Wondering how to make time go faster at work, eh? Well, it's an artform, and we all have our own unique ways to do it. That's because there are simply days where we find ourselves counting the seconds until we can leave. Everything feels slowed down, and we can't take it anymore! It just seems that no matter how much we have to do, or if we have nothing to do at all, that the hands on the clock tick by just a little bit slower. This is a handy guide for those kinds of days! … [Read more...] about How to Make Time Go Faster at Work in 5 Easy Steps
Career Advice
New Year, New Career: How to Prepare for a Career Change
Has a new year new career attitude taken a hold of your soul? The New Year produces resolution lists that make a difference in our lives for about two weeks after the big crystal ball descends in Times Square. Sure, we adhere to an improved diet and new workout regimen until Super Bowl Sunday. That is, if we have the discipline to follow our new lifestyles for an entire month. Most of us discard our New Year's resolutions as about as fast as The Bachelor discards a new courtship. However, one New Year resolution requires all of your attention. Making a career change to mark the New Year involves implementing several strategies. … [Read more...] about New Year, New Career: How to Prepare for a Career Change
Define Authority vs. Responsibility (and don’t forget accountability!)
Job interviews unfold with a series of questions intended to test the professional mettle of aspiring candidates. Many recruiters want to know if the candidates that sit in front of them understand the differences between authority and responsibility. You might have to answer the question, "Define authority and how it relates to responsibility." Savvy job candidates invariably add a little substance by discussing the meaning of accountability, and how it connects authority and responsibility. If it all sounds confusing, don't fret. After reading the following succinct explanation, you should nail the common job interview questions for managers, as well as understand how to implement authority and responsibility principles on the job. … [Read more...] about Define Authority vs. Responsibility (and don’t forget accountability!)
Holiday Team Building Ideas
The time of year that brings us carols and hot chocolate also needs to bring us holiday team building ideas that make professional stress an afterthought. The Christmas holiday season creates more stress than the stress created during any other time of the year. From planning holiday feasts to purchasing gifts for the family, the iconic chant of ""Ho, ho, ho" has turned into the frantic "Go, go, go." Stress turns up a notch in the workplace, as companies place pressure on employees to meet end of year deadlines, while staying well below budget. Charity Starts at Work Charitable work performed by the private sector increases significantly during the holidays. Make charity work an exciting event by running a contest that rewards everyone for their hard work raising money and/or goods for charity. Divide department teams into between four and eight employees and allow each team to create a charity drive that benefits a non-profit organization. Each team selects a charity and a financial … [Read more...] about Holiday Team Building Ideas
Why Do You Want This Job? How to Answer…And Why It’s Really Asked
The words "why do you want this job" are uttered in 9 out of every 10 job interviews. And job interviews can make the most stoic poker faces turn into sweaty messes. After all, how often do we answer questions that determine our future career paths? It all starts with the "Tell Me About Yourself" question that although not really a question, sets the stage for the rest of the interview. In fact, many experienced job interviewers make up their minds after the first answer to interview questions. If you somehow manage to pass this question with flying colors, get ready for the next question that typically follows immediately or closely after "Tell Me Abut Yourself." … [Read more...] about Why Do You Want This Job? How to Answer…And Why It’s Really Asked
How to Be a Great Manager
The 2011 World Series clearly presented the differences between good and great managers. For every move Tony LaRussa made, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington had no answer. The stark differences in management skills between good and great managers are also readily apparent in the workplace. Legendary leadership guru Peter Drucker created several theories based on observation that defined great management skills. The Drucker Way on How to Be a Great Manager Drucker passed away in 2005, but his legacy endures in defining how to be a great manager. He maintained throughout his career and within the voluminous books that he wrote that leadership comprises only one-albeit, and important one-component of great management skills. Drucker never over-analyzed what made great managers. He predicted his theories on the axiom that successful managers demonstrated the professional skills to do things the right way. … [Read more...] about How to Be a Great Manager
A Guide on Self Assertion at Work
Self Assertion-the act of expressing or defending your rights, claims, or opinions in a confident or forceful way. Merriam-Webster has defined pretty much anything under the sun, including the sun. Self-assertion represents a recent entry into the venerable dictionary's ever growing list of words and terms that keep us not only informed, but also on the good side of diction. Yet, the definition of self-assertion by Merriam Webster doesn’t give us a road map on how to "self-assert" ourselves in the workplace. Outside of the bedroom, no other place has more importance for self-assertion than what takes place at work. Hence, we offer a guide on self-assertion at work. … [Read more...] about A Guide on Self Assertion at Work
How to Tell if a Coworker Likes You
The first time that we discovered that someone liked us took place within the walls of grammar school. As we dozed off during another trite lecture about American history, one of our classmates woke us up by shooting a spit wad directly into the middle of our forehead. The urge to retaliate immediately waned when we discovered that the reason for the spit wad was that the surly classmate wanted to pass us a note from a secret admirer. By the time we matured into our professional lives, we discovered countless other ways that secret admirers profess their interest in us that mean more than simply asking us out for a beer during happy hour. We now have like buttons on social media pages to remind us of our immense popularity. … [Read more...] about How to Tell if a Coworker Likes You
HOW TO HANDLE A HOT COWORKER
Employee handbooks provide the blueprint for learning how to handle virtually every type of situation that arises in the workplace. You learn how to confront sexual harassment, as well as the proper way to file employee grievances. Pay periods, work schedules, and workplace grooming also comprise part of the comprehensive employee handbook. You even learn how to move up in the company by reading the employee handbook. For all of its information, employee handbooks leave out one crucial topic: How to handle a hot coworker. Avoid Embarrassing Yourself Outside of a drool cup, there really isn't anything physical that helps you learn how to deal with a hot coworker. Science has not yet developed a tool that prevents your eyes from bugging out like one of Hanna Barbara's cartoon characters. Yet, you can take steps to avoid embarrassing your self around a hot coworker. First, when you notice the hot coworker strolling through the office, keep your head down and count to 10. No, … [Read more...] about HOW TO HANDLE A HOT COWORKER
How to Under Promise and Over Deliver
Under promise over deliver is the mantra of many a wise worker. Your boss storms into your small cubicle holding a large stack of paperwork. You know he's not making a trip to the recycling center, so you wait for the inevitable question. "Smith, I need these documents thoroughly researched. When do you think you can finish the job?" You have hit the moment of truth in the workplace, although the truth is not really what you're after. Your goal is to master an unspoken edict in the workplace, something so mysterious than Tony Robbins has never addressed the issue. Heck, Tony Robbins probably discourages how to under promise and over deliver. Well, at least we save money by not buying his motivational tapes. … [Read more...] about How to Under Promise and Over Deliver