Our pick of the week:
Ask a Manager The easiest thing to do is to tell them before you do it for them that first time as a favor. If you don’t tell them that’s what you’re doing, then it’s not unreasonable that they end up thinking it’s okay for them to ask you to help with it. In trying to be kind and help them out, you’re actually setting them up to annoy you later (Alison Green, 2017)!
The Muse Starting a good job is a little like entering a relationship. During the honeymoon phase, you’re intoxicated. Everyone and everything is great. But the high wears off, and what follows is either a stable, happy groove or the axe—with some murky water until you get there. Sigh. Needless to say, in work (and in love), you probably prefer the stable, happy route. The secret? Staying engaged in your job. Good news: If you’re willing to work at it, you can avoid the disengagement trap. Here’s how (Chantel Lucas, 2017).
The Muse I thought I’d made a mistake in accepting the challenge. I kept thinking it would have been better for everyone if I had said, “Maybe next time.” But then a funny thing happened—the project got done and I became an authority on something I previously knew nothing about. Even though it’s easy to believe you’ll fail when you say yes to doing something new, it’s just as easy to believe in yourself (Richard Moy, 2017).
The Muse One of the most common regrets I hear from successful people I interview is that they “didn’t think big enough.” Many of the things we want in our lives will come to us as long as we give ourselves the permission to receive them. I’m sure there are things you have in your life today that five years ago you only dreamed about (Sean Kim, 2017).
Work It Daily Transitioning into a management role can be difficult, especially when you’re managing your peers. While it might take some time to get comfortable in your new position, being proactive and starting on the right foot will help you succeed. Here are a few ways to manage millennials when you are, in fact, a millennial (Ariella Coombs, 2017).
The Muse Obviously, there are times when extenuating circumstances will complicate even a typically straightforward decision. But decision-making is like any other skill—it’ll get stronger with practice. If you work on saying “yes” and “no” to more straightforward questions, then the next time you’re debating small actions like raising your hand in a meeting or accepting coffee at a client meeting, you’ll be able to respond quicker and feel better about your decision (Nell Wulfhart, 2017).
While on-the-job learning is always a winner, it’s also important to look for other ways you can hone critical skills. Here are some tips for finding those learning opportunities this year, and a couple of takeaways for companies looking to increase their employees’ engagement by encouraging continuous education (Pollak, 2017).
Undercover Recruiter According to a study by the University of Scranton, 92 percent of all new year’s resolutions fail. How is it possible that so many good intentions can fall through the cracks? Psychology professor Peter Herman describes this as the “false hope syndrome.” Herman points out that most people fail because their resolutions aren’t realistic. They underestimate the difficulty of the task and the time required to accomplish it. There are a number of approaches one can take that may not guarantee success, but can certainly increase the odds (Feldmann, 2017).
Whether you’re aiming for a promotion or a new position altogether, you can cultivate habits to help you stand out as you push your career to the next level – or just shine as a star performer right where you are. Try these simple tweaks to up your game and make 2017 your most successful year yet (Pollak, 2017).
The Muse Ever had a conversation that started with “How are you?” and abruptly ended after “Good?” You’re certainly not the first, or the last. But there’s definitely a better way to interact with people—in fact, it’s as easy as rephrasing the things you ask. Here are some of the simplest tips to asking better questions, which will make your conversations more valuable to you—and the people you engage with (Spector, 2016).
Like everyone, appearing smart during meetings is my top priority. Sometimes this can be difficult if you start daydreaming about your next vacation, your next nap, or bacon. When this happens, it’s good to have some fallback tricks to fall back on. Here are my ten favorite tricks for quickly appearing smart during meetings (Cooper, 2014).
