A new OfficeTeam study suggests that while most (70 percent) professionals surveyed said it could be challenging to team up with colleagues who don’t have styles similar to their own, two-thirds (66 percent) recognized benefits to collaborating with those who approach things differently.
Posts Tagged ‘Career/Workplace Relationships’
Three Ways To Give Thanks In The Workplace
Posted by Vickie Elmer • November 22nd, 2010 • 35 Comments
If you want to change your world – through the mood in your workplace – start by saying thank you to a colleague.
Then appreciate another and thank a third after she finishes a task well. Add a few more sincere thanks- and you’re half way through the week and you’ve started a shift in thinking.
“It’s night and day” said Dan Zadra, author of five books on gratitude and founder of publisher Compendium Inc., which produces inspiring books, cards and materials sold in major retailers. Showing gratitude in the workplace can set off a chain reaction of politeness, caring for others, loyalty and a willingness to work harder and longer.
Yet people so often feel busy with work, or family needs, or the latest client request that they don’t take time to express their appreciation, Zadra said. Or they defer it to a better slower day that never comes.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it — is like getting a gift and not opening it,” he said. His books, including “Gratitude,” sell well year after year, he said, partly because they are great gifts for coworkers and friends.
“People want to be recognized by the people they work closest with,” he said. Here’s three ways to show appreciation and give thanks at work:
Rocky Relationship With Your Boss? Five Ways To Build It Up
Posted by Nancy Mann Jackson • October 26th, 2010 • 38 Comments
Would you like to be more appreciated by your boss? Feel more comfortable approaching her with requests? Stop worrying about what he thinks of you?
Why not do something about it? As with any human relationship, your behavior and attitude can make a difference in your relationship with your boss. If you want a different type of relationship with her, start behaving differently and results will follow.
First, be conscious of the type of relationship you’re going for — you don’t want to build a connection that’s too friendly or intimate; keep it professional but rewarding. “The ideal boss-employee relationship is one of trust and respect where both individuals work as a team to achieve the goals of the company,” says Deborah Millhouse, president of CEO Inc., which specializes in direct hire placement, temporary staffing and human capital services. “The employee should be supportive of the needs and requirements of the boss so that the boss can reach the goals and complete the job with success.”
Millhouse offers five tips for building a better relationship with your boss:
Tackling Scary Workplace Conversations
Posted by Vickie Elmer • October 25th, 2010 • 1 Comment
What’s scarier than a sexy Halloween costume contest at work? How about the conference room conversation with a boss or a peer to address stupid behaviors or a major mistake on the job?
“Most people think it takes courage,” said Kerry Patterson, co-author of the books Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations. What it really takes is skills to have a healthy conversation with a positive outcome.
One third of us have postponed these scary conversations for at least a month, and one-fourth of us have delayed for a year or longer, according to a poll last year of 970 people for VitalSmarts, the consulting and training company Patterson and his co-authors run. The scariest discussions address bad behavior or incompetence and obnoxious or illegal behaviors.
So here are six steps for scary chats, from Patterson and his books:
Embarrassing Moments At Work: How To Recover
Posted by Yahoo! Hot Jobs • July 29th, 2010 • 7 Comments
Years later, I still remember that sinking feeling, just after I’d hit the Send button after writing an email complaining about an editor.
My worst virtual fear was quickly confirmed: Yes, I had sent my bit of snark to the editor instead of my friend–and no, the editor wasn’t amused.
Although he initially refused to work with me again, he eventually accepted my apology, and we developed a strong working relationship.
Keys To A Successful Quick Start At A New Job
Posted by Rusty Rueff • February 16th, 2010 • 1 Comment
I was sitting in a presentation last week where I heard for the first time a couple of statistics that reinforced to me how important it is that we know how to get off to a quick start as we enter into new jobs or new roles. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, one in four workers are working for a company where they have been employed for less than one year, and more than one in two are working for a company where they have been employed for less than five years.
I suspect that this statistic will change as we look back at the last two years where we have tended to stay in jobs longer given the insecurity in the employment market. Regardless, this level of churn requires that we have the skills honed to make a quick start and establish ourselves in a short time frame. Think about areas to focus on as you take on a new job or even a new role within the company where you are starting new with a new team of people:
Fix Your “Taker” Career Brand
Posted by Jeff Hunter • February 15th, 2010 • 192 Comments
Several weeks back I received an email from a fellow I had worked with years ago. He was asking for some of my time to help him on a problem. I deleted his email. The last six times I had replied I ended up losing an hour of my life solving a problem for this guy, only to be ignored when I needed a favor in return.
This guy was a “taker”, and all takers are toxic. They destroy the reciprocity and trust that is required for any good network to thrive. They are at the heart of the “Get-to-Get” relationships that I described in the post “How Valuable is Your Online Network?” . In that post, I warned against being a person who developed taker relationships, which are “marked by smiling faces testing the limits of just how much value can be extracted from others without offering anything meaningful in return.”
This isn’t an academic exercise. “Taker” is an actual brand that will be affixed to you in the informal networks that hiring managers and recruiters use to figure out whether you are the right person for a job.
The Value of Thank You At Work, In Your Career Or In Your Job Search
Posted by Hank Stringer • December 18th, 2009 • 8 Comments
I have a close friend who for the 30 years I’ve known him has been the master at saying thank you. No matter the occasion, the event, gift or thought he always sends a nice hand-written thank you note. For instance, he asked years ago if I would mind helping him hang Christmas lights and of course I did and before my family opened gifts, I was opening a hand-written thank you card. Saying ‘thank you’ in a meaningful way makes a huge impression.
And making the impression should not be lost at our work or in our efforts to find work. Think of the people who help us daily in our work efforts or the people who have provided advice and direction to our job search. Take the time over the holiday’s to write them and say thank you. Yes, a heartfelt and sincere email will work but the handwritten note is more meaningful.
You may ask, what’s the payoff? For one you will feel good about yourself and sometimes we need to do things to remind ourselves we are okay. For another, you will be remembered. As sad as it is taking the time to say thank you in a ...
Employed Layoff Survivors & Unemployed Cutting Back On Gifts, Travel & Parties This Season
Posted by Glassdoor Team • November 23rd, 2009 • 6 Comments
Extravagant office holiday parties? Sayonara. Unexpected expensive gifts? Those days are gone for now. Workplace gift exchanges among employees? This year, not so much.
Glassdoor released the findings from its holiday workplace survey today which highlights how those employed, affected by layoffs or other cost-cutting measures, and unemployed plan to tackle gifts, parties, travel and all that the season brings with it. As part of the Glassdoor survey of more than 2,250 people, we wanted to find out: What do people plan to cut back on this season compared to a typical holiday season? Bottom line: people are reducing gift budgets and plans to attend holiday parties and travel, even more so among employees who work for companies that have initiated or communicated layoffs in the past six months, which accounts for 27% of employed adults (1). Survey highlights include:
Gift Budgeting: More than half (52%) of those whose company has laid off or communicated layoffs in the past six months plan to cut back on budgets for gift purchases, compared to 40% of all employed adults.
Gift Exchanges: Gift exchanges will either be less common or less pricey: 28% of employed adults plan to cut back on gift exchanges with co-workers; whereas, ...
Need Work? Knead the Dough?
Posted by Hank Stringer • September 25th, 2009 • 3 Comments
The total number of Americans who are not working full-time but ought to be is actually about 22 million, or 15.8 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. - Washington Post
What do we do when we need work to pay the bills? Recent job layoffs, salary cutbacks and furloughs have tested our confidence that work can be easily found when needed. Finding work in many areas of our country takes time and setting ourselves apart from an overwhelming flow of talent is daunting at the least. Last week we discussed the value of establishing relationships ahead of demand, but what can we do to set ourselves apart to be establish relationships that lead to work? Here are some simple steps that on the surface may not make sense but if followed can reward you in many ways.
We all have skills, whether we solve problems, drive a hammer or understand accounting, each of us has something we do. When we apply our skills to solve problems around us (knead the dough), whether we are currently working or not can lead to great relationships that can help our careers. For instance, find a problem in your community; apply your skills and ...
