new business, product, or other project? If at all possible, you should always say yes.

OvercomeFear

This may be counter-intuitive. Turning down an offer of help might make you feel proud and self-sufficient. You might also feel reluctant to accept help for fear of inconveniencing the person who offered it. You may even want to save the help for a later time when you might need it more.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Saying yes to an offer of help is almost always better than saying no. Here’s why:

1. You don’t know what the offer means to the person making it.

I learned this the hard way a few months back. I was overseeing a series of events at a local bookstore. Because I had my own mailing list and was accustomed to doing my own publicity, I consistently turned down offers of publicity help from the bookstore. Accepting would have meant changing my planning schedule, and besides, the person doing the publicity was a volunteer and I didn’t want to add to her workload.

It was a truly boneheaded move. Instead of being grateful that I’d saved her some work, the publicity person felt dissed that I was ignoring her efforts. She was also frustrated because she really wanted to let her audience know about the events I was producing. After this happened a few times, she got angry. By the time I recognized my mistake it was much too late to fix things.

Don’t let this happen to you. When someone offers to help you, you may have no idea what that offer means to them. Don’t assume that you do.

 

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2. Helping makes others feel good.

Think back to the last time you helped someone out. It felt terrific, didn’t it? To refuse an offer of help is to deprive someone of that same wonderful feeling. That’s a very unkind thing to do.

3. You may insult the helper.

Why would someone feel insulted that you turned down an offer of help? Because they may believe you feel their help has no value. That’s the message I inadvertently sent when I turned down the publicity offer from the bookstore. Don’t make the same mistake–if you simply can’t accept help for some reason, make sure to say how much you value and appreciate the offer.

4. Going it alone is a bad strategy.

Being an manager/entrepreneur, especially a solomanage/solopreneur, is a lonely business. You’re already likely to feel that you have to make every decision, complete every task, and be good at everything. Why on earth would you make that loneliness worse by refusing help when it comes along? Having someone support you, even if only with companionship or advice, will create a connection for you, for your business, and also for the person doing the helping. Being more connected is good for everyone. Don’t turn away those connections if you can possibly avoid it.

5. Someone who’s helped you once is likelier–not less likely–to do so again.

Some people believe that if they accept help now, it may not be available later when they really need it. And it may be true that someone with a limited sum to lend or invest can provide that money only once. But for other types of help the opposite is more likely to be true. That’s because people who’ve helped you once will feel invested in your business, even if all they gave you was advice. If your business succeeds, it will validate their choices and make them feel good about themselves. If it fails, it will make them feel like they’ve failed as well.

Since most people would prefer to be right than wrong, they’re likely to go the extra mile to prove that their decision to help was the correct one–if you’ve accepted that help and thus created a connection. So use that fact to you advantage by accepting help from as many different sources as you can. You’ll have that many more people in your corner if you need them later on.

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#Strategy: How to Deal with your Most Obnoxious #Coworkers…Fortunately, There are Some Steps you can Take to Deal with Even the Most Annoying of Coworkers

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If you have colleagues at work, there’s a very small chance you all get along swimmingly 100% of the time.  You’ll probably get annoyed with each and every one of them at some point — and there may even be a few who you absolutely can’t stand.

sad tired frustrated

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take deal with even the most annoying of coworkers, says workplace expert and author Lynn Taylor.

Here are 23 simple steps you can take:

1. Relate the problem to business.

If and when you approach your annoying coworker, it’s fine to blame that “deadline” you have or that “project” you’re working on.

Try something like: “Hey, I normally love that song too, but I actually need to finish something by the end of the day and it’s a little distracting. Do you mind turning it down?”

Just be sure not to make it personal, says Taylor. 

 

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

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2. Use “positive bookends.”

Start the conversation on a friendly and kind note, and end it that way, too. “Any issues you have should be in the middle,” she explains.

3. Be diplomatic.

“Be patient and gentle with your words; rehearse them if necessary.” 

4. Remain calm.

Be a role model of professionalism. “You want your approach to work, and you can’t keep badgering your office mate, so be strategic the first time,” Taylor says.

5. Have a cool-down period.

Give yourself time to objectively assess the situation. Don’t react in the moment, i.e., “Hey, can you turn that down!” or “Wow … what the heck are you eating?!”

6. Don’t fight fire with fire.

“Avoid a battle of the wits,” she says. “Don’t play your music louder or pound on your keyboard harder.” If you try and one up your office mates, you’ll both dread coming to work.

burning wood fireLibreshotDon’t fight fire with fire.

7. Be direct and discreet.

Talk to your coworker privately and allow them dignity. Avoid spreading ill will. “Kindness goes a long way, and you’ll be working around this person for weeks, months or years,” Taylor says.

8. Anticipate.

“Know when the annoyances are most likely to happen and try work-arounds where possible,” she suggests. 

9. Set boundaries early.

Don’t be a martyr; speak up or things will worsen for you. Take action in some form or the issue will magnify, she says.

10. Don’t feel guilty.

You have the right to speak up without feeling remorseful later. If you’ve done your best to be polite and compassionate, you’re doing the right thing, Taylor says.

11. Address better work habits in a meeting.

“Try to solicit the help of Human Resources in getting input from the team on making the office more comfortable and productive,” Taylor suggests. “You want an ally. Take the broader issue into a group meeting. Bring up the need to be respectful to other workers and share the specific requests and input received. This way no one is pointing fingers.”

sad tired frustratedFlickr/jazbeckDon’t feel bad about addressing the situation.

12. Try to be understanding.

Be sensitive to the fact that people aren’t perfect. No one is immune to habits that can be annoying to others, she says.

13. Use humor.

This is a good opportunity to use humor to lessen the tension. “Some self-effacing humor can help you avoid appearing haughty,” she explains.

14. Stay positive.

“Try to stay upbeat, despite the insanity,” says Taylor. “You’re more likely to get cooperation.”

15. Compromise.

Figure out ways to meet your neighbor halfway, recommends Taylor. Offer to do your part to make the office experience more pleasant for them. 

16. Let them save face.

She says you should ty starting the conversation in a way that gives them an out, versus going on the defensive: “I’m sure this is really hard to notice, as I realize we’re all dealing with X right now, but I was wondering if we could work something out with [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][the problem].” 

17. Use little reminders to stay cool.

“Consider using a desktop reminder, like a personal code word, that reminds you to take it less seriously,” Taylor says. “Try to look at the circumstances with some levity.” 

18. Don’t empower them.

Don’t allow anyone to steal your joy at work or take up valuable space in your day, she warns. Stay focused on your work, and once you’ve taken action, remember that you can take steps to make the environment more tolerable: use headsets, ask to be moved elsewhere in the office, etc.

19. Use refuge or quiet areas.

Approach your boss to establish quiet spaces and take advantage of refuge areas.

dinner partyFlickr/TazVent to your friends, not your colleagues.

20. Talk to someone outside of work.

It’s okay to vent with a friend or family, just make sure you’re away from the office. “Avoid the temptation to lament over the chaos with your colleagues, as word could spread, ruining your chances to resolve the issue properly,” Taylor says.

21. Take a walk.

Getting your circulation going will help your spirits and remove you from the sense of being in a virtual fishbowl of frustration.

22. Take a break.

Consider going to the break room or a public area for a few minutes, for a change of environment. “You’ll likely return with a fresher outlook and more relaxed,” she says. 

23. Set the example.

No one is the perfect office mate. Examine your own habits and solicit input on how you can be a better coworker when approaching others.

“Remember, it’s how you react to a challenge that really impacts your job, and maybe your career,” says Taylor. “Try your best to limit confrontation, maximize professionalism, and deploy defensive moves — what you do have control over. With a little humility, you’re likely to create a more acceptable and even pleasant work environment for everyone.”

Businessinsider.com | May 7, 2015 | 

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-deal-with-obnoxious-coworkers-2015-5#ixzz3ZTKe25DB

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#Leadership: How To Handle A #PR Crisis…Think a Reputation-Destroying #Crisis will Never come Calling at your #Company? But in the Event that it Does, Are you Confident that you Could Handle It?

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Think a reputation-destroying crisis will never come calling at your company? But in the event that it does, are you confident that you could handle it? Like any other pressing business risk, a possible PR crisis should be approached with deliberate preparation and planning. That is the best way to cope with the day you hope will never come, argues Yago de la Cierva in his practical book on the subject. Responsible leadership should include crisis prevention, preparation and a calm, straightforward approach to communication in the event that a PR disaster must be weathered.

Directions Man

The ABCs of Crisis Communication

Based on common-sense principles, crisis communication aims to minimize risk. De la Cierva highlights a series of action items that consider the person, the organization and society carefully. In times of crisis, key actions include:

Address perceptions. The gravity of a crisis is directly proportional to the public’s perception of it, rather than to what has actually happened on the ground.

Listen to the people who are complaining. It is very important to try to understand what is making people angry. Anger hinders communication, and the person you are addressing will not listen to your message until they have had their say.

Tune in emotionally. You need to know how to interpret the public’s mood. Communication should not be treated as an impersonal means for spreading ideas.

Reason from the point of view of those you represent. Make it clear that the company is defending the interests of the people it serves.

Distinguish between law and public opinion. You may be in the right, and yet be wrong. It’s best to have both legal advisers and communications experts on hand.

Always tell the truth. Honesty is essential to credibility. In times of crisis, one of the worst things you can do is lie.

Be accountable for your actions. Assume responsibility. That may mean fixing the problem, acknowledging the mistake or mistakes that were made and repairing whatever damage has been caused.

Be professional. Crisis communication officers must have a service-minded mentality. They need technical skills and the ability to formulate clear, inoffensive and unequivocal messages.

 

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Ready, Set, Crisis!

There are three parts to preparing for a crisis: foresight, prevention and provision. Foresight requires knowing a company’s internal and external context thoroughly enough to see crises coming and to perceive their likely consequences. Prevention means taking a proactive approach to avoid obvious crises. Provision requires creating an action plan.

Or, more plainly, a crisis plan: that is, a series of immediate measures to respond to each situation adequately. But how does communication fit into all of this?

The first step is to form a crisis management team to gather information, assign responsibilities and decide on the organization’s position regarding the crisis. The trick is to think before acting.

The crisis team’s tasks also include defining the problem, assessing whom it will affect and then deciding how the company should act. Members of the team should also, ideally, consider how the situation might evolve or play out.

Next, information should be collected systematically to create an understanding of each group that has been affected by the crisis. This data will also be used to form the company’s official response.

To communicate this response, choose a spokesperson adept at transmitting the corporate message to the various groups affected and to the media. The choice of spokesperson will depend on the nature of the crisis (technical or personal), its relevance, its location and how long it is expected to last.

Once the company’s message, spokesperson and next steps have been decided, communication channels also need to be chosen. These will normally be the same channels used for day-to-day communication; however, for rapid responses, priority should be given to interactive tools — namely, social media.

In addition, an overall plan encompassing all channels is needed. The company web site should serve as the backbone for all communications — including the intranet to keep employees informed. The media should be kept up-to-date via press conferences and email.

But the most important factor in all this is that the company takes the initiative in communication. It must transform itself into a trusted source, acting positively and creatively to control the dimensions of the problem and manage time. Updates should be made continuously and should anticipate people’s needs.

What Happens Next?

Each action plan should be measured and analyzed afterward. Even while the communications plan is still being executed, it’s necessary to analyze the press and social media landscape and monitor how well the plan is working. Once the crisis has passed, an overall assessment should be carried out, and a plan for the post-crisis period needs to be agreed upon.

Accounts of the crisis and analyses of them are highly valuable for the future. But in order for such learning to be useful, internal reforms need to be devised and implemented.

 

By IESE Insight, the knowledge portal of IESE Business School. For more visit http://www.ieseinsight.com/

 

 

Forbes.com | May 7, 2015 | IESE Business School 

#Strategy: 6 Ways To Confidently Say “I Don’t Know”….Senior Leaders Don’t need People Who Think they Know every Answer. They Want #Leaders Who can Ask the Right Questions & Find the Answers.

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The hardest three words to say aren’t I love you – they’re I don’t know. That’s the opinion of Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, authors of the behavioral economics bestseller Freakonomics. From my experience coaching executives, I have to say they’re on to something.

businesswoman-thinking-2

I’ve seen even the most accomplished and seasoned leaders get tripped up when they’re confronted with a question they can’t answer – especially when the person asking is in a position of authority. This gets more fraught the higher you go in an organization. At some point you have to oversee a wider span of activities, and can’t be effective in your role if you have an execution-level view of every function. More often, you won’t have the answer.

Yet, leaders often prepare for an important meeting as if they’re cramming for an exam. They try to anticipate any question and have a prepared answer ready. They can make their direct reports crazy with requirements for pages of metrics and explanations. (Preparation for board meetings can be a particular bit of fun.)

Our propensity to always provide an answer starts young. In a study, kids and adults were given an unanswerable question. For example, after hearing a description of a family car ride, asking if the riders had lemonade, when that was never mentioned. When asked this irrelevant question, 75% of kids tried to provide an answer. Perhaps this is the result of conditioning, as students are encouraged to try to answer a teacher’s question no matter if they know the answer or not.

 

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The researcher, Amanda Waterman, development psychology researcher at the University of Leeds, provides this perspective: “There’s a power differential between a child and an adult who’s asking them a question. And the child will feel that the adult is the person that has more of the power, and therefore perhaps they feel slightly disadvantaged. They feel like they want to show what they can do, and they don’t feel as comfortable admitting when they don’t know something.”

Looks like that conditioning runs deep. In the same study, 25% of adults tried to answer the unanswerable question as well. Note that the explanation above could just as likely describe a conversation between a boss and subordinate.

Certainly there are corporate cultures where not having an answer is career jeopardizing. But more often, we assume this to be the case when it’s not. Some neuroscientists believe that our need to know is actually linked to our brain function. When we have an answer, we get a hit of dopamine so we feel compelled to try.

I’ve conducted hundreds of feedback interviews with board members and senior leaders to gather information for my coaching clients. I’ve heard repeatedly that they want their leaders to show open mindedness, agility, courage, and presence. They want leaders who can deal with uncertainty and take risks. Having an answer for everything has only come up as a fault – discussed as a by-product of close-mindedness or parochialism.

In other words, senior leaders don’t need people who think they know every answer. They want leaders who can ask the right questions and find the answers.

Cultures suffer when leaders lack the courage to say I don’t know. Dubner and Levitt posit that if you have to be the expert and have the answer then you foster a culture that’s afraid to experiment. Without experimentation, there’s no innovation or risk. Further, being able to admit what you don’t know has been shown to increase trust. Just consider your own experience. If someone is selling you hard with an answer for everything, it shuts you down. If they can admit what they aren’t sure about, it’s an opening to a real conversation.

All this said, there are many ways to say I don’t know. The reaction you get is directly related to how you say it. You can come across as an absent-minded manager or a courageous innovator. Sometimes a simple, direct, “I don’t know” does the trick. At times, it can be helpful to have a few phrases at your fingertips that allow you to be transparent and remain centered. Here are a few other ways to say it that can help preserve your credibility, and even build it.

“I don’t know the answer to that, but I’m anxious to find out.”
“Let me tell you what I know, and what I’m still learning.”
“That’s an important question and I don’t want to give you a half answer. Let me get back to you on that by end of day.”
“I can’t tell you that with certainty. I do have an informed opinion on it which is…”
“Sarah on my team can get you the exact numbers on that. The performance metrics I’m managing show…”
“That’s an interesting question. Tell me more about what’s driving it?”
Kristi Hedges is a leadership coach, speaker and author of Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Influence and Engage Others. Find her at kristihedges.com and @kristihedges.

 

Forbeswoman.com | May 4, 2015 | Kristi Hedges

 
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#Leadership:The Finding that Men are Pretending to Work 80-Hour Weeks says a Lot about Modern #Management….Research Suggests some Men are Only Pretending to Work that Much & the Fakers are Getting just as Much Praise from #Management as the True Workaholics

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Fields like finance and consulting are notorious for their life-sucking, 80-hour-plus workweeks. But new research suggests some men are only pretending to work that much — and the fakers are getting just as much praise from management as the true workaholics.

businessman cell phone

Is he a workaholic or just faking it?

The study, conducted by Erin Reid, Ph.D., assistant professor of organization at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, focused on employees at an anonymous global strategy consulting firm with a big presence in the US.

The company was known for being demanding of workers’ time. Employees told Reid that the firm expected them to be available for their work at all times and in all places. Reid reviewed performance evaluations, examined turnover data, and conducted interviews with many of the firm’s employees.

“Companies don’t seem to understand what constitutes high performance. “Expecting people to work all the time is not necessary for high-quality work and is problematic for most of the workforce,” Reid says.

Her findings showed that many men only pretended to be working all the time — when in fact, they were engaged in other activities, like spending time with family.

While 42% of the men that Reid interviewed actually were putting in 60- to 80-hour workweeks, 31% were only logging 50 to 60 hours a week but had figured out ways to deceive their managers into believing they were working more. About a quarter of men were working shorter hours and had revealed their reduced schedules to senior members of the firm.

By contrast, just 11% of the women that Reid interviewed faked longer workdays, and 44% disclosed to managers they were working fewer hours. Both men and women who revealed their reduced schedules were typically penalized with lower performance ratings or getting passed over for promotions.

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Reid suggested a few potential reasons why men were more likely than women to fake longer work hours. For one, the firm probably expected women — not men — to have trouble with work-family conflict. While it offered women more formal accommodations for part-time work or less frequent travel (and women took them), men were left to come up with more informal strategies for managing work and family commitments.

Furthermore, because they expected women to experience work-life conflict, managers may have been more vigilant about “policing” women’s time, making it easier for men to fly under the radar. 

dad with sonFlickr / Kevin DooleyMen struggle with work-family conflict, too.

Reid found there were a number of strategies men used to pretend they were working more. For example, some men cultivated local clients so they would be able to travel less. Others formed bonds with colleagues so that they could help each other fulfill their work responsibilities.

As a result, a senior manager named “Lloyd” (Reid used pseudonyms to protect the employees’ identities) was able to go skiing on a week when he was supposedly working remotely. “I took calls in the morning and in the evening, but I was able to be there for my son when he needed me to be, and I was able to ski five days in a row,” he told Reid.

Reid says this particular study focused on a single firm, so she can’t say for sure that the findings apply more generally. But when she spoke with consultants at other firms, she found they were also expected to be available to work all the time.

The findings are significant for several reasons.

First, it indicates that all workers — not just women — struggle with work-life conflict. The biggest gender difference is in how they deal with that conflict.

“Both men and women have trouble [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][with work demands],” Reid tells Business Insider. “But they have different options for coping.”

The second important implication is that companies don’t seem to understand what constitutes high performance. “Expecting people to work all the time is not necessary for high-quality work and is problematic for most of the workforce,” Reid says.

Seemingly “ideal” employees like Lloyd, who pretended to work while they were really spending time with their families, still received praise and promotions. It seems as though firms still value the display of commitment above all else. The research also suggests that employees who log excessive hours don’t always produce better results than those who work less.

Yet, in a Harvard Business Review article, Reid writes that when she approached the firm’s leaders with her findings, they showed no desire to modify their expectations of long work hours. Instead, they said a man who reveals his lack of interest in being fully committed to his work is not the kind of employee they want. Moreover, they asked how they might teach women to pretend they were working more, too.

Still, Reid says she’s hopeful that organizations may soon realize that their demands are unrealistic — and change them. Her research, she says, is part of a “big conversation.”

Businessinsider.com | May 6, 2015 | 

http://www.businessinsider.com/men-pretending-to-be-working-2015-5#ixzz3ZNjH5o4C

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Your #Career: How Recent #Graduates Can Make More Money At Their First Jobs…Most Employers Surveyed told NerdWallet they Expected #Job Candidates to Ask for More Money and 75% of #Hiring Managers said They had Room to Increase their #Salary Offers by 5% to 10%.

/in /by

Long ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I landed my first job out of college as an administrative assistant at Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen Litigation Group in Washington, D.C., it didn’t occur to me to try to ask for more money than the piddling $12,000 ($31,000 adjusted for inflation) the hiring manager was offering me. I was an Ivy League grad (Brown) but I had hardly any work experience, aside from a very brief stint volunteering on Dianne Feinstein’s San Francisco mayoral campaign, a project for the Rhode Island state courts and student jobs like chopping green peppers in Brown’s cafeteria kitchen. And the dingy offices (ripped mustard brown wall-to-wall carpet) underlined that this was a nonprofit where jobs didn’t pay well. But mainly, I was too naïve to consider that a salary negotiation was even a possibility.

20 yr old hired

According to a survey released today by the personal finance website NerdWallet, new college graduates haven’t gotten any smarter about entry-level salaries than I was more than 30 years ago. NerdWallet surveyed 8,000 new grads who entered the job market between 2012 and 2015, in addition to 700 employers. Only a little over a third of new grads, 38%, said they had tried to negotiate their pay when they got their first offer.

The survey also showed that those who didn’t try were leaving money on the table. Most employers surveyed told NerdWallet they expected job candidates to ask for more money and three-quarters of hiring managers said they had room to increase their salary offers by 5% to 10%.

After you’ve been given a number, Gaglini suggests the following script: “That’s great news, thank you for the offer, you’ve made my day. I was just wondering if I could ask you a quick question. Might there be some flexibility in the starting salary?” If the employer asks how much more you want to make, again let him name the figure. Say, “I was wondering what you might be able to do.”

Why not try to get more money from that first offer? Like me, most students don’t realize they can, and they don’t know how to negotiate, says Boston College’s associate director of employer relations Louis Gaglini. He always counsels students to do lots of research on their potential job before they even go on their first interview, which should include extensive salary research on sites like Glassdoor, PayScale and Salary.com. Tim Luzader, who runs Purdue University’s career office, encourages his counselees to use LinkedIn to find Purdue alumni who have jobs at the students’ potential employers and to contact them for intelligence on starting salary ranges.

 

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Both Gaglini and Luzader advise students to ask for more money. Even if the offer is at the upper end of what the student has gleaned about starting salaries, it doesn’t hurt to try. But candidate should stick to the rule I’ve written in many other columns: Do not be the first to name a number. If the hiring manager asks you how much you want to make, say you’re thrilled about the job, that you’re sure you can reach an agreement on pay and that you want to make a competitive salary. Pay should be the last thing you negotiate once you have an offer.

After you’ve been given a number, Gaglini suggests the following script: “That’s great news, thank you for the offer, you’ve made my day. I was just wondering if I could ask you a quick question. Might there be some flexibility in the starting salary?” If the employer asks how much more you want to make, again let him name the figure. Say, “I was wondering what you might be able to do.”

If the answer to your initial question is “No,” Gaglini suggests trying to negotiate for other benefits, like a signing bonus or extra vacation days. I think it’s also a good idea to request a salary review within six months.

Luzader agrees with this approach, though he counsels students who’ve done their homework to be more assertive. For instance if the hiring manager offers $40,000, the candidate can say, “In working through the information in the Purdue career center, I learned that the range for this position is usually $42,000 to $46,000.” Says Luzader, “It’s OK to be specific if they’ve done their homework.”

What if the student has a competing offer? Gaglini says candidates should tread carefully. “It’s dangerous to share what another organization is offering and to use that as leverage at the entry level,” he says. “That can really damage your relationship with a potential employer.” Bosses just don’t expect that at the entry level, he says. But Luzader disagrees, at least in most cases. “They can say, ‘I have another offer, it’s also in Chicago, but there’s a $3,500 gap between what you’re offering and the other job.”

Both Gaglini and Luzader agree that it’s important to tread carefully and to listen closely to what the hiring manager says. In one instance Luzader had a student lose out on a job because he was too pushy and he insensitively used email to make demands. “His email looked more like a ransom note than a negotiation,” says Luzader. The email had five bullet points, including a salary demand. “It just sounded like this person was very entitled, almost like they were a free agent for a major league team.”

In the NerdWallet survey, 90% of hiring managers said they had never taken back an offer because an entry-level candidate had tried to negotiate and only 6% said that they were never willing to negotiate salary with new hires.
According to NerdWallet, “an employee who successfully asks for a 5% salary bump on a $40,000 job offer when she is 22, for instance, will make an extra $170,000 by the time she retires at 65.” That’s based on annual 3% salary growth. Though it’s safe to say that virtually no one getting hired out of college today will stay in the same job for 45 years. Still, if you make more money in your first job and leave after even a short time, the confidence a good salary instills will help you negotiate for more in your next job.

Sad to say, but not surprising, NerdWallet found that entry-level women were less likely to negotiate for more money from first job offers than men. Only 34% of women negotiated versus 44% of men. But there is a silver lining for women: when they did ask for a higher base salary, they had the same level of success, 80%, as men.

The takeaway: Do your research, try to ask for more money by posing questions like “Is there flexibility?” rather than making demands, and listen carefully to what the hiring manager says. But do try to negotiate a better salary offer in your first job.

 

Forbes.com | May 6, 2015 | Susan Adams