Movin' On Up

Tough Conversations with Your Boss: Surviving the Uncomfortable

You agonize over it. You try to prepare for it. You put it off. And then you worry some more. Having conversations with your boss about sensitive subjects like admitting a mistake or requesting a raise is sometimes uncomfortable. And, gearing up for a difficult conversation can be a little bit like preparing for battle. It’s hard to know what you’ll face.

See Dwight Schrute’s action packed effort to get ready to ask for a raise on The Office.

But, tough conversations are an inevitable part of the workplace. At one time or another, you will probably be faced with an awkward conversation with a supervisor or co-worker. By choosing to address your concerns – instead of ignoring them – with your manager, you could open the door for big progress in your career, like improvements in your relationship with your boss, broken processes, your attitude, and even your paycheck. Plus, how you handle a difficult conversation with your boss now can be a great learning experience for future conversations you could have as a leader or supervisor in the future.

To help you effectively handle a tough conversation with your boss, Express is excited to share a free podcast training series on difficult workplace conversations. So, before your next uncomfortable conversation with your supervisor, gear up with these tips and advice to make discussions a little bit easier.

Clarifying Priorities
When your workload is overwhelming and your task list seems endless, things can quickly get out of hand. Having a clear understanding of your work priorities and deadlines is important. When you need direction on your responsibilities, have a conversation with your boss to keep things from falling through the cracks. Knowing exactly what’s expected of you will allow you to do your job as efficiently as possible. When you meet with your manager, be specific and honest about your concerns. Together, come up with a solution that works for you both. Check out this podcast for tips and advice on having a tough conversation about priorities with your boss.

Admitting a Mistake
Admitting that you’ve made a mistake can be one of the most difficult conversations to have. It’s always hard to swallow your pride and tell someone you messed up. But, instigating a conversation about a mistake you made is far better than being confronted about it later. If you’ve made an error that could affect your company or co-workers, don’t try to hide it. Be proactive and take responsibility. Be honest with your supervisor no matter how difficult it may feel and admit your mistake. The longer you put it off the bigger the issue could become. Together you can come up with a solution to help prevent a future mistake from occurring. Listen to this podcast for the right way to admit a mistake at work.

Requesting a Raise
Asking for a pay raise can be uncomfortable no matter the economic environment. But, if you feel your diligent work merits a pay raise, don’t be afraid to talk to your supervisor about it. Most employers want to retain top talent and understand that having competitive wages is necessary to keep their employees. Before you talk with your boss, be sure you’re prepared to explain the reasons why you feel you deserve a raise and be able to give evidence to support it. If you want a pay raise, listen to this podcast before you meet with your boss.

Difficult conversations don’t have to feel like a battle. You can make your tough conversations with your boss easier by following the advice of the Tough Conversations podcast series. For more information on having difficult discussions with your supervisor or leader, visit jobs.expresspros.com.

Please note, the video clips herein and their sponsors do not necessarily represent the views of Express and are used for educational purposes only.

How Bad Are Awful Co-Workers?

You’ve heard about bad bosses. They can stunt your career and make work miserable. But bad co-workers can do their damage in the workplace, too, by spreading gossip, causing drama, and piling work up on teammates.

So now we want to know, just how bad are bad co-workers?

Do you have a story of a bad employee that’s truly unbelievable?
We’re helping best-selling author Jim Stovall, who wrote 100 Worst Bosses, collect stories for his latest book, 100 Worst Employees. You can submit your story now – all names will be changed to protect the identity of those involved. If your story is selected for the book, you’ll receive a signed copy of the book when it’s released!

Could Your Cubemate be Your Next Boss?

Eight hours a day, five days a week, you share workspace with your co-workers and peers. During the work week, you discover their habits and quirks, and they discover yours. You go to lunch together. You celebrate birthdays and company milestones. You discuss office politics and swap stories about your boss. You develop routines and adjust to the customs and dynamics of the team. And, you learn to like – or dislike – your co-workers, depending on their personality and yours. Either way, you all learn to work together. But, what happens when the dynamics change and your office comrade – or worse, your office enemy – becomes your boss?

When a peer or co-worker is promoted above you, the adjustment can be difficult, no matter how amiable your rapport has been. Following these tips could make the transition smoother for yourself, your new boss, and your entire team.

Be Respectful. Choosing to respect your superiors and co-workers alike is always a good idea. It may not always be the easiest task – especially if you’ve seen them at their worst, like during an out-of-hand office Christmas party. But, showing respect to everyone you encounter is well worth it. When you demonstrate respect, they’ll often give you the same respect in return. And, respecting your co-workers from the start will help prevent any awkwardness should one of them become your boss in the future. Even if you feel a new boss doesn’t deserve your respect, their new position demands it. So, demonstrate your respect by being conscious of your speech, habits, and attitude when you’re at the water cooler or break room, during meetings, in the cube, and throughout the day.

Be Patient. Remember that your newly appointed boss is new to their job, so cut them some slack. Even the most experienced managers and executives make mistakes. Just like you, they’re only human, and errors and oversights will happen. So, be patient while they’re figuring things out.

Your manager may feel the need to institute some professional distance from peers once they’ve been promoted. Follow their lead and allow the relationship’s dynamic to evolve. Understand that your new boss may need to establish some clout and influence with the team in the beginning. Patience is a virtue and an asset your supervisors value, so don’t sweat the office politics, changes, and adjustments. Instead, take it in stride.

Feel like you’re losing your patience? Check out these tips to regain your serenity at work.

Be Flexible. Employers want and need flexible employees because life and work often require it. Be a flexible employee who’s willing to take on tasks and projects even when they don’t fall within your job description or title. You may not be accustomed to taking orders from your co-worker-turned-captain, but be a team player and go with the flow when plans change.

When problems arise, help be the solution instead of just another roadblock. Being a flexible employee will make your boss’ job easier, which can make your job easier too! With so many work-life headaches to handle, being a helpful and flexible employee your employer can trust will help you standout from the rest.

When work relationships change, the transition can be difficult for the team. But, by being a respectful, patient, and flexible employee, you can help calm rough waters and get noticed as a valuable employee your company and your new boss can’t do without.

Set the Example

It’s safe to say that everyone is tired of this economy. And, many of today’s workers are feeling the strain because of increased workloads, longer work hours, and decreased salaries. It’s no wonder everyone doesn’t always have the greatest attitude, right?

Although you can’t control how your co-workers feel or act every day, you’re in control of your own feelings and actions. YOU can be the example you want to see in the office. You can take the initiative to make your overall office environment better and be a good example for your fellow colleagues. How? Here are a few acts of kindness you can do around the office to help relieve tension and make the day a little brighter. And, the best thing about this is you don’t have to be in a leadership position to do this. Anyone can do this.

Send a word of praise. For this, buy a greeting card. You can write a kind note on it about someone you work with, telling them such things as they did a great job on a certain project, tell the funniest jokes, are a great cook, have a wonderful fashion sense, etc. This is just a little way of letting that person know you’re glad to be their co-worker. Then, present them with the card! After that, the person who received the card has to keep the good times going by writing another positive note to another teammate and presenting it to them.

Recognize the “Stars of the Week.” Every Friday, recognize a few individuals you feel have done a great job for the week. Each week, you can recognize different individuals until everyone has been recognized for something. Include in the e-mail why you’ve recognized them for the “star” award, and if it’s OK with management, send the e-mail to everyone on your team so they can check it out. If you want, you can also award small prizes.

Find out how things are going. Find out how your teammates are doing. What are their interests, how is their family doing, do they plans for the weekend? Make it a point to just chat with them and get to know them. If they don’t want to share information with you, that’s OK too. But, at least you made an effort to learn more about them and that will mean something to them.

Get away from the office for lunch. Plan a lunch outing for you and your co-workers. Take a vote on where everyone wants to eat, and go there for your ENTIRE lunch hour. It’s important to use your break to relax. Make it a rule for the outing that no one can talk about work during lunch.

Potluck, anyone? Everyone likes food, so why not have a potluck one Friday? You could either do a breakfast or lunch potluck. This is a cost effective choice instead of everyone going to a restaurant to eat.

Bring cupcakes, just because. Surprise everyone on your team with cupcakes just to help brighten their day.

Start a book club. Despite the economy, you and your teammates still have an opportunity to learn and advance your skills within your current job roles. Purchase books on leadership and strengths development and start a weekly book club. This gives you a chance to get to know each other more and grow your knowledge and skills.

These are just as few examples of things you can do to help create a more positive work environment and help generate some happiness. Do you have other ideas of things to do around the office to increase morale? We want to know!

4 Work Habits to Save Your Career

There are conflicting opinions on whether or not the recession is over. But, the nation’s economy is definitely seeing signs of a recovery and experts believe America’s jobless rate is improving. According to CareerBuilder’s 2010 Job Forecast, 20 percent of employers plan to add to their payrolls in 2010, up from 14 percent in 2009. So, what does this mean for the employees who held on to their jobs during the worst of the economy?

If you were one of the so called “lucky” ones who weathered the countless rounds of layoffs, you’ve probably been overworked and underpaid, leaving you exhausted and in need of a much deserved vacation. You might even be feeling a little frustrated and overwhelmed about the mounds of work lingering on your desk. But, don’t let your work ethic slip. With employers increasing their plans to hire again in 2010, they could just as easily find someone else who is refreshed and excited about the opportunity to have a job, no matter how much work it entails. So, check out these four work habits to help keep you safe in your career. 

Be Flexible. No matter how slammed you are in your current position with a heavy workload, stay flexible. Be willing to rearrange your schedule to allow for new tasks that may be more important, even when you can’t find a minute to spare. If your boss is a good manager, they will see when your plate is full and will adjust accordingly. Also, don’t be afraid to schedule a meeting with your supervisor to discuss what projects can be put on the back burner for a while so you can focus on top priorities

Be Positive. Make sure that you always have a pleasant attitude, even if you want to pull your hair out. It’s imperative that your superiors don’t see you sweat the small stuff, or the large stuff, and that you exhibit a can-do attitude even in the worst case scenarios. Having a positive mindset will go far in your boss’s eyes and will help you get through stressful days a little easier.

Be Accountable. It’s easy to lose track of projects when there is so much going on and no one to hold you accountable. So make sure you hold yourself responsible for your tasks. You don’t want to be assigned a project and not get it completed because you assumed your boss would get with you on it later. Upper management is doing more with less time as well, so be accountable for your own assignments and don’t expect your boss to micromanage your workload.

Be Assertive. If you see something that needs to be done, don’t wait to be tasked with the project. Take initiative and tackle the assignment before you are asked. This will show your boss how valuable you are to the organization and that you are willing to work on tasks without being told to.   

As the economy continues to improve, employers are strategizing to make a comeback by hiring more employees. But, don’t let the notion that your job is safe keep you from having a strong work ethic. With many job seekers ready to take your place, your employers may only be a big résumé stack away from finding someone who would be happy to fill your shoes. You’ve worked hard for so long, so don’t give up! Keep your career on track with these four work habits.

Text Messages Crossing the Line?

Cell phone text messaging has changed the way we communicate, the way we operate, and even the way we do business. It’s direct and instantaneous. And, with more than a third of the world texting, it’s becoming a more prevalent and often preferred means of communication.

But, like most technological advances, text messaging can have some unintended consequences. According to experts, “textual” harassment or sexual harassment that occurs via text messages is on the rise in the workplace.

With text messaging becoming a part of everyday business more and more, is it affecting you at work?

poll by twiigs.com

Professional Lessons from the Barnyard

Some days, the hustle and bustle of cube life doesn’t seem all that different from a barnyard full of animals. The gossip group around the water cooler sounds like a henhouse full of clucking chickens. Your cube-mate’s laugh breaks your concentration like the hee-haw of a mule. And, the papers stacking up around your desk make you feel like a tired work horse. But, despite the negative attributes your daily routine may share with a brood of barnyard animals, if you look closely, there are also positive characteristics you can learn from all creatures – great and small – to improve your work environment and career.

Not sure where to start looking? Follow theses examples to be a whole different kind of employee that companies need to lead the pack.

Be loyal like a dog. Learn an old trick from man’s best friend and be a loyal and dependable employee to your company, your supervisor, and your team. Employers know that loyalty can be a hard thing to come by, so they value trustworthy employees with devotion. By being loyal, you will stand out as top dog. You can prove your loyalty by keeping confidential information confidential, ignoring and avoiding harmful office gossip, and being a dependable employee everyone can count on.

Every dog has its day. So, choose to be reliable and faithful in your daily tasks, actions, and attitude and your loyalty will be rewarded with the affection and respect of your employer and your entire team.

Keep cool like a pig. Pigs don’t have functional sweat glands, so when things get hot, they have to cool themselves down with water or mud before they overheat. Losing your cool at work can be a career killer. So, it’s important to always maintain your composure in the office. When you’re faced with stressful situations, don’t sweat it. Instead, take a deep breath and take everything in stride, because reacting inappropriately or unprofessionally will only add fuel to an already hot fire.

Since rolling around in a mud hole is not an option, if you’re having trouble staying calm under pressure at work, take a break, find someone outside of work to talk to, or listen to music to improve your serenity and keep your cool.

Rule the roost like a rooster. No matter what your title or job position, you can be a team leader who motivates your co-workers to succeed. Start every day by rousing your colleagues with a positive and energetic attitude and outlook that is contagious. Be sure to crow loudly about your co-workers’ accomplishments and triumphs with sincere praise and celebration. Protect them from the sly predator of negativity by carefully guarding your own outlook and approach to life, work, and your company.

So, next time work gets a little crazy and messy like a pig sty, keep your cool, be a loyal and dependable employee who motivates your team, and you will be the needle in the workplace haystack.

Who’s Spying on You Online?

With online networking websites continuing to grow at rapid speeds, doesn’t it sometimes seem that you have more friends/connections online than you know in real life? There’s that coworker you met very briefly at the companywide meeting. Another random person you met at the baseball game who has a LinkedIn account and works in your industry. Your sister’s best friend, her boyfriend, and his cousin. That guy who used to sit alone in your American History class in high school. This list goes on and on. Your online network could grow to hundreds of thousands of people, but would this allow for effective networking and relationship building?

Building a large network of connections is a good thing, and yes, that’s the purpose of most social media tools. But, it’s important to remember to be conscious of what information you do and do not post on your profile when using social media sites. Some sites, such as Facebook, are more heavily focused on socializing and staying connected to your friends. But did you know that many employers are hopping on the social media bandwagon too?

You never know who will see what you post online. It always seems there is someone who knows someone who knows you.To help you with your social media, here are a few basic rules to follow.

Learn about privacy settings. The first rule for using any social media site is to know what the privacy settings are. You might want to set your profile so that it can only be viewed by your friends. This way, once you have approved someone to be a friend, only then can they have access to your information and pictures. If they’re not a friend, they can’t access any information from you. This gives you some control over who sees your profile and who doesn’t.

After-hour pictures. Yes, everyone has a personal life outside of work, and what you do in your free time is your choice. But, realize that if you post party pictures, a co-worker or someone who interviewed you for a job might be able to see those photos. Another thing to keep in mind is that your friends can post things on your profile. On some sites like Facebook, friends can tag photos of you, so just make sure to do check-ups on your site to see what others might have posted about you.  Remember that your networking profiles are a reflection of you, so use your best judgment when it comes to the featured content.

Spell check. Even if you are not a journalist or in a communication-related field, make sure you don’t have a lot of misspelled words on your profiles. Typos and misspellings could communicate a careless attitude or sloppiness – two things you don’t want to convey in the professional world.

Social media can be a great tool for staying connected, learning new industry tips, and showing that you are up-to-speed on current trends. In the digital age, personal and professional can overlap. So, use these tips to make sure you maintain a balanced online image. It’s always a good idea to put your best foot forward by always being professional, even in your personal life. To learn more, view our guide on social media for business leaders.

The Mixed Signals Affecting Your Career

We live in a world of perpetual communication. On average, men use more than 13,000 words a day and women use nearly three times that amount. We also send and receive information through nonverbal messages such as our body language, posture, facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact. Appearance, style of speech, and voice inflection can further communicate information to others. We communicate at work, at home, in social settings, through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, through e-mail, blogs, instant messaging, phones, and more, all at an ever quickening pace.

What’s Your Message Saying?

We have a million things to say, and a million ways to say it, but with all that communication, the signals we send can get mixed. Sending mixed signals is sometimes unavoidable and is almost always done subconsciously, but could your mixed signals be hurting your career? What you convey verbally and nonverbally, and how you convey it can affect the way employers and co-workers perceive you. If you’re waiting on a promotion, worrying that you’re striking out during a job interview, or feeling misunderstood at work, it could be that you’re sending the wrong messages.

Understanding Misunderstandings

Misinterpretation is inevitable. Maybe your co-workers interpret your tendency to be introverted as you being cold or standoffish instead of just shy. Perhaps your enthusiasm, excitement, and passion at work make others feel overwhelmed or intimated. A relaxed personality can be interpreted as a lack of drive or just laziness. In your career and in life, it’s imperative to be aware of what you’re communicating and how that communication is received. To know what you’re communicating, you have to see yourself as others see you.

Know Thy Communication Pitfalls

Thomas Fuller once said, “No man is the worst for knowing the worst of himself.” So, while it may be uncomfortable, even a little painful, to learn you have a habit of talking over people and it’s driving your co-workers insane, or that your focused eye contact frightens the administrative assistant until she avoids you like she would a basilisk, knowing you have a disconnect in communication is half the battle. Soliciting feedback from others can equip you with the information you need to communicate more effectively. So ask a co-worker, mentor, respected leader, friend, or even the employer who choose not to hire you to provide feedback on the messages you send, and use that information to adapt your communication styles so you can be more clearly understood.  You never know, what may seem like a small change could make all the difference. Maybe your next interview will be a home run, the next promotion a sure thing, or at the very least, maybe that administrative assistant won’t cower in fear from your death stare every time you enter the room.

 

Think Positive About Your Current Work Situation

In the aftermath of a company layoff or cutback, your attitude about your current job might not be as positive as it once was. However, if you’re experiencing negative feelings about your work situation, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment – a.k.a. hurting your career or reputation. Negative attitudes reflect in all you do, and others can pick up on your negative feelings as well. For instance, do you dread getting up and going to work each day? When it’s Monday, are you only looking forward to Friday afternoon? If you answered yes to either of these, it’s time to change your way of thinking. Think about the positive aspects of your job – you owe it to yourself. Here are three steps to help re-focus your attitude.

 

1. Be grateful for the job you have. Even though you might be working someplace that you don’t like, keep in mind that at least you have a job. That is something to be grateful for today. You still have a source of income to pay bills and purchase the things you need.

 

2. Develop friendships at work. When you make connections with others in the workplace, the day tends to go by faster and your work performance to increase. Make it a point to say hello to your co-workers and maybe even go out to eat lunch. By doing so, you will not only be allowing some joy to come into your life, but you will also be adding joy to someone else’s life.

 

3. Focus on your strengths. There are things at work you excel at. You’re the expert at those things and they are a reflection of your strengths. Don’t lose sight of these stand-out qualities. Focus on using these skills throughout your workday so you feel a sense of accomplishment when it’s time to go home.

 

It can be easy to let your current work situation get you down, if you let it. Fight the urge to give in to a negative attitude. Try implementing these three tips into your life, and see if your days improve. Also, remember that attitude is contagious - would you want someone to catch yours?