How To Network With A Complete Jerk

How To Network With A Complete Jerk A few years ago I had one of the most unpleasant experiences since my layoff.  It had to do with someone who is a complete jerk. Its not a long story but theres no reason to tell it here. This person has been on my mind frequently, since they had such an impact on me. I got a birthday reminder for The Jerk not too long ago. After the event I never, ever wanted to talk to The Jerk again. But Ive thought about The Jerk frequently. We talk about job seekers networking all the time.  But what if you have a JERK that is in your way?  How do you network with a JERK? Simple: YOU DONT. Why not? Because you dont have to. How beautiful is that? Since starting JibberJobber I realized that I was empowered to choose who my associates were. If I liked someone I could work with them more. If I didnt like them I could avoid them. When you have a job its hard to avoid people you dislike, especially if they are a boss, coworker, customer, vendor, etc. When you are in a job search, or in working on your own business, you have a lot more choice over who you associate with. EXERCISE THIS CHOICE. No one will force you to network with a JERK. Isnt that an awesome, empowering thing? Yes it is! How To Network With A Complete Jerk A few years ago I had one of the most unpleasant experiences since my layoff.  It had to do with someone who is a complete jerk. Its not a long story but theres no reason to tell it here. This person has been on my mind frequently, since they had such an impact on me. I got a birthday reminder for The Jerk not too long ago. After the event I never, ever wanted to talk to The Jerk again. But Ive thought about The Jerk frequently. We talk about job seekers networking all the time.  But what if you have a JERK that is in your way?  How do you network with a JERK? Simple: YOU DONT. Why not? Because you dont have to. How beautiful is that? Since starting JibberJobber I realized that I was empowered to choose who my associates were. If I liked someone I could work with them more. If I didnt like them I could avoid them. When you have a job its hard to avoid people you dislike, especially if they are a boss, coworker, customer, vendor, etc. When you are in a job search, or in working on your own business, you have a lot more choice over who you associate with. EXERCISE THIS CHOICE. No one will force you to network with a JERK. Isnt that an awesome, empowering thing? Yes it is!

Can I Borrow a Cup of Internet - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Can I Borrow a Cup of … Internet - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career This is the season of excuses. Actually, the season of excuses occurs more frequently than the ones that come to mind more readily: winter, spring, summer or fall. The season of excuses is familiar to every student and every teacher. It would shock and appall those who are funding education, loaning money for it or otherwise have a stake in it. The season of excuses is certainly the one you most regret when you pay back your student loans. “I had to miss class because my parents flew into New York and demanded I meet them.” “I did not turn in any assignments because I did not have Internet.” “I have added up all the points I missed because I did not attend or complete my assignments and realized I will not graduate. Can you kindly assist me?” The season of excuses comes within two weeks of the semester ending. I know because I teach courses on the UCLA campus, mostly to young managers who have come from countries all around the world. Teaching is not the only thing I do. I coach career transitions and I lead personal branding learning programs. I’m also a partner in a number of entrepreneurial ventures. The difference between teaching and working is never more vast than when it comes to excuse-making. I have never had a client tell me he or she was “out of Internet” for a month, and my clients are all over the world. I have a client in Bali who posts every single day â€" and a client on an around the world cruise who rarely misses a day. I’ve never had a client miss weeks of meetings because a loved one flew in and demanded their full and complete attention 24/7. Never had a client or an employee who missed all the meetings and produced no work product: and then was surprised that so much time had gone by! And suddenly reached out needing my kindness or assistance? Nope. Never happened. I don’t know if there is a more important lesson in the courses I teach in marketing, business communication and personal branding, than the one that calls the students’ attention to their audiences. The lesson won’t surprise you, if you are thriving in your career or business. Be prepared to succeed with your audience. If you are not thriving, than this post is dedicated to your success. Practice doing what you should be doing, when you should be doing it, at the level or quality it should be done. If you have to, borrow a cup of Internet. Starbucks is giving it away, btw. Ask your loved ones if they understand that work/life balance means that work is part of the equation. Show up where you are supposed to be. Turn in what you are supposed to turn in. And most importantly: stop making excuses, real or imagined. Your teachers, your boss, your clients and your investors all live on the same planet as you. We know what season it is.

Are We All Knowledge Workers Now

Are We All Knowledge Workers Now Management guru Peter Drucker coined the term knowledge worker in his 1969 book, The Age of Discontinuity, differentiating knowledge workers from manual workers and insists that new industries will employ mostly knowledge workers. The Work Foundation defines knowledge work as that which uses high level ‘tacit’ knowledge that resides in people’s minds, rather than being written down (or codified) in manuals, guides, lists and procedures. They also say that knowledge work cannot be adequately described simply by looking at job titles or education levels, two interesting facts emerge from their research: About 20 per cent of people engaged in jobs with high knowledge content â€" the core group of knowledge workers â€" are not graduates. Knowledge work is about equally likely to be done by men and women, but it’s interesting to note that the growth of more knowledge intensive work has not, of itself, overcome the gender pay gap. The term ‘knowledge economy’ refers to a transformed economy where investment in ‘knowledge based’ assets such as RD, design, software, and human and organisational capital has become the dominant form of investment compared with investment in physical assets â€" machines, equipment, buildings and vehicles. In essence our infrastructure and ways of working have changed the basis on which our organisations compete. We often hear about ‘talent management’ and ‘high potential employees’ being groomed for great things, but these days even routine jobs require judgement and improvisation and the ability to deal with ambiguity and volatility. The performance of everyone on your team counts, we are all problem solvers contributing to the overall mission. We all have our own talents and in a collaborative environment all employees help the organisation develop better products and services, improve business performance and increase profit, making better and faster decisions. Knowledge workers need to be empowered to work towards well-defined goals choosing their own routes and processes where feasible. Manage workers as though they are volunteers Drucker says we have to relearn how to manage people. We have to manage people as though they were volunteers. Volunteers get satisfaction from what they do because they are challenged and enriched by the work, not by the paycheck. They need a challenge, they need to know the organization’s mission and believe in it”. I advocate creating an environment where knowledge sharing is encouraged, but where employees can also find space to work quietly when they need to. Give them the big picture and make sure everyone knows where they fit in. Career conversations between managers and workers, so that career management plans are shared and mapped are invaluable. The truth is that the way we hire people has changed too. Now so many workers are contractors or freelance, we have perforce changed the way we manage and measure performance. It’s important that we create a workplace where these people want to work. Finding talented people is hard enough, keeping them is even harder, so it makes sense to show we value them. Goffee and Jones, authors of Creating the Best Workplace on Earth suggest that you “think not about how much value to extract from workers but about how much value to instil in them”.

How to Comfort a Coworker

How to Comfort a Coworker Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'odA4o9rVRhZO4aZEyf7w8A',sig:'hZiALSnNwjw8Xd0u8hvSTFEQ0GmcKfX6NHsPB7UqBAY=',w:'509px',h:'339px',items:'622177800',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); We spend as many hours each week with coworkers as we do with family, and we often forge relationships and share personal information. Sometimes, we must spend eight hours or more at work with someone who has experienced loss or is going through a period of intense sadness. Here’s how you can help. Your first challenge is figuring out how much he or she wants to reveal at work. Some people need to feel supported by their colleagues, but others may find work to be the only place they can feel and act “normal.” Take your cue from your coworker; offer a brief expression of compassion (“I heard about your brother. I’m so sorry for your loss”) and let the other person take the lead. If you receive a brief thanks and a clear dismissal, let it go. She probably wants work to remain a neutral haven, someplace she feels in control. Writer Sabina Nawasz, who in the course of one year, lost her  brother, mother, a close friend, and six relatives, says: “Broadly speaking, there are two ways you can support a grieving colleague: doing or being. Mourners need both.” It might sound counterintuitive, but if you really want to help, don’t ask how you can help. According to mental health experts, people who are suffering will find the idea of asking for help to be overwhelming. Instead, take action without asking. Buy a restaurant or coffeehouse gift card. Bring in healthy snacks or breakfast. Offer to take a shift or stay late. Jump in on a routine task like filing or sorting to make the work shorter. Don’t expect much conversation or acknowledgment; that shouldn’t be necessary to your motivation. Your presence and help will make a difference in your coworker’s ability to cope and keep up with work during a tough time. And your gift of healthy food may make be the best   or only â€" nutrition he gets during the day. If you find your coworker is willing to talk about what she’s experiencing, there are some pitfalls to avoid. Monica Torres, writing for The Ladders, interviewed a psychologist who says that common bromides like “it will get better,” and “everything happens for a reason” simply make people feel bad for feeling bad. Likewise comparing something that happened to you. Torres writes, “Everyone’s loss is unique, and comparing your war story to your coworker’s’ is not empathy because it does not acknowledge their unique pain.” She quotes grief therapist  Dr. Patrick O’Malley: “This is their story, not yours.” Amy Gallo, writing for Harvard Business Review, says when a coworker breaks down and cries, you have several options, but ignoring the tears is not the best one. “What specifically you do â€" offer a tissue, ask what’s wrong, give a hug, suggest a walk outside â€" will depend on your relationship, how long you’ve worked together, and the office culture. The key is to engage, and let the tears flow.” Simply closing the door or blinds and sitting quietly with someone while they cry may be the most empathetic response you can make. Be aware that sorrow may linger or reoccur long after the immediate event. The anniversary of a loss, or the upcoming holiday season may bring up sadness. If someone is struggling with emotions at work and you’re not sure of the cause, start with simple empathy. “I’m so sorry you’re feeling bad. What do you need right now?” Time, space, or simply your presence might help, even if there is no cure for what they’re feeling.

How to Get an A+ on Your Performance Management Program

How to Get an A+ on Your Performance Management Program If you were always a straight-A student, you probably looked forward to receiving every report card.Some of us, on the other hand, were easily distracted by boys or baseball or hairstyles or Hendrix. We did well in some subjects but struggled through others, and so we dreaded report card time. Our palms got sweaty just opening the envelope.We walked home from school the long way. And when it was time to show Mom and Dad, we closed our eyes and waited for the lecture about “not realizing your potential” to be over.evalUnfortunately, when it’s time for employees to meet with their managers about performance, many suffer painful flashbacks to report card time.After all, these reviews don’t just determine ratings; they have an impact on how an employee is paid, whether he gets a promotion and sometimes whether he keeps his job.It’s no wonder employees, managers and even HR professionals view performance management as a challenge.In fact, a 2014 research report by the Society fo r Human Resource Management Almost every performance management system relies heavily on managers to make it work. Managers help employees set goals, evaluate performance and provide feedback throughout the year. Managers also make recommendations on how employees will be paid.So our advice about communicating performance managementis this: Invest in managers. That means using a multi-faceted approach to set them up for success.Here are three ways you can use communication tools to support managers and help your organization earn high marks:1.Conduct interactive workshops to train managers on the processWhen a global company was introducing a new performance management process and tool, we worked with the HR team to develop a web workshop for managers. The goal was to help managers understand priorities and what to do.evalTopics included briefing managers on process objectives, setting expectations and instructing them to use the tool. We offered several sessions scheduled at differ ent times of the day, so managers could choose the time that worked best for them.Manager feedback about the workshops was positive. Ninety-nine percent of attendees agreed that they understood the importance of talking to their team about priorities. Eighty-six percent agreed that they better understood how to discuss those priorities. Some comments included:“Great class! It really helped to understand where the company as a whole was coming from and how to break it down to employee level. I would attend this again.”“This workshop was very informative and motivating. I intend to apply the strategies mentioned in an upcoming meeting. Thank you.”2.Develop how-to guides to help managers prepare for their rolesAnother global company wanted to ensure managers understood their roles in the performance management process. We created a comprehensive guide for managers that included:Message from the CEOOverview of performance managementRoles and responsibilitiesQuick-start guide to the performance management process, including step-by-step instructions:Develop objectivesReview mid-year performance and developmentEvaluate annual performanceConduct second-level review and calibrationDeliver final confirmation to employeeFrequently asked questionsOne of the first sections in the guide described the manager’s role and its importance. It also clearly stated the manager’s responsibilities in the performance management process so he or she would know exactly what was expected:Within performance management you are responsible for coordinating work across your team, and coaching and assessing your team’s performance. To do this, you need to:Help your employee understand the company, group, functional and site objectives, and how your team’s work aligns with those objectives.Distribute key objectives for the year among team members.Provide support to the employee as he/she sets career goals and creates a development plan.Work with each employee to assess perform ance at mid-year and year-end and determine performance rating.Provide recognition, feedback and coaching throughout the year to help the employee achieve individual and overall objectives3.Create low-tech videos for managers to share ideas and adviceAt another company that was rolling out a new performance management system to give managers improved online tools, we recommended producing videos of highly respected managers from around the world to provide friendly advice and encouragement.The managers used smartphones to record themselves answering questions like:What’s the best advice you ever received from a boss?How do you recommend dealing with problem employees?How have you been able to turn an employee’s performance around?The resulting footage was shared with managers throughout the company in a variety of ways: webinars, training sessions and a series of online training modules. The videos gave managers real examples of success stories to follow.Well-prepared managers = engaged employeesWhen you help managers coach their employees through what can sometimes be a complicated process, employees will feel engaged and knowledgeable. They’ll have the answers to their important questions, including:Am I doing the right things to advance my career and help the company?How am I performing compared to my peers?Do I have a future with this company?How do I get better at what I do?evalHow would you grade your company’s performance management? If it’s not an A, maybe it’s time to use these examples to make some changes.

Employee engagement vs. happiness at work - what should companies focus on - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Employee engagement vs. happiness at work - what should companies focus on - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I met a manager recently who claimed in no uncertain terms that companies should forget all about employee happiness and focus only on engagement.? He argued that people can be happy at work without performing well, whereas employee engagement leads directly to better performance. Ive actually heard this claim a few times recently, but it is still wrong. In this article well look at why. But first let?s define the two terms. Both can be defined in many different ways, which will confuse any discussion, so here are the definitions I will base my argument on. This is the first result that comes up when you google employee engagement definition: Employee engagement is the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work. And this is the definition of happiness at work that we use: Happiness at work is the extent to which employees feel good about their jobs. Both are clearly emotional at their core (the word feel appears in both) but the key difference is that engagement is more about the work and less about the person. Its not really about how you feel in general, its how passionate you feel about your job, how committed you are to the workplace and how much extra effort you put in. Happiness at work, as we define it, is how work makes you feel more broadly. Its not about feeling good every second of every work day, but it is about experiencing mostly positive feelings about your job. Just to make it clear: We think employee engagement is a useful concept and we are not arguing against it. We just want to argue that of the two, it is much more effective for a company to focus on making their employees happy than on making them engaged. Here are the four main reasons why. 1: Happiness is easier to sell to employees Whether youre looking to create employee happiness or engagement, you need your employees to be active partners in the process. This is not something you can do to them without their active and willing participation or (even worse) against their will. Employee engagement, being directly related to commitment and effort, is a very easy sell to managers and companies. Every manager wants employees who are passionate about their work and go above and beyond to do a better job. But seen from the employee side, its a much harder sell. When a manager states that they want their employees to be more engaged in their work or give more discretionary effort it can easily come off as if they are simply demanding more passion and work from people, without giving anything back. On the other hand, when a manager sets a? goal to create a happy workplace, the benefits are immediately clear to employees and its much easier to engage them in the process. Ironically, happiness can be a harder sell towards managers, many of whom are skeptical of all that happiness crap. This video covers their most common objections and why theyre wrong: 2: Engagement without happiness is unsustainable How engaged can someone really be if theyre unhappy at work? This happens. One of our International Partners, Sheona McGraw of Cloud 9 to 5 in Canada has seen it first hand: Having worked in a number of charities, non-profit orgs and social enterprises, I can tell you that most of these employees are passionate and committed about their org?s cause but unfortunately a lot of the orgs don?t have a very happy work environment and its not uncommon at all to find super engaged yet super unhappy employees working in these orgs. This is something I talk a lot about in my discussions with potential clients. I myself have been in this circumstance a number of times, being super engaged but miserable. And while I performed satisfactorily, had I been happy I would have blown the job out of the water. A person can be incredibly passionate about their work and totally committed to the workplace, but still be miserable at work. Ive seen this happen for instance when people are treated badly by their coworkers or manager or when they cant do their job in a way that satisfies their own professional standards. In this case, two things can happen: The employees unhappiness can leech away any feeling of engagement, leaving the person not caring about their work. Or, even worse, the person remains engaged and unhappy which leads to stress and burnout. So even if you want an engaged workforce, you still need to focus on making them happy because engagement without happiness is not sustainable. 3: Ultimately, it?s about performance ? and happiness drives better performance As I stated above, some fans of engagement argue that it matters more because it directly drives effort and performance. They also argue that employees can be happy but not productive. Both of these arguments reveal a poor knowledge of the research in happiness at work. Sure, engagement leads to better performance but given the definition above that includes commitment and extra effort, thats almost a tautology. Furthermore, we know from a large amount of research, that happy employees perform much better. Ed Diener, one of the worlds leading happiness researchers summed it up like this: In the workplace we know that happiness causes more-productive and more-creative workers. If you know academics, you know how careful they are about using the word causes. In this case, we know that happiness at work causes higher: Productivity happy people get more work done with the same resources. Creativity feeling good makes your mind more able to think of new ideas and approaches. Intrinsic motivation happy people dont need constant external motivators like bonuses or threats; they want to do good work. Loyalty happy employees care about the company and stay longer in their jobs. Discretionary effort employees who like their jobs go above and beyond for the customers, their co-workers and the workplace. So employee happiness has been shown to directly cause increased performance. 4: Happiness causes engagement Youll notice that both loyalty and discretionary effort were part of the definition of engagement that we presented above. Given that (as we saw in the previous section) happy employees are more loyal and are more likely to go the extra mile, its clear that happiness? doesnt only cause better performance happiness also directly causes engagement. Of course, the effects are circular and engagement and happiness will cause each other. But given the results above as well as the fact that engagement cannot last in the absence of happiness, it seems clear to me that happiness causes engagement more than engagement causes happiness. Gallup does a lot of great work on employee engagement and their Q12 survey is one of my favorite metrics. They also acknowledge that many factors play into engagement, including happiness / well-being, writing: Leaders have to think about everything from culture to well-being to purpose and meaning and make it all come to life in a personalized way for employees. The upshot Engagement is a great concept but ignoring employee happiness in the pursuit of engagement makes no sense. At the very least, sustainable engagement requires happiness at work, meaning you cant ignore the happiness aspect. When do people feel passionate about their work, committed to the workplace and give discretionary effort? When they?re happy at work! So if you want engaged employees, focus on making them happy and engagement will follow. Related posts The top 5 new rules of productivity Top 10 reasons why happiness is the ultimate productivity booster 5 reasons why Danish employees are the happiest in the world How goals and KPIs demotivate the best employees Being great at your work vs. feeling great about your work Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Ideas for Improving Your Writing Skills

Ideas for Improving Your Writing SkillsWriting skills are considered a very important part of building self confidence. If you are lacking in the areas of writing and are having trouble with it, you may be dealing with issues that could be caused by a life event. Of course, there are other reasons to be having difficulty in your writing skills but for the most part, it is really related to life events.Writing skills are something that everyone takes pride in. It is something that many people get an opportunity to take part in, and if they take it seriously, they will be able to express themselves to others in a way that will be seen as great by others. For example, if you are an author, you may be proud of the work that you are doing, or if you are a writer and are in school, you will want to be able to express yourself well.There are several methods that you can use in order to improve your writing skills, such as attending a writing class, doing a lot of research, or even writing a book on a certain subject matter. Of course, many of these methods can be very helpful and will provide you with ways in which you can increase your ability to express yourself on a regular basis. It is important that you consider all of your options before you make a decision on which method will work best for you.Writing classes are a great way to learn about how to improve your writing skills. With these classes, you will be learning new methods in order to express yourself effectively, without completely stuttering and not being able to get the point across. You will also be learning how to use many different styles of writing and how to use different tools in order to create interesting and compelling pieces of writing.Researching for information is also another way to improve your writing skills, and it is one of the fastest and easiest ways to improve your ability to write. With this method, you will be spending your time doing research, and what you will be studying will be something that you are interested in. You will be able to use the information that you collect to better express yourself and to tell a more interesting story.Writing a book is a great way to improve your writing skills. Not only do you get to write about something that you like, but you will be able to tell a great story and to share that story with others. You will also be able to sell the book, and in addition to being able to sell the book, you will also have a platform in which to tell people about things that they are interested in.You can also write your own articles. If you are interested in writing about a particular subject matter, you can go online and find articles about it. Then, if you want to improve your writing skills, you can write your own article and submit it to a website.There are many ways that you can improve your writing skills. Of course, if you are looking to build confidence in yourself, you will want to start by researching which method of improving you r writing skills will work best for you. There are many ways to improve your writing skills, and learning about them is important, because it will give you confidence to go out into the world and begin expressing yourself in a way that will be viewed positively by others.