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In France, workers unions in the technology and consultancy sectors signed a legally binding labor agreement requiring workers to unplug from work calls and emails after 6 p.m.

In Germany, the employment ministry cited a desire to prevent employee burn-out when they told managers to stop calling or emailing their staff after-hours except in the case of a true emergency.

And in Sweden, the city of Gothenburg announced a new experiment in six-hour workdays for some of its employees, in the hopes of increasing worker productivity and mental health.

All of this lead to some pretty hot debate over whether other countries should follow suit — and what that could mean for employers and employees alike.

For some great discussions on the topic, check out the National Post (Canada) article here, Human Capital (Australia) article here, and Fast Company’s article here.

What do you think about these workday limits? Should the U.S. adopt similar measures?

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The post Avoid These Corporate Event Planning Pitfalls to Create an Eye-Popping Event appeared first on Brazen Life.

Now, lots of companies have event planners on speed dial. But regardless of your role in your business, you could be called upon to plan an event — and it involves a lot more skill than an eye for color.

Planning a corporate event involves budgeting, scheduling, acquiring permits, coordinating bus charters or other transportation, courting and arranging speakers, lining up alternate speakers, configuring location support (like electricity, wifi and other utilities), arranging decor, establishing emergency contingency plans and more.

The event planner must have, first and foremost, excellent communication and organization skills.

But it’s one thing to talk about what you, as even a de facto event planner, should do or the qualities you should possess. What pitfalls can you avoid in pulling off the perfect event? Here are some important no-nos:

Forgetting to check the weather forecast

Whether you’re planning an indoor or outdoor event, the climate and foreseeable weather matters. Contingency plans for outdoor events should be obvious, depending on where the event takes place. But even if it’s an indoor event, a conference in Boston, New York or Chicago in February, for example, is taking a risk.

You don’t want to spend people’s and companies’ money and time for an event to be a flop if there’s a huge snowstorm and no one can get there. Unforeseeable events do occur: October should be a pretty safe bet in the Northeast, but Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc. No event planner could have anticipated that a year ahead of time, but avoiding winter months in snow-prone climates is a good idea.

In the short-term sense, know the 10-day forecast before your event and continue to monitor the weather. If you’re anticipating a heat wave, perhaps extra fans or cooling stations are in order. If forecasters predict rain, plan for a place where people can leave sopping coats and umbrellas instead of carrying them around.

The more prepared you are, the smoother the event will go.

Not having a coat check

Having a coat check is always a good idea, regardless of season. If it’s a warm climate and people are unlikely to have coats, a small closet would be fine. But if people might be coming in with bulkier outerwear, a coat check is necessary. If it’s an event involving a cocktail party, people will have other things to carry around.

If it’s a business meeting, they may have laptops, iPads or notebooks. If there are any cocktail parties where people will be standing and carrying drinks or food, they don’t need to be toting around a bulky coat. Remember, the success of your event is contingent upon the comfort and stress-free attitudes of your attendees. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

Not having ample parking and good signs to and from

Reliable transportation can be one of the trickiest parts of event logistics. One of the easiest ways to ensure your guests will be transported on time and safely is to coordinate charter buses. Even if your guests are arriving from far away, arranging bus rentals to get them from airports and hotels can save a lot of hassles for everyone.

Bringing people in on charter buses saves the amount of space you need for parking. If your event is in the middle of a metropolitan area or has little parking, even having outlying “meeting spots” with shuttle buses can defray a lot of the hassles associated with having guests need to park and navigate their own way to the event.

Of course, if you must have on- or immediately off-site parking, be sure you have plenty of conspicuous signs in place. People will get lost, even if the venue is right in front of their noses.

Not making sure bathrooms remain clean

Nobody likes a dirty portable toilet. Or a dirty regular bathroom. Plenty of people are even grossed out by clean public bathrooms, but that’s their problem, not yours. Yours is ensuring that the venue’s staff is equipped to regularly clean and monitor the bathrooms so they remain clean and usable for the duration of the event.

If the venue is a hotel or conference center, it should be accustomed to dealing with crowds (and cleaning bathrooms), so it’s probably less of an issue than, say, an outdoor music festival that’s likely to have hundreds or thousands of people jockeying for time in a few portable toilets.

Because a few messes are inevitable, have enough accessible bathroom facilities so that if one or two become unusable, there are plenty more to get everyone through the event. If you have thousands of people and inadequate personal sanitation facilities, you could end up with serious public health hazards. Think Woodstock or Hurricane Katrina.

Not having enough well-trained staff or volunteers

It’s important to make sure that your staff or volunteer staff are not only abundant, but well-trained. Each person working the event should be easily identifiable, either with badges, T-shirts or some other recognizable trademark.

Everyone from the person checking in registrants to the person serving the coffee should be able to answer basic questions. Granted, it’s unreasonable to expect the coffee pourer to know the exact schedule of events and where to get additional tickets — but it’s not unreasonable to expect that they can point people to an information desk so the guest can easily locate the appropriate person.

Staffers should know the basic flow of the event and information, such as where the bathrooms are and who to talk with if there’s an issue or complaint. Above all, stress to your staffers that even if they don’t know the answer to a question, they need to be courteous, friendly, helpful and polite.

Not planning for an emergency

Emergency can have many definitions, and part of what makes it an emergency is often the unforeseeable nature of the occurrence. The emergencies every event planner should be prepared for are medical situations (heart attacks, seizures, falls down stairs or minor issues) and crowd control problems.

While you probably don’t need a physician waiting in the wings, if you’re hosting a large event without easy access in and out, it could be a good idea to have a contract with an ambulance company to have one on hand, just in case.

Know where the closest hospital or urgent care center is so that if something does happen, you know how to direct your guest or staffer to the appropriate medical services.

It’s probably overkill to anticipate a natural disaster like a hurricane or earthquake. But if a natural disaster does happen, or if some other issue (gas leak, water main break, power outage or episode of violence) threatens your attendees’ safety, you should have a plan to evacuate them from the premises in an efficient, expeditious manner.

This could mean having a charter bus company on speed dial to get people out if need be, or it could be as simple as having readily accessible exits. It all depends on your venue and the nature of the crowd you anticipate.

Don’t underestimate the power of mob mentality, especially if people panic. Your best defense is organization and having systems in place that will help people feel safe and calmly follow directions.

Sure, other rookie mistakes can happen, but safety, cleanliness, organization and staffing are the meat and potatoes of making an event work smoothly. The details of whether you need wine goblets or champagne flutes — that’s the fun part. If you can remember the basics, it’ll go a long way in establishing your reputation as being the event planner who gets it done right.

Glenn Orloff is the CEO of Metropolitan Shuttle, a company that provides shuttle and charter bus services for every major metropolitan area in North America. Glenn has years of experience in the event planning industry, in addition to coordinating the transportation for groups and events of all sizes through his extensive network of vendors.

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The post How to Give Your Boss Constructive Criticism and Still Keep Your Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

Beat the Boss is billed as a game to relieve pent-up workplace aggression, but let’s be honest: Sometimes, you still need your voice heard. Many managers create an environment where contrary opinions are squelched, but no matter where you work, you need to feel free to contribute your ideas.

Here’s how to tell your boss what you really think — without getting fired:

1. Time it right

If your manager already looks pissed off, it’s probably better to wait for another time. Also be mindful of meetings, projects and other big events on your boss’s schedule. It’s probably not the best idea to tell your boss everything he’s doing wrong as he’s on his way to an important presentation or speech, unless you’re planning on filming an epic “I Quit!” YouTube video.

You may have a boss who’s always in a bad mood. In that case, there’s no better time than the present to discuss his attitude with him.

2. Pick your battles

It’s OK to criticize your boss, but it’s best to do it one-on-one. Joining in on a break room bitch session could be dangerous. The business world is filled with sharks, and you never know when something you say could make it to the manager’s office.

There’s a stark difference between someone with initiative and personality (who companies want to keep on staff) and dissenters who destroy the company from within. You don’t want to develop a reputation as a backstabber.

3. Support your ideas with facts

Just because you think something is a good idea doesn’t make it so. (Click here to tweet this thought.) If you tell your boss you work more productively when she’s not around, you’d better have an hour-by-hour breakdown showing the correlation.

But even if you bring the facts, there’s no guarantee management will seriously consider your idea. Be prepared in the event the conversation doesn’t go your way.

4. Be playful and gracious

Graciousness and playfulness are attractive qualities in people. These qualities build trust, and when you hit an inevitable rough patch with your boss, that trust will come in handy.

When approaching your boss with criticism, keep your tone friendly and playful. It sometimes helps to reference a movie or TV show you both enjoy to illustrate bad behavior while keeping the conversation light.

It’s also helpful to be self-deprecating. Conan O’Brien is the king of self-deprecating humor, and he gets away with insulting so many public figures because he’s not afraid to take jabs at himself. Keep an eye on all the late-night hosts, comedian roasts and morning radio shows. Practice mimicking the humorous tone they use when insulting celebrities.

Just to be clear, humor doesn’t have to negate the criticism you dole out. In fact, humor can keep your boss from going on the defensive and lead to a more productive discussion.

5. Keep it clean

While playful jabs at coworkers help foster a creative and trusting environment, watch your mouth. People aren’t robots. Even if they know you’re joking, your coworkers might be offended by certain taboo subjects.

Remember you’re at work — not on stage at The Improv. Avoid offensive jokes and swear words to keep it professional. You’re not Samuel L. Jackson, motherfu —

6. Know when to stop

The scariest part of flying is the takeoff and landing. Criticism is no different. The anticipation can be overwhelming. But once you start, it’s easy to get on a roll like you’re giving an Academy Awards acceptance speech and telling people off when you should be thanking them.

Say your piece, and move on before you say something you might regret later. Remember what goes around comes around, and you’re not without faults yourself. Treat people (even your boss) the way you’d want to be treated, and don’t dish it out if you can’t take it.

If you offend someone, apologize and redirect. If tensions heat up, table the discussion for another time.

Rather than bottling up your work rage until you get home (and snapping at your significant other), take responsibility by giving your boss a much-needed reality check and improving the office for everyone. When done well, standing up to your boss can help you release frustration, bring problems to your boss’s attention and maybe even earn your boss’s respect.

Nicolas Gremion is the CEO of Free-eBooks, a popular online source for free ebook downloads, resources and authors. Nicolas is a culturally curious traveler and entrepreneur who lives in Costa Rica with his wife and his dog Frankie.

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The post The Best Leaders Have Mastered This Underrated Skill appeared first on Brazen Life.

The brutal reality in business today is that verbose leaders have few followers.

In today’s world of constant connectivity and endless information, brevity is now a leadership necessity, not a nicety. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Getting to the point quickly is the new, non-negotiable standard for senior managers to climb through the ranks and lead in an attention economy.

The good news is there are specific steps you can take immediately that will make a difference and help advance your career. Here’s a list of seven practical pointers to improve your brevity at work:

1. Always prepare

Effective leaders take extra time to prepare the point they want to make before delivering it. Start by reviewing outlines and creating rough drafts of your key ideas in advance.

2. Control the flow

Be direct and say what’s on your mind; don’t carelessly or inadvertently unleash everything that’s in your mind. Be disciplined to know the story you want to tell and how it connects together beginning to end.

3. Avoid excessive detail

Know your audience and their appetite for detail. Some love lots of minutiae, while others get easily distracted by too much information. Trim out needless points that will only weigh people down.

4. Tell, don’t sell

Effective leaders are great storytellers who love to share good, short and relevant stories while always avoiding the hard sell. Illustrate ideas with the personal and practical anecdotes people crave.

5. Learn to listen

Active listening and asking pointed, open-ended questions is the key to unlocking many doors. An essential to saying less is letting others around you talk more.

6. Picture perfection

More than 70 percent of people are visual learners, so satisfy their preference to see pictures, not consume more confusing words. Showing short videos or sharing infographics is a powerful way to be clear.

7. Don’t over-explain

When you’re confident you’ve hit the mark, stop talking. Resist the temptation to say, “and one more thing.” Enough said.

Effective executives get to the point. A president of a Fortune 1000 manufacturing firm once confided to me that he evaluates up-and-coming managers by how confidently and concisely they communicate.

“When they interact with me, it’s more than just how they perform in high-pressure meetings and boardroom presentations, but how disciplined they are in variety of day-to-day scenarios like email, impromptu conversations, conference calls and progress reports,” he said. “There’s so much information at their fingertips, and it’s not easy for them to control it.”

Overcoming these obstacles can be daunting. An accomplished lawyer who works at the Pentagon recently complained to me, “Nowhere in grad school or in my lengthy military career was I instructed on how to be brief.” So, how can a talented and ambitious professional gain mastery of this valuable yet evasive skill other than through trial and error?

These are specific, real-world skills that accomplished leaders learn to master to be clear, concise and compelling when dealing with others. When any of these are missing, they lose their grip.

What’s more, effective executives are extremely aware of the moments in a business day where this brevity muscle needs to be exerted. Put your brevity to work not only in meetings and in emails, but also when interviewing, sharing bad news and making small talk with your colleagues. Even if you don’t consider yourself an expert in the subject at hand, be conscious that getting to the point is a clear indication of professionalism and respect.

Joe McCormack founded and serves as managing director of The Sheffield Company, and he founded The BRIEF Lab in 2013 with facilities in Chicago, IL and Southern Pines, NC. His new book, Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less (Wiley & Sons, 2014), tackles the timeliness of the “less is more” mandate.

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The post Too Many Meetings? How to Scale Back and Achieve More appeared first on Brazen Life.

Although you respect your colleague and would like to support her, you had plans for your morning and are getting closer to a few deadlines of your own. How would you respond to the meeting invitation?

1. Stick to your existing plan and graciously say “no.”
2. Be a “team player” and let your colleague know that you’ll attend the meeting, but clearly set a boundary that you won’t stay longer than one hour because of your own deadlines.
3. Ask a few questions about the anticipated goals and importance of the meeting, then evaluate whether your own priorities match and if the specific contributions you could make are likely to impact the outcome of the meeting. Make a committed yes/no decision based on those factors.

If you chose response one or two, you may be an over-collaborator. Response three is the preferred answer because it focuses your decision around two critical factors: your highest priorities and your value-added contributions.

To get more done at work, these are the two factors that can help you escape the inertia of unnecessary collaboration and join your efforts with others only when it counts.

Routine collaboration drains time

Of course, collaboration by itself isn’t bad. Problems occur when routine collaborative efforts and unclear mandates produce a toxic sludge known as meeting soup. On a bad day, we may view meetings as the biggest waste of time in our working lives. On a good day, we may look at meetings as the chance to connect with people and discuss important matters.

The reality for most of us is that the quality of our meetings falls somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. According to most estimates, managers and employees spend anywhere between 25 and 80 percent of their time in meetings. (Click here to tweet this stat.)

For a full-time employee, this translates to time spent in meetings that ranges from 520 hours to 1,664 hours (or 65-208 full working days). What’s the rationale for all the meetings? It’s the “need” for collaboration.

Selective collaboration boosts performance

To reduce your meeting clutter, make it a priority to collaborate in the right way, at the right time, with the right people. This kind of selective collaboration is about intentional partnering that boosts the chance of success by aligning the required strategic skill or resource with the essential contributors in the simplest way.

Think of selective collaboration as a career move for you, not just a chance to escape the unproductive, routine meetings and conversations that fail to push your goals forward.

Moving away from routine collaboration — even when professional or cultural norms dictate it — can deliver a greater return on your efforts because it aligns with your highest priorities and features your value-added contributions. Getting great work done by delivering clear and consistent contributions is one of the best ways for you to stay at work.

The first step is learning how to choose when, how and who you collaborate with. Yes, you’ll have to learn how to say no. Yes, there may be some short-term negative reactions to this. But your elevated contributions to top priorities should ease those concerns quickly.

Instead of relying on partnerships that are dictated by circumstance and opportunity, you’ll seek out collaboration opportunities that serve a specific purpose.

Sometimes the missing piece is motivation, and that can be found through a partnership with some individual or group who’s driven, focused and inspired. Other times, the missing piece may be technical, strategic or organizational. In these instances, the mix of skills, abilities and access to resources serves as the driver for selective collaboration.

Selective collaboration gives you a tool to accomplish tasks that otherwise wouldn’t be feasible alone. The restraint of choosing high-potential collaboration allows you to avoid wasting time when collaboration itself is a substitute for lack of creativity, vision or accountability.

There’s reciprocity with this as well. When invited to collaborate with others, accept the invitation only when the best mix of skill and contribution can be aligned in an effective way. It’s not about being selective because you “have better things to do”; you choose the moments where your impact can be the greatest.

When in doubt, you can use the following list to confirm the opportunity for selective collaboration. If you can agree with each item, it’s time to schedule a meeting.

• I have identified a clear learning and performance outcome for this collaborative effort.
• The outcome will clearly support one of my priorities.
• I know what I can contribute to make the collaboration a success.
• I understand what my collaborator(s) can deliver and their contributions make it better than going it alone.

Jesse Sostrin is the author of Beyond the Job Description. He writes, speaks and consults at the intersection of individual and organizational success. Follow him @jessesostrin and visit his site here.

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Titled “The Myth of the Millennial,” it lays out all the facts and figures that show how — contrary to popular misconception — GenY is actually highly engaged, highly competitive and highly driven. It’s chock full of great stats you can quote the next time you hear someone groaning about Millennials.

You can view the full infographic here.

What do you think about the stats in this infographic? Does anything surprise you?

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The post Coworker Envy? Here’s Why That Jealousy’s Holding You Back appeared first on Brazen Life.

Our relationship to power and success can often color both our self-image and how we view others. Someone who’s experiencing self-doubt and questioning her own success does the obvious thing: She compares herself to others who seem more at ease, more knowledgeable and more dominant and confident.

To be successful in your career, it’s essential to let go of comparing yourself to others. Without comparisons, jealousy and envy can’t exist. Not only are behaviors associated with jealousy and envy unattractive, but these behaviors will also prevent you from achieving success. That’s because success depends on high self-esteem.

Sounds right — but how do you let go of jealousy and envy to build up your self-esteem? Here’s how:

Turn your attitude around

Pay attention to every time you find yourself obsessing about a coworker who seems to attract more attention and opportunities than you do. When you catch yourself comparing yourself to her, stop and shift your mindset. Focus on what you do have and what you’re grateful for in life, not what you’re lacking. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

For example, you were hired on the basis of your academic record, intelligence, problem-solving abilities and experience. Take a mental inventory of your pluses, and think about how lucky you are to have a good job and career prospects.

Give others what you most desire

Enlist this secret to success: If you want to be appreciated, appreciate others. If you want your work to be valued, value others’ work. If you want attention, pay attention to others. If you want a successful career, help another’s career to flourish. What goes around comes around when you surrender comparisons.

Learn from a rival’s positive points

Here’s an easy way to quickly transform those negative feelings of jealousy into a more productive frame of mind. Get your mind off what you think you lack. Ask yourself what you can learn from someone who has the success you desire. As Yoko Ono has said, “Transform jealousy to admiration, and what you admire will become part of your life.”

Wish a rival well

This may be hard or even feel impossible, but try to imagine yourself seeing the world through that other person’s eyes. When you can do this, it enables you to feel compassion and empathy.

Think to yourself, “I hope she succeeds and gets everything she needs and wants out of this job.” As soon as you do this, you can easily let go of jealousy and attract more success.

Surrendering comparisons lets you put your eyes back on your own self and your own success — where they belong — instead of wasting energy obsessing on others people’s good fortune or beating yourself up.

Even if you don’t completely mean what you say during this exercise, fake it until you make it. Often, having the right intention and choosing the higher ground (even if you’re not totally there yet) precedes an attitude change.

When your heart is in the right place, you’ll become what you want to be. Praise yourself for all the baby steps you make in the direction of self-compassion and gratitude for your life.

Judith Orloff, M.D. is author of a new book, The Ecstasy of Surrender: 12 Surprising Ways Letting Go Can Empower Your Life (April 1, 2014), which this article is based on. Learn more at www.drjudithorloff.com.

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The post Be More Productive on Monday — and the Rest of the Week, Too appeared first on Brazen Life.

By the time you actually start working, it’s almost lunchtime. How did that happen again? No wonder Tuesday is thought to be the most productive day of the week. But it doesn’t have to be.

A few simple changes to your routine can rock your professional world. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Here are three ways you can make your Monday more productive:

1. Prioritize before you prioritize

Write down the top three tasks you know you have to get done that day. These are three tasks you were thinking about in the shower or while you were making your morning coffee. They’re probably on the top of your mind because they’re the most important or time-sensitive tasks of the day. Do them first.

If they’re cognitive in nature, it’s especially important you get started before noon, when your ability to focus starts decreasing for the day.

When making your list, don’t look at your calendar or email. Glancing at your calendar may seem harmless, but you’ll instantly be flooded with dozens of seemingly important tasks. It’ll make picking the top three more stressful than helpful.

When you finish a task, don’t forget to cross it off the list. If it’s a task that involves someone else in the office, celebrate the win. Celebrating the little wins will make your day more rewarding. Take a moment to high-five a colleague or buy yourself a cupcake — or both.

2. Do an email sprint, not a marathon

Checking email in the morning has become a bit taboo lately, for good reasons, but let’s be real here: You’ve got to check your email. So do a sprint instead. You know what you’re looking for, and with a quick one-minute scan of your inbox, you can flag anything urgent that needs to be answered immediately and ignore the rest.

Don’t even open the email if you know it can wait until the afternoon. Most things don’t matter, at least not immediately, but doing an email sprint will catch anything that does. As soon as your one-minute sprint is over, answer the urgent emails and move on to the first task on your priority list.

Wait. It’s only 9:30 and you’ve already prioritized your day and checked your email? Professional world rocked yet?

3. Take a break

A lap around the office, a quick read of the morning paper or even a nap if it’s allowed are all good ways to give your brain a boost. If you’ve been working on the same task for a while, but the ideas are no longer flowing freely, take a break. Listen to your brain telling you it can’t focus right now.

Short breaks can recharge your brain and help increase productivity. It may seem counterintuitive, but being unproductive in a constructive way (getting exercise, staying informed or sleeping) for a couple minutes will make you more productive for the next 60.

It’s possible to beat the odds and make Monday your most productive day. While these productivity hacks are especially important to implement on Mondays, they can help increase productivity at work on any day of the week. Start today.

Emma Zimmerman is Marketing Associate at Startup Institute, an international career accelerator offering transformative educational experiences for career changers and recent grads. Her work with early stage startups in Chicago led her to a company @StartupInst that increases the impact of startup employees and helps people find their passion.

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The post Why Sheryl Sandberg’s Anti-Bossy Campaign Gets It Wrong appeared first on Brazen Life.

Though I respect Sandberg’s intentions, as well as her exemplary leadership and strides in advocating for career, equality and leadership advances for women, I think this particular campaign is a bit presumptuous, taking focus off a larger, more pressing issue, especially for young minority females.

Read more at Black Enterprise…

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Monday morning coffee blues: just one of many “problems” you’ll hear working in a middle-class office.

The scene is familiar: You’re working your way up in the world, putting in the hours and doing great work. You’re surrounded by people at a similar point in both their career and life choices.

They’ve got a little extra disposable income, they’re starting to think about marriage, family or expanding family, moving homes, buying a bigger car — heck, they’ve worked hard these last few years and feel they deserve a decent coffee on a Monday morning.

Welcome to the world of the middle-class office. Best get ready to tackle some serious middle-class problems:

The little problems are huge

The main problem in working in a middle-class office is that there are few real “problems” at all. (Click here to tweet this thought.) No one is worried about scraping together the last few pennies of their paycheck at the end of the month so they can afford to eat, no one is working three jobs to make rent, and no one’s worried about unemployment.

That means the little problems in life become one catastrophe after another. And who are people going to moan to? You, their fellow suffering coworker.

Their eyes hurt because the computer screen is too bright. The traffic was especially terrible this morning and they were a whole three minutes late. They simply can’t believe there’s no decent sushi place nearby. And they’ve totally forgotten the name of their new cleaner.

Plus, little Oscar has started teething (you worry if Oscar is their dog or their baby), the wedding photographer had to pull out and, on top of all this, the photocopier has jammed again. They look like they’re about to keel over. Life has gotten to be too much.

The best thing to do?

Smile. A friendly nod.

In these situations, the smallest of gestures — making a cup of tea, offering them the opportunity to get it off their chests and out of their system — will probably pay dividends. A sympathetic ear and listening to them for a few minutes will minimize a day-long moan, and you’ll be in their good books, which is never a bad thing.

And by the time they’ve had their little rant, they’ll realize they’ve got so much to do today (you could always prompt this by saying, “Gosh, is that the time?”) that they can’t believe they’ve spent the last 10 minutes jabbering away.

Everybody is, like, so super-busy

You send an email only to be greeted with a plethora of out-of-office replies: “I’m in meetings all day… I’m on email, but away from my desk… Please contact my assistant…” yet you can clearly see each individual looking at their computer screen.

Everyone has so much going on that rather than talking to you about a certain project (yes, you who sits at the next desk), you get an email, a meeting request and a shared Google Doc because they’re so super busy they haven’t got the time to chat about this right now. Ask them how the search for that new kitchen is going, however…

Everyone is so busy that people don’t even have the time to speak in full sentences. Enter the language of the middle-class office: peppered with acronyms, abbreviations and phrasing that doesn’t make sense.

Expect to hear sentences such as, “FYI, going forward we need to reconsider the USP of this, think outside the box and adopt blue-sky thinking — let’s touch base next Wed and drill down the key issues then. Oh, and re: the party, I’m an in but no sig oth.” At a middle-class office, we’re not just talking a waterfall of corporate nonsense; we’re talking the shortening of “significant other” because they’re on such a tight “sched.”

No one has time to do anything because they’re all so busy. Busy doing what exactly, you’re still not sure.

In these situations, it’s best to take the lead and start face-to-face meetings. Agendas to ensure you’re on track, shorter meetings to optimize time, even popping to a colleague’s desk rather than sending an email will ensure you get the answer you need rather than waiting for a response. As for the corporate lingo? Just don’t. Please.

If you’re not on a health kick, who are you?

Perhaps one reason everyone is so busy is due to their involvement in some kind of crazy health program. You’re receiving sponsorship requests for colleagues running a 5K/10K/ marathon or planning a trek to Antarctica with a fridge on their back while riding a unicycle, and you can’t be expected to sponsor everyone (except then you look like the bad guy when you realize everyone else has).

Add to this the smug, healthy annoyance that everyone has cycled to work, is fitting in a yoga session at their desk and has a quinoa and broccoli salad for lunch while you were planning a Mexican feast of burritos with extra cheese (and maybe even chocolate pudding, too).

This health guilt is a side effect of middle-class office life. Your colleagues will be juicin’, chowing down kale, reminding you about the dangers of bad posture (they’ve already submitted a proposal to replace all office chairs with FitBalls) and not-so-discreetly judging your lifestyle choices.

The truth of the matter is exaggeration plays a role here. The smile, friendly nod and sympathetic ear technique is probably best put into action again. We should be encouraging each other’s achievements to build office camaraderie — however much it pains you.

By acknowledging your coworkers’ lifestyle choices, hopefully they’ll respect yours. Or, as the old saying goes, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!” Even if it’s the smallest change, a healthier lifestyle isn’t really such a bad thing.

Then there’s the air conditioning warfare, the fact that no one does a tea run because you’re all too important for that now, and the pressure of thinking of something witty to write in a colleague’s birthday card while having to chip in for said colleague’s present, when you’re not even 100 percent sure their name is Amanda — or they even work in this office…

It’s a minefield out there.

Good luck.

And if you do succeed in effectively navigating this period of your career, share your tips with us in the comments, please!

Sarah Atkinson is a digital marketing professional and blogger based in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is currently working with serviced office provider Easy Offices and has a special interest in workplace motivation.

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The post 5 Simple Tips for Conquering Your First Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

Intimidated? Most of us are, but it isn’t as bad as you think. Follow these tips and learn the best ways to adjust to your first real job.

Get a job you love

While this may seem obvious, you’d be surprised by how few people do this. We’re often preoccupied by many considerations when choosing a career path: money, hours, work-life balance and more.

While the paycheck is important, pick something you’re passionate about. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Whether you want to be a doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut or a journalist — the world is your oyster. Just do it. Doing something you love won’t make work seem like work. If you’re not doing what you love right now, don’t sweat it –- we have advice about that, too.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

By all means, take your job seriously. Do your best work and hand it in on time. But never forget you’re in your early 20s and you’re just breaking into the industry. You have tons of mistakes to make, and you’re going to make them.

When you do make the inevitable slip-up at work, don’t stress too much about it. Your boss and coworkers will understand. No one expects the new hire to know how to do everything in one day. Breathe.

Set reasonable, achievable goals

Don’t go into work on the first day and expect to be the CEO by the end of the week. Setting goals for yourself is an important part of progress within a company. And let’s face it: Everyone wants that promotion — but be sensible.

Set small, time-sensitive goals to track your progress. Does your industry require a certain certification? Work towards that this month. Do you want to read an industry-related book? Get it done by next week. These goals may seem small, but remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Don’t forget to save time for you

When you start a new job, it’s often all you can think about; it’s exciting to start something new. If you want to go above and beyond outside of work, power to you. But if you’re the kind of person who’ll work your whole life away, take a step back every once in a while to relax.

It’s easy to get burnt out quickly, and everyone needs a day off every now and then. Don’t be afraid to take one.

Last, but not least…

We all know you’re in an overwhelming position: You’re ready to start your new life and career. Don’t forget to take a step back occasionally and evaluate your situation. Compare where you were yesterday to where you are today. You have a good head on your shoulders, and you’ll be successful if you put your mind to it.

Keep these ideas in mind and make your dreams a reality.

Kristen LeBeau is a May 2013 Penn State graduate with a degree in advertising. She currently resides in the Harrisburg Area and works as an Internet Marketing Specialist at WebpageFX.

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The post 4 Tips for Giving Presentations That Will Impress Your Clients and Your Boss appeared first on Brazen Life.

But that’s not easy. Unfortunately, many obstacles can get in the way.

Audiences expect presentations to be fluid, natural and accompanied by well-designed slides. Just like we expect to find great freshly ground coffee on every street corner, we’re no longer tolerant of boring speakers with their data-crammed slides.

Anyone can become an engaging and memorable speaker. Follow these four crucial techniques to take your presentations to the next level:

1. Own your space with movement

Movement is a powerful way to engage your audience, create drama and keep everyone alert. It will also enable you to own the space and give the impression that you’re confident and in control.

This doesn’t mean pacing around like a caged animal. Repetitive movement, whether it’s walking in circles or clicking your pen, is an outward display of inner anxiety. The same goes for rooting yourself to one spot; the space you “own” diminishes and it becomes harder to move as your presentation progresses.

The late Steve Jobs was highly skilled at covering his territory; the same could be said of former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Ownership is about making you the most important element of the presentation. With presentation screens getting larger and brighter, it’s all too easy to lose your audience’s attention. Those bright lights behind you can be hypnotizing and distracting. We all know how hard it is to have a conversation at a bar when there’s a TV in the background.

No matter how gigantic or bright your presentation screen is, remember this mantra: “What you touch, you own.” That’s it.

When you touch your screen, you’ll tell your audience that you own it. You are more important and also not afraid of it. This not only applies to your slides, but anything you move or use. And for the record, using a laser pointer is not touching the screen.

2. Exercise the power of silence

Take the time to pause or get a drink. You’ll not only give your audience a moment for reflection, but also let them know you’re at ease.

An effective pause can also put pressure on an audience. For example, you might say, “We are all responsible for this situation.” Then pause. The effect is dramatic. Pausing also creates confidence among your audience. We tend to think someone who can hold a pause is in control. Barack Obama is a great example of this.

I hasten to add that the long silence of terror when you realize the CEO has just decided to sit in on your presentation — when your laptop has just started to freeze — is not the same.

3. Recover with grace

Making mistakes is human. We all do it. It’s also fair to say that none of us knows everything about our given specialty. Yet when we make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question in the arena of a presentation, we may instinctively wish for the ground to swallow us up.

Transformers film director Michael Bay recently experienced just that when his teleprompter failed during a promotional launch for Samsung. He panicked and swiftly left the stage. Ironically, no one actually minds if you mess up. It only becomes uncomfortable for the audience when they can see it’s uncomfortable for the speaker. So how you recover is what we’re interested in. If you’re OK — we’re OK. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

4. Create thoughtful, consistent slides

Many good presentations can be ambushed by messy and complicated slides. Your audience sees your slides as part of your personality, so they need to be a reflection of you and the way you think and feel.

Think of your slides as part of your clothes. You wouldn’t present to a group of bankers in an old t-shirt and flip-flops if you want to create a sense of stability and security.

Your slides can create all sorts of assumptions. Too much data could say you don’t have a clear understanding of your message. Confused slides will lead your audience to think you’re confused.

You don’t have to be a professional designer to have well-designed slides. Limit font sizes and colors and use consistent transitions. For more consistency, create an invisible frame within your slides and make sure everything is contained within that border.

Following these four simple techniques will always leave a positive lasting impression on those whose opinion matters. You’ll go from good to great and will probably be asked to help others with their own presentations.

What presentation techniques have worked for you?

David Bliss is a director and co-founder of Edison Red, a training company specializing in all things Presentation, Story and Visual Design.

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The post Protect Your Precious Time by Fighting Meeting Creep appeared first on Brazen Life.

So far this year, I’ve been hit with a double-whammy of meeting creep. Instead of settling into 2014 feeling refreshed, I felt stressed. I’m done with it. You should be too.

Meeting creep: the inevitable inconvenience

The first major offense was a meeting organized at my workspace. How many times has something like this happened to you? Only a handful of the 20+ tenants had collected by the meeting’s start time. Two of the organizers rolled in at 10 after, only to begin passing around snacks. Ten minutes later, we began.

We adjourned 25 minutes after the meeting was supposed to end.

The second major offense was a call a colleague had scheduled. I offered a two-hour window on a certain day and received confirmation. I prepared talking points and adjusted my plans so I could be at my desk, prepared and relatively relaxed before the call.

The phone didn’t ring all afternoon. In fact, the phone didn’t ring until two days later.

Can you relate?

“Eighty percent of success is showing up”

It happens all the time. Appointments are set, then pushed back by 20 minutes, then 40, then an hour. Sometimes, it’s easy to shrug off. If you have your laptop, work can be completed in the downtime. But meeting creep is getting out of control.

My mother taught me that if I wasn’t 10 minutes early, I was already late. I’m the person who shows up for morning doctor appointments before they unlock the front door. The person who will take another lap around the block before walking into the bar so that maybe, for once, I’m not the first one there.

In the meantime, if I time my public transit journey for a gathering or appointment poorly, I’ll apologize by call or text about the possibility that I’ll be late. (Growing up on the 10-minutes-early rule leaves you with some guilt issues later in life.)

Maybe we wouldn’t be so breathlessly busy if we had more respect for not just our own time, but also for one another’s time. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Meeting creep backs up more than one person’s day. It leaves tasks unfinished and family meals delayed. It leaves otherwise organized people feeling rushed.

The ripple effect of meeting creep can throw off an entire week’s worth of productive work.

Rethink your commitments

Battling meeting creep requires two methods of attack. First, it requires a commitment to others. If you have a legitimate reason for lateness and know it’s going to happen, the burden is on you to notify the other party. Apologize profusely.

Once you arrive or call, skip the small talk. You owe it to the other party to stick to the agenda. After all, you have less time to cover the same amount of material. Better get down to business.

Second — and this is the bigger challenge — commit to yourself. You don’t have to bend over backwards to accommodate someone else’s needs if they blew you off in the first place. If a meeting drags over the time allotted, I dare you to stand up and gather your things. Then get on with your day.

As professionals in a freelance, solopreneur, entrepreneur, whateverpreneur world, it’s obvious that 9-to-5 schedules are a thing of the past. But you have places to be and commitments to keep. You don’t have to be 10 minutes early, but for all our sakes, stop being late.

Lisa Rowan is a writer and editor in Washington, D.C. She also owns a vintage clothing shop.

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The post Turn Conflict Resolution Into Your Secret Weapon for Career Advancement appeared first on Brazen Life.

You probably think I’m talking about communication skills. Nope. Strong communication is just a minimum requirement to be considered leadership potential at most companies. As are dependability and getting results.

Chances are you aren’t the only employee who hopes to advance in your organization. You’ve got competition. Even being hired on a fast track to management is no guarantee. That just makes the competition fiercer, because now you’re up against people as ambitious as you.

How do you stand out in an already ambitious crowd?

If you’re savvy, you’ll go several steps beyond the basics. You’ve already taken on bigger projects, sought opportunities for your professional development and made allies. What other actions can you take to set yourself apart?

How well you work with others matters as much as the ideas or results you produce. Indeed, as Issa Mirandilla says, “people skills are (almost) everything.”

You have to show you can work well with just about everyone. Yes, even with someone who might be difficult to get along with. Ultimately, leadership is about getting things done through others so they’ll give their best effort and want to work with you again.

You don’t get to choose your coworkers. Do whatever it takes to learn how to manage all your work relationships. Learn the one people skill that few master and many run from. If you learn and apply it effectively, you’ll raise your chance of getting on management’s high potential list.

Which skill is it? Conflict management.

A study on conflict in the workplace found that 85 percent of employees deal with conflict at work. One-third of those said they deal with it a lot. Almost a quarter of all disputes escalate. That’s a high cost to any organization and makes for work settings that are no fun at all.

You may be shaking your head about now. No, uh-uh, not me. I’m a conflict avoider. If that’s what it takes, maybe I should give up on trying to get promoted. Instead, try this:

See conflict as an opportunity, not something to avoid

(Click here to tweet this thought.)

Conflict is scary when it gets out of hand. The whole point is to learn how to handle it so it doesn’t. Use these four strategies to get positive recognition:

1. First, learn conflict resolution skills

Learn how to give effective feedback. Add active listening, group dynamics and behavior styles over time.

Together, these give you a solid set of skills from which to manage most work conflicts with confidence. Practice what you’ve learned.

2. Manage your own conflicts

You don’t always have to be right or prove you’re the smartest person in the room. Cultivate humility. Remain open to adjusting your ideas and including those of others.

Behave in such a way that everyone wants to work with you. Become the person management asks to lead the team or staff meetings. Balance task and relationship needs when you lead meetings.

When you have a disagreement — and you will — apply your best conflict management skills.

• Listen.
• Be hard on problems and soft on people.
• Search for mutually acceptable solutions.
• Manage your own emotions and defensiveness.

3. Learn how to nip conflict in the bud before it escalates

Even if you’re not the designated team leader — but especially if you are — help discussions stay professional and on track.

If an argument starts, nip it before it escalates. Say, “Let’s step back a second and review all the ideas so far.” Just saying this much stops the argument’s momentum. Now, you have some choices:

• Summarize ideas and suggest developing criteria against which to evaluate them.
• Offer a new idea that incorporates key aspects of the two under dispute.
• If you can’t think of one, point out the good parts of ideas in dispute and ask the whole group to brainstorm ways to bridge these.

4. Develop a good working relationship with your manager

You won’t always agree with your immediate supervisor, but if you want to get promoted, you do have to show respect. Take the “choose your battles wisely” mantra one step further. Instead of battling at all, have a dialogue instead.

Put yourself in your boss’s shoes. What pressures does she face? Why did he make that seemingly stupid decision? Offer feedback, but prepare to listen more than you talk. Present solutions, not just problems. Accept the fact that your boss gets to win more often than you do.

People skills really are (almost) everything. Among them, mastering conflict management can give you that extra edge that just might get you promoted ahead of your competition.

Jagoda Perich-Anderson, M.A. is the founder of Conflict Tango, a blog where she shares more than 20 years of experience on how to handle conflict skillfully to empower creativity and innovation. She is also the author of Conflict to Creativity from A to Z.

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The post Mean Girls at Work: Why Professional Women Bully Each Other appeared first on Brazen Life.

Lea Edwards: It was my mom’s in the ’80s.

Regina: Vintage. So adorable.

Lea Edwards: Thanks.

Regina: [turns to Cady] That is the ugliest effing skirt I’ve ever seen.

The above line is from the classic and brilliant film Mean Girls, which celebrated its 10 year anniversary over the weekend, if you can believe it. The fake compliment was given by Regina George, a queen bee at her high school. She rules the social scene because she’s a brilliant war strategist. Seriously, General Patton has nothing on this girl. Everything looks effortless, but every move is actually calculated. And, though I would like to say this type of foul play only exists in high school and (wildly entertaining) movies, that is absolutely not true.

Woman-on-woman harassment is on the rise. Thirty-five percent of Americans reported being bullied at work, according to a 2010 survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute. (Click here to tweet this stat.) Female bullies more frequently engaged in under-the-radar behaviors such as sabotage (53.7 percent of female vs. 39.9 percent of male bullies) and abuse of authority (50.2 percent vs. 44.7 percent), as compared to the more observable form of verbal abuse engaged in by more male than female bullies (at 57.5 and 47.1 percent, respectively).

Why are we picking on our kind?

Well, in some ways, it’s because we are our own worst enemies. One reason women choose other women as targets “is probably some idea that they can find a less confrontational person or someone less likely to respond to aggression with aggression,” said Gary Namie, research director for the Workplace Bullying Institute.

Women are not raised to be confrontational. They’re supposed to be the nurturing peacemakers. I am a classic example of this. If someone is arguing near me, I remove myself from the room. When the barista screws up my drink and spells my name wrong, I apologize for ordering an annoying drink (so, anything that isn’t black coffee) and that my name isn’t Bob. I don’t confront people. I wait until I get home and then talk about the person behind their back to anyone who will listen. I was raised right.

But women are seriously trying to take other women down in some ways because they are threatened by them. Washington Post journalist Selena Rezvani writes:

While workplace studies show women are routinely underestimated compared to men, we don’t give much credence to the fact that women hampering other women is also to blame…. Many of us have witnessed the man who comments on a woman’s hotness just as she leaves the room. But what about the woman who criticizes another’s appearance (“Did you see what she was wearing in there?”) or frowns on a woman’s unapologetic use of power (“Just who does she think she is?”)?

And, in a way, I think the woman who waits for the other woman to leave the room or tries to sabotage her very quietly is even scarier than the loud-mouthed confrontational lady. Think how scary Miranda Priestly was in The Devil Wears Prada. Her voice level was barely above a whisper, and she was absolutely terrifying. Women can be so sneaky. On an episode of the brilliant but short-lived series Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23, the naive June thought the only other girl on her investment bank team was trying to befriend her, but she was only finding out information about June to take her down later. It made for a hilarious episode, but in real life, that would not be so fun.

The repercussions

Now, this behavior is partly because it took women such a long time to make progress in the workplace, and we don’t want to go backwards, but this is really hurting us. According to Catalyst, women make up more than 50 percent of management, professional and related occupations but only 15.7 percent of Fortune 500 officers and 15.2 percent of directors. This lack of support is part of the problem.

According to new research, one of the major reasons we don’t see women being promoted is because women at higher levels don’t help other women get ahead. Women at the top experience something called “value threat,” which causes them to not want to help other women.

Michelle Duguid, PhD, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Olin Business School and author of Female Tokens in High-Prestige Work Groups: Catalysts or Inhibitors of Group Diversification?, identifies two forms of value threat she thinks affect the behavior of women in high-status work groups in the context of promotion and selection — competitive threat and collective threat.

“Competitive threat is the fear that a highly qualified female candidate might be more qualified, competent or accepted than you are,” Duguid writes. “Women also might be concerned about bringing in another woman with lower qualifications, who could reinforce negative stereotypes about women and impact others’ impressions of them. This is collective threat.”

Basically, we are still all in high school

The women’s bullying program is really due to our environment. A study from the Netherlands found that if a woman was in a sexist environment, she was far more likely to behave like an alpha female or queen bee. The woman would actually become more sexist than her male counterparts as a result.

“These women are concerned that if they are seen to be helping other women rise to the top or supporting other women in the workplace, they will be derided by the men at work, and will be seen as operating counter to the culture rather than acting like one of the boys,” according to research.

Rezvani says that women, especially those at the top levels in their careers, may be experiencing some sort of “sexism amnesia.” She writes, ”They may forget what it’s like to be junior, to have little sway, and to be underestimated as a young woman. When they finally do get to the top, they adopt the mindset of those around them and gloss over their past struggles. Even harsher is the sink-or-swim school of thought whose club motto is, ‘I was treated like dirt on my way up, so you should be too.’”

These women make Regina George sound like a day at the beach.

Ladies, have you experienced this at work? Do you agree with these findings?

Meredith Lepore is the former editor of the women’s career site The Grindstone. Before that, she was on staff at Wall Street Letter and Business Insider and was a contributing writer for LearnVest. She earned her Masters in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University after graduating with a degree in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester. Meredith resides in New York full-time and enjoys reading, jogging, shopping and playing with her puppy, Otis.

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The post 5 Good Reasons to Love a Bad Boss appeared first on Brazen Life.

Instead of letting your boss’s abhorrent behavior plague your office happiness or hamper your career, turn that behavior to your advantage.

You’re not likely to ever love the bad behavior, but you don’t have to let it get the best of you. You can love what that behavior teaches you: How to work that boss to up your grit factor, be happier at work and get the most out of your career.

Here’s how your boss’s bad behavior benefits you:

1. You look smart

Chances are, your bad boss is running scared from something deep inside, and either doesn’t know what it is or won’t cop to it. That’s where you can be smarter than your boss. Discover what he’s running from and use it to your advantage.

For example, a laidback boss may seem restful at first, hardly bad at all. Yet he’s really a true career killer, because he never gives you anything: no direction, no guidance, no resources, no support. Nada.

Your boss is terrified of managing anything, much less people, yet needs his position because it allows him the freedom to work on some pet project, his golf game or who knows what.

Terrific. Take charge of your job. Create checklists of tasks and required resources and get him to sign off on them. Keep a record of projects accomplished and goals reached. You’ll have liberated your boss from managing you, which will make you his number one most valued employee, while assuring your own success.

2. You acquire critical skills

Your bad boss’s behavior is a constant example of how not to behave in the workplace. After all, it’s often easier to recognize and learn from bad behavior — like the boss who rewards ego-stroking employees instead of those who actually do the work — than to notice the positive.

You can learn a lot from observing your boss’s behavior, like why playing favorites is a dirty game, how blame never solves anything and how ignoring workers’ suggestions or ideas is counterproductive. By practicing good workplace behavior that leads to rich relationships, you’ll be much more prepared for promotion.

3. You become resilient

Even from a bad boss, negative feedback can be an opportunity for improvement. Take the classic finger-pointer boss, whose negative feedback comes in the form of a blame tirade. While a good boss stays on task by focusing comments on your work, a bad boss’s communication is so larded with ego it shuts down your ability to hear what she says.

Even if 90 percent of her tirade has nothing to do with you, glean what constitutes a job well done in her mind and aim to fix whatever she’s blasting off about. By training yourself to ignore the yelling and become her problem-solver, you’ll deliver what she wants, and in turn get what you want.

4. You gain control

Consider an egomaniacal boss who may be brilliant, but her constant outpouring of ideas, edicts and demands results in workplace chaos because she fails to organize and manage effectively.

Yet she craves the adoration that comes from constant success. Anyone who can make order out of her “do this!” becomes a trusted wingman — especially if you’re smart enough to keep your opinions to yourself and demonstrate complete loyalty.

Since she needs you to achieve her own success, she inadvertently puts you in control, giving you a leg up.

5. Your strengths shine

Your bad boss forces you to use your personality and work-related strengths in ways you never thought possible.

Let’s say you’re a pleaser employee, always going the extra mile, never saying no to your boss. You’re exhausted all the time, and no wonder. Transform that pleaser self into a strength by aiming to please yourself, not your boss.

Rather than run to get your egomaniacal boss another latte, figure out how to translate her impossible demands into a realistic, achievable goal.

While getting on a boss’s good side by taking on more work may be effective in some scenarios, doing so with a bad boss will backfire. Never were the words, “work smarter, not harder” more true than with a bad boss. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Once you know what drives your bad boss, you can use your strengths in a deliberate way to work your boss for your own success.

Noelle C. Nelson, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, business trial consultant and the author of 12 books, including her most recent, Got a Bad Boss? (2013). At the core of Noelle’s books, leadership seminars and consulting practice is the power of appreciation: how to be happier, healthier and more successful at work, at home and in relationships.

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The post How to Become a Public Speaker Who Wows Your Audience appeared first on Brazen Life.

What are career-driven professionals to do when they want to enhance their rudimentary rhetorical skills? Well, here are a few places to start:

Maintain your rhythm

Pacing is an essential component of any good speech. Although you probably hated when your mom kept pumping the brakes during your first installment of “How to Not Make My Insurance Skyrocket,” audiences detest monotonous, unengaging speeches.

Variety and emphasis provide a healthy flow, allowing listeners to join you on your riveting rhetorical journey, rather than slyly logging on to Facebook to see which politician is leading the “Race to Be Racist” competition.

Speech patterns are developed over time and can be difficult to self-assess. Often, working with another person or videotaping yourself helps reveal monotonous (a.k.a. boring) speech patterns that may be hindering your effectiveness as a speaker.

Similar to driving, you don’t want to slam on the brakes; staccato stop and starts can confuse audiences as to where your concepts begin and end. Ease in fluctuations of rhythm and pattern smoothly, just as you would gently lean into a turn on the highway.

Strategic sounds

Before anyone gets overly enthused about the sound effect button on Windows PowerPoint, this tip references volume. Contrary to some parents’ opinions, shouting is not always the most effective way of making your point heard. (We get it, you love us.) (Click here to tweet this thought.)

A multitude of emotions can be conveyed through the simple application of sound and strength. For instance, if you want people to focus on a certain point, lower your voice and slow your pace, as opposed to shouting your assertion.

A well-placed pause can hold immeasurable power, both in establishing your point and showcasing your self-confidence. The change in tone and volume will catch the audience’s ears and draw them in to hear what you’re about to say, rather than turn them off.

Personalize it

Just as blue eye shadow isn’t intended for everyone, certain speech styles are more complementary to some than they are to others. For example, a dry, quick-witted employee could be viewed as awkward and lacking authenticity if they began a lecture with an upbeat and giddy demeanor.

Not funny? Don’t try to be. We all have our ways of being humorous and engaging, but these traits manifest differently depending on your personality and the position you hold in the room. Personalizing your presentations means being aware of your strengths and weakness while simultaneously highlighting your strongest attributes.

Best option: be true to yourself, with a combination of learned lingo and a personal touch.

Being driven to enhance your skill set is admirable, if not time consuming. Keeping up to date on the plethora of articles and advice available is the perfect place to start developing yourself into a better employee — and current or future boss. No matter how fresh off the farm or seasoned you are in your position, we all have room to grow.

Remember, there’s always room for a touch of “you” in every presentation you do.

Sarah Colomé, M.S. is an educator, advocate and the SOARS Booking Director for A Long Walk Home, Inc. Based in Chicago, Sarah has traveled both nationally and internationally as a competitive collegiate public speaker and teaches on topics related to social justice and diversity, health education, sexual violence and persuasive speaking. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahcolome.

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The post Problems With Coworkers? Learn to Diffuse a Potential Career Landmine appeared first on Brazen Life.

Communication is everything. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Your career can be shaped by how you deal with a dispute, confrontation or crisis. Spontaneous, heated squabbles damage your credibility and respect.

While you can share your message in a number of ways, some can obscure what you’re saying. Instead, people will be busy deciding how to react to your innuendo. Language is a strong conductor of messages and catalyst of emotions, and your choices of expression are vast. Choose wisely.

The most common sins we commit when we’re annoyed with a coworker:

1. Criticizing in public. “Before we conclude the meeting, I’d like to discuss one more issue. Mr. Smith is incompetent to deal with a task. I hope that my mention of this situation in front of the board of directors will finally force you to solve the persisting problem.”
2. Making accusations. “You always have to undermine everything. We would have finished the project long ago if you didn’t pick everything apart.”
3. Arousing guilt and shame. “This is how you repay me for sticking up for you?”
4. Using insults and abuse. “If it weren’t for your crippled wife, I’d kick you out in no time.”
5. Asking a question when you already know the answer. “Where were you at 10:00 this morning?” (You already know your junior assistant was out of office dealing with private matters.)
6. Not justifying a critical remark. “That is definitely not what we are going to do. End of discussion.”
7. Quoting unknown sources. “I heard you were unhappy about that new employee appraisal system.”

If you make the above or similar remarks and expect improvement, it’s not going to happen. What you’ll achieve instead is a sour atmosphere and even more friction. The wrongdoer isn’t considering options to make up for the mistakes, but ways to relieve their pain. They’ll probably complain to the rest of your team and officially name you a… well, you can imagine what they’d name you.

Before you speak, steady yourself, gauge your own attitude and make a conscious decision about what kind of reaction you wish to evoke: understanding and improvement or anxiety and resentment. If you choose the first option, stick to this list of tips:

1. Focus on the facts. “You were late with the report twice this quarter.”
2. Talk about the negative effects of the negligence. “Because of the delays, I didn’t manage to complete the summary report.”
3. Clarify your expectations. “This month, I’d like you to send me the report three days before the deadline.”
4. Don’t make it the person; make it about their behavior.
5. Explain the reasons for your criticisms and why they’re important.
6. Communicate with “I,” not “you.”
7. Be brief and to the point.

The message still won’t be comfortable for the person on the receiving end, but their feelings won’t suffer and they’ll understand your reasons. They’ll know you’re treating them seriously and will accept your stance and respect you.

Confrontations will always be uncomfortable, if not difficult, for both sides. They could ruin your career. To make matters more comfortable and easier, address the issues, not the person, and concentrate on the outcome. Otherwise, all you’ll gain is new, creative labels.

Sylvia Rytarowska is an entrepreneur, coach and English philology graduate. She is an advocate of making science more accessible to regular readers and is obsessed with psychology, self-development and sports. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook and visit her site here.

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The post Wait, There’s a National Clean Off Your Desk Day?! appeared first on Brazen Life.

Last Sunday, January 12th, just happened to be National Clean Off Your Desk Day, and as frivolously ridiculous as it might sound to some, a tidy workspace can do wonders for productivity and peace of mind. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

A recent survey by Office Max found that 90 percent of Americans admit that unorganized clutter at home or at work has a negative impact on their life and said their productivity (77 percent), state of mind (65 percent), motivation (53 percent) and happiness (40 percent) are affected when there is disorder.

Correlation has also been noted between office disorganization and possibility of promotion; as organization expert Peter Walsh says, “If you have a cluttered office, you risk being seen as inefficient or not on top of your work. [Disorganization] suggests a degree of incompetence that clouds your abilities. You run the risk of jeopardizing your chance of a promotion.”

Read more at Black Enterprise…

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The post How Ignoring Technology Will Help You Do Better Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Our smartphones have become integral to our daily activities. I need mine to tell time and take photos — I even use it as a flashlight. (I’m obviously not leaving that behind the next time I travel.) But while there’s no question that these devices enhance our personal and professional lives, misuse can actually diminish our productivity and erode relationships.

“Be where you are”

A previous #TChat Radio show took on the ever-pressing issue of how to manage our digital lives more effectively. The expert guests offered great tips on staying focused and building relaxation into our routines at a time when we’re constantly online. For me, the biggest takeaway is to “be where you are.” This simple statement can change your workplace and your life. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

Different roles require different levels of connection. But whether you’re an ER doctor on-call, a celebrity publicist or a product marketing manager, you need to be present and mindful of the task at hand to do it well.

Here’s what that means for me — and for members of my organization:

1. Everyone has 24 hours to reply to all non-emergency emails

Building in buffer time levels the playing field and relieves employees of the pressure to respond after work hours. A 24-hour response policy means we can focus on immediate tasks, if needed, without constant distraction. At the same time, it means that projects aren’t delayed unnecessarily.

If I’m in meetings all day, I can’t answer your email. So let’s start by assuming I’m in meetings all day. Also, a response time buffer leads to more thoughtful, thorough emails. Given time to gather and process information, we can create well-constructed messages that answer follow-up questions before they’re asked.

2. Only essential laptops should be used at meetings

Truthfully, most people do bring laptops into meetings here. But our most successful meetings are laptop-free, aside from the device used to present meeting materials. Engaged group discussion doesn’t happen if you’re checking Twitter or doing other work simultaneously. Leave laptops at the door when you need to address issues with real conversation. And, by the way, if you don’t need face-to-face communication on the issue at hand, why are you having a meeting?

3. When you’re away from the office, leave the office behind

I’m not saying don’t work from home or from the road, but I am suggesting not to mix business with pleasure too often. Create a workspace wherever you happen to be working. Leave work stress and planning in that space when you leave it. Your family wants you to be part of the dinner conversation. Your friends want your mind — or whatever is left of it — with them for drinks. Your work suffers and your relationships suffer when you try to work and play simultaneously.

4. During a face-to-face conversation, don’t check your phone

This is life advice, but it’s also critical in the workplace. Checking your phone means you think someone (even an unidentified caller) deserves your attention more than the person talking to you. In essence, you’re saying that absolutely anyone deserves your attention more than the person you’re with. That can’t be true. Keep the conversation brief if you have somewhere else you should be, but have the conversation.

Remember who is in control

None of these guidelines is a new concept. But they don’t have to be new to make good business sense. “Be where you are.” It’s great advice for both individuals and for organizations. Use technology’s power for good. When managed thoughtfully, these devices can help us be more productive and better connected. Just remember that you are in control. As the future of mobile devices and other workplace technology unfolds, this conversation becomes even more important.

Has technology become too intrusive in your workplace? How can you change that?

Razor Suleman is the founder and chairman of Achievers, a company that helps engage employees and inspire performance globally through employee recognition software and services. Razor founded his first company at 15 and has proven his vision and drive through his subsequent business ventures, culminating in Achievers. He is a winner of BDC’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.

TalentCulture is a vibrant open online community, driven by professionals who share a passion for innovation, collaboration and a desire to advance the world of work. Join their #TChat Events every Wednesday from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. EST, or join the ongoing conversation anytime at #TChat on Twitter.)

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The post A Productivity Hack That Will Help You Get More Done appeared first on Brazen Life.

The image below shows my plan for a random Wednesday last month. My plan was captured on a single sheet of 24-pound paper in a Black n’ Red twin wire notebook.

This page is divided into two columns. In the left column, I dedicated two lines to each hour of the day and then divided that time into blocks labeled with specific assignments. In the right column, I add explanatory notes for these blocks where needed:

Notice that I leave some extra room next to my time blocks. This allows me to make corrections as needed if the day unfolds in an unexpected way:

I call this planning method time blocking. I take time blocking seriously, dedicating 10 to 20 minutes every evening to building my schedule for the next day. During this planning process, I consult my task lists and calendars, as well as my weekly and quarterly planning notes. My goal is to make sure progress is being made on the right things at the right pace for the relevant deadlines.

This type of planning, to me, is like a chess game, with blocks of work getting spread and sorted in such a way that projects big and small all seem to click into completion with (just enough) time to spare.

Three concerns

Sometimes people ask why I bother with such a detailed level of planning. My answer is simple: it generates a massive amount of productivity. A 40 hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure. (Click here to Tweet this figure.)

Sometimes people ask how time blocking can work for reactive work, where you can’t tell in advance what obligations will enter your life on a given day. My answer is, again, simple: periods of open-ended reactivity can be blocked off like any other type of obligation. Even if you’re blocking most of your day for reactive work, for example, the fact that you’re controlling your schedule will allow you to dedicate some small blocks (perhaps at the schedule periphery) to deeper pursuits.

Another smart strategy in this context is to give open-ended reactive blocks secondary purposes For example, “process client requests; if I have downtime during this block, work on project X.”

Sometimes people ask if controlling time will stifle creativity. I understand this concern, but it’s fundamentally misguided. If you control your schedule, 1) you can ensure that you consistently dedicate time to the deep efforts that matter for creative pursuits; and 2) the stress relief that comes from this sense of organization allows you to go deeper in your creative blocks and produce more value.

If you’re still worried, read Mason Currey’s Daily Rituals. Very few of the world-famous creatives he profiled adopted an “I’ll work when I feel inspired” attitude; they instead controlled their day so they could control their art.

Conclusion

In the context of work, uncontrolled time makes me uncomfortable. If you’re serious about working deeply and producing high-end value, it should probably make you uncomfortable as well. Using your inbox to drive your daily schedule might be fine for the entry-level or those content with a career of cubicle-dwelling mediocrity, but the best knowledge workers view their time like the best investors view their capital: as a resource to wield for maximum returns.

Cal Newport is the author of SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU, which argues that “follow your passion” is bad advice.

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The post Everything You Need to Know About Making Friends in the Office appeared first on Brazen Life.

Sometimes, you really hit it off and stay friends forever, even well after you’ve left the job; other times, you dread going into the office each day because you don’t feel like you connect with a single soul. Both are reasonable and very real scenarios, and there are ways to manage both so that neither takes away from what you show up at the office every day to do: your job.

Levo spoke to Shasta Nelson, life coach, CEO of GirlfriendCircles.com and author of the book Friendships Don’t Just Happen, and asked her about everything you need to know about making friends in the office, including who you should pursue and who you should stay away from. Her answers are below:

If you really feel a connection with a coworker, is it a good idea to try to deepen that relationship? Or should “office life” and “real life” be kept separate?

No! I don’t think they should be separate at all! In fact, work really is one of the places to make friends where we have one of the biggest friendship challenges taken care of for us — consistency. That’s why it felt easy in school — we saw each other every day. In “real life,” it’s actually much more difficult to see each other regularly enough to build up that familiarity and comfortableness.

The office is perfect, since you both have to spend so much time there. I’d definitely try to deepen that relationship, so much so that I’d encourage you to practice being friends outside of work, too, so that when one of you leaves the job, you already have other structures in place for your friendship to continue.

How concerned should you be about making friends in the office, even at the basic level of casual friendship?

People who have friends at work are way more inclined to report job satisfaction, and companies recognize that that’s one of the best ways to retain employees. We will put up with a lot of stress and non-ideal job descriptions if we like the people we work with, so I’d say it’s worth being a pretty high priority at work. Plus, this is where you spend most of your time, so it make sense that at minimum, you want to be surrounded by people you’re friendly with, even if they don’t all turn into consequential friendships. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)

Are there any “rules” to making friends in the office?

I’d say two good principles are to 1) take it slow, and 2) don’t let your friendship ever make others feel excluded in the office.

The first one is super important. Don’t over-share with someone. Vulnerability — sharing more about yourself with less of a filter — is one of the actions that develops a friendship, but I encourage everyone to engage in it step by step so that, really, you’re never taking a big risk as much as you are many, many small ones. But that’s even more important at work, where you don’t want to share too much with someone before you’ve co-created a trusting relationship with each other.

And the second rule speaks more to making sure your friendship is adding to the office dynamics, not excluding others or making people feel wary, left out or suspicious. While at work, invite more people to join in your friendly relationship, invite others to sit with you at lunch and try to do more of your eventual secret-sharing outside of the office.

What are some good ways to explore deepening a relationship with a coworker?

It probably starts with friendliness and chit-chat, talking about the weekend and what TV shows you’re watching. Then the next goal is to find a way to spend more substantial time together, so usually an invitation to grab lunch together, attend an event together or meet for drinks after work will help make that happen.

And this is where it may stay for a while: friendliness in the office, friendship for an hour here and there outside the office. In fact, if this is as far as it goes, it’s an incredibly valuable relationship that will increase your happiness at work. In some cases, you may want to grow it to the next step, and that means eventually starting to get together when it’s completely unattached to work, such as brunch on the weekend, a double-date with the boyfriends on a Friday night or getting together to watch your favorite TV shows one night.

Can you — or should you — ever be friends with your manager? (Or, if you’re a manager, friends with your subordinate?)

This one can be tricky, because there is not a “one size fits all” answer. Our personalities, company culture and individual job descriptions will inform the decision. But in theory, I’d say yes. We can be friends with people even if we have different roles at work. Obviously, it requires both people respecting the other so much that neither one shares confidential information or asks for favors at work.

And the two rules I mentioned earlier — taking it slow and not letting your friendship make others uncomfortable — are even more important. But the first two steps of friendship — being friendly and starting to spend more considerable time together — are more than appropriate, in my opinion.

Fights among friends are inevitable and can become even more hot-button if that friend is also a coworker. What is your advice for dealing with conflicts with friends in the office?

This goes back to the second rule: Don’t let your friendship make others uncomfortable in the office. That means they shouldn’t know you’re fighting. You don’t gossip about each other, talk about other or take it out on each other.

Maturity means trusting each other so that even when we’re mad or disappointed,  we can still trust each other to have our backs. It also speaks to the “taking it slow” part — you should never have shared more than you felt the relationship was ready to support. By the time you fight, you should have some considerable history between the two of you where you can trust you’ll both make up and be closer than ever.

Is it appropriate to get into a friendship with someone who’s in a romantic relationship? Should you pursue a friendship with a coworker if it could be misconstrued by their significant other?

Wow, you’re asking the toughies! Good for you! Again, though, this is not an easy answer. Cross-gender relationships are a wholly different animal in this setting.

If the friendship could hurt people — in the office or in either of your lives — then one has to ask whether there are other feelings or motives at work. Because mature friends wouldn’t want to jeopardize their friends’ other relationships. At the least, recognize this relationship has a whole different level of complication and drama that may best be avoided simply by fostering other friendships, even if there isn’t as much chemistry.

What should you do if you don’t feel a connection with coworkers, on even the most basic level? (Assuming that you enjoy your job.)

Bonds can always, always be developed in some form or another. The best place to start is with having enough conversations that you can start seeing where you both have similarities or where you “get” each other.

We all have more things in common that we realize, even if we have a 40-year age gap, opposite political views or are in completely different life stages. I believe that those who seek, find. Which means that if we say to ourselves, “I am choosing to like you; now I’m going to keep looking for the reasons,” we will always find them!

What are your tips for making friends in the office? Tell us in the comments!

Jennifer Merritt is a writer and editor based in New York. Follow her on Twitter @jennifermerritt.

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The post 4 Pointers for Managing Telecommuters appeared first on Brazen Life.

Telecommuting opens up the door to working with talent from all over the world. You may find yourself working with others from different countries, time zones and cultural backgrounds. You may even find yourself managing remotely while your team shares an office space somewhere else.

If you’re a telecommuting manager, follow these tips on how you can be present in the workforce no matter how far the distance:

1. Find ways to communicate effectively

Since in-person communication is an impossible task to accomplish while telecommuting, change your approach to communicating with your team members. If it’s your first time in a telecommuting management role, it may take a bit of experimentation to find what works best for you and your employees.

If you constantly send email to communicate, you can lose the personal touch that comes with a phone call or face-to-face conversation. While email and instant messaging are great tools, they can be overused.

Set up a Skype account for yourself and each employee to be used during working hours. Instead of sending email, have your employees call you through Skype using voice or video conferencing. You may find it reduces the time it takes to communicate when you don’t have to constantly type out emails for small requests or questions.

Hold a group video conference at least once a week to ensure everyone’s on the same page, on task and held accountable for their work. You’ll find it’s easier to get to know your employees when you can put a face to the name.

2. Establish ground rules

Before you even begin telecommuting, set ground rules both you and your employees must follow. These ground rules should include the work schedule for your employees, the work they’ll be doing and how often you want them to report on their progress.

Be as detailed as possible when setting up ground rules so expectations are clear right from the beginning. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) It can be frustrating for employees if there’s no structure or the rules are constantly changing.

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from your employees. If something isn’t working, it’s better to address it as soon as possible so the situation can be corrected. If your team isn’t happy, you’ll see a decrease in productivity and morale, and possibly an increase in turnover.

If your employees are also new to telecommuting, it may be helpful to give them pointers for staying productive and engaged.

3. Use technology to your advantage

To help keep everyone on task and accountable for their work, use project management software to track and monitor the progress of your projects. Software like Basecamp, AtTask and Wrike can help you manage projects when you’re not there to monitor each employee’s progress in person.

Use project management software to assign tasks, to keep a paper trail of conversations related to the work and as a central location to store documents and files your employees need to access.

Cloud-based project management software is a good choice for remote teams, as it allows team members to access content whenever they have an Internet connection. Ensure your team knows you’ll be monitoring their progress so there are no surprises along the way.

If you’re managing a team of freelance contractors remotely, you can use tools like oDesk and Elance to keep track of the hours billed and monitor productivity by tracking keystrokes and screenshots.

4. Reward your employees

Don’t forget that as a manager, it’s still your responsibility to motivate and reward your employees for a job well done, even when telecommuting. If your company doesn’t already have one, it may be a good time to set up an employee recognition program.

Use the program as a way to motivate your employees to go above and beyond and to acknowledge their hard work. You should see an increase in productivity and efficiency when your employees have something to work toward, especially when working in a remote position.

Working from home can be a challenge for anyone. If you can find ways to communicate effectively, use the right combination of technology, and motivate and reward your employees, telecommuting in a management position can be a great opportunity.

Brian Flax is a freelance writer based out of the Washington, D.C. area. He has worked with a variety of clients, including Reputation.com. Brian holds a master’s in education technology and a bachelor’s in entertainment business.

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The post 5 Big Things You’ll Learn From Your First Real-World Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

Maybe you fancied yourself sashaying into the office in a nice suit, surrounded by likeminded people and finally — finally! — buying that sports car/gadget/designer outfit you always wanted.

Well, that’s certainly part of the package. But there’s more. No matter what field you work in, you’ll be presented with some of the same challenges.

Once you spend enough time in your cubicle, you’ll quickly learn these things that few (if any) college professors teach you:

1. Getting hired is just the beginning

Of the thousands of applicants who applied for this one opening, the company chose you. That gives you every reason to act like a complete braggart on the first day on the job, right?

Hold your horses. Remember, your coworkers also had to go through a rigorous application process to get where they are now, plus they know the ins and out of the company. You don’t. You’re not exactly on equal footing with them.

Plus, you still have to comply with company rules, learn the organizational culture and figure out how to get along with difficult coworkers, just to start. Speaking of which…

2. People skills are (almost) everything

If you’re shy and reserved, you may have a little more trouble in an office environment than your outgoing office mates. After all, you have to spend at least eight hours with them, and face-to-face interaction is inevitable.

It’s tempting to just bury yourself in your work and wait for the clock to signal “Logout time!”, but you’ll find everyday life more bearable if you make the effort to be friendly with your coworkers.

3. Monotony is part of the job

As with starting anything new, finding your footing at first will be tough. You’ll have to learn the processes, sit through meetings in which you have no idea what’s going on, figure out how to read your boss and navigate the best way to work with your team.

Once you iron everything out, you’ll find the challenge shifts from adjusting to the corporate culture to ensuring that no workday becomes boring (at least, for you).

Find ways to break the monotony. Look for new challenges to keep learning. Don’t succumb to the Internet vortex and spend all day glued to your computer scrolling through Buzzfeed or online window shopping.

Add choice mementos to your workspace (e.g. pictures of loved ones, inspirational notes, small toys) and get up from your desk, move around and chitchat with coworkers when you have a break.

4. Accepting any job is risky

Surprised I just described employment as a risk? Contrary to what you may have been taught, having a job does not guarantee financial stability. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)

If the inflation rate outstrips your annual salary increase or if you get handed a pink slip, you’re in a dangerous situation. So it’s a good idea to have a backup source of income, such as savings, bonds and stocks or a side job to bring in extra income.

Living below your means also helps.

5. Always think two steps ahead

There’s no need to feel stuck in your job, even in a bleak labor market.

You can stick it out and hope your three to five years will count for something. Or, you can leave right now — but not before landing another steady source of income with the help of good networking. You can also start a side business, and if it seems to have a promising future, you can kiss your employer goodbye.

I’m not suggesting you bolt every time you get a corporate job offer. Far from it. I’m saying it helps to think realistically when it comes to dipping your toe in the “real world” water.

Issa Mirandilla writes about freelancing, writing, marketing, careers, personal finance and other business-related topics. Give her a nudge on Twitter or visit her website here.

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The post Why Everything You’ve Been Told about Your Job is a Lie appeared first on Brazen Life.

After you answered a few questions about your background and experience, the interviewer likely gave you a job description that laid out the tasks and functions you would provide for the organization.

When you were hired, you got the job and the title to match it. Your company provided training, orientation and other additional tools to help you carry out the functions of your job effectively.

You told new colleagues the name of your position and explained a few of your most prominent tasks. Likewise, when you asked team members what they did, you heard the same superficial rundown: title, function and a few basic tasks.

From this point on, the myth was firmly set in place. All expectations about your contribution to the organization were based on your job description, title and the day-to-day tasks and activities they required.

You’re more than a job title

This sequence of events describes the typical experience most people live through every day at work. But you know that something’s wrong with this picture. What the team and organization need from you do not always align with your job description.

Your day-to-day tasks and activities are often not the most important things you could be doing. And actually fulfilling your responsibilities can be quite hard when faced with everyday obstacles and unexpected challenges (such as difficult coworkers.)

The truth is that your job description lies, or at least it only tells part of the story. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)

We’re all working two jobs. As we politely get down to the business of fulfilling the tasks and activities in our primary job descriptions, we incessantly bump up against the real challenges of our “job within the job.”

And yet, there’s no common language to describe this hidden side of work, so we don’t speak about it. And because we don’t speak about it, we’re not given support to address it. This is the ferocious cycle that ensues, from A to D and back again:

A. You’re hired and paid to do a job.

B. You’re only given a partial picture of what’s needed to succeed.

C. You’re on your own to understand the missing pieces and figure out your path to success.

D. You will not be compensated any differently if you succeed, but you could face consequences if you fail to meet the job’s demands.

The hidden curriculum of work

In today’s competitive landscape, standing out, getting ahead of the change curve and staying relevant at work requires going beyond your job description. You must look for opportunities to improve your learning and performance as you confront the hidden demands of work.

These two factors — the need for continuous learning and performance and the presence of performance barriers — form what I call the hidden curriculum of work. A hidden curriculum exists anytime there are two simultaneous challenges where one is visible, clear and understood and the other is concealed, ambiguous and undefined.

For example, professional athletes master the fundamentals of their sport and excel at the highest level on the court or field of play, but they still have to learn how to deal with wealth, fame and many other challenges and distractions that come with professional sports.

When children start school, they must master the educational standards of their curriculum, but reading, math and science lessons don’t prepare them for the peer pressure, social dynamics and developmental challenges they inevitably face in school.

Dig deep to reveal your job’s hidden curriculum

The hidden curriculum of work is different for everyone, but you can start exposing the half-truth of your standard job description by discovering your “job within the job.” As a first step, ask these six core questions to understand the hidden side of your own work:

1. What single statement best describes your role?
2. What tasks and activities absorb most of your time?
3. What challenges prevent your best work?
4. What single statement reveals your vital purpose to the organization?
5. Which of your contributions have the greatest value to the organization?
6. What are the hidden challenges of delivering this value?

By using this framework, you can quickly and accurately drill down to the meaningful purpose and value you should deliver. You’ll also know exactly how to navigate the hidden curriculum of work to increase your chances of a long and successful career.

Jesse Sostrin is the author of Beyond the Job Description. He writes, speaks and consults at the intersection of individual and organizational success. Follow him @jessesostrin and visit his site here.

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The post How to Survive a Business Trip Without Sabotaging Your Health appeared first on Brazen Life.

Maybe you’re a consultant who wakes up early every Monday to catch that 5:00 a.m. flight. Or you frequently take exhausting cross-country business trips.

A healthy routine is essential to eating well, getting exercise and sleeping the recommended seven to eight hours each night. From jet lag to fast food, business trips make it tricky to stick to that routine.

While your friends may be envious of the free open bars, steak dinners and first-class travel, you feel like your health and state of mind are at risk.

Splurging every once in awhile is OK. But partaking in these activities for weeks at a time can damage your health and contribute to conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity.

So when you get ready for that next business trip, try to stick to a healthy routine by following these tips:

1. Use the company AmEx differently

Traveling with the company corporate card means eating three-course meals three times a day, right?

Wrong.

Forget that you’re “supposed to” expense as many indulgent, rich meals as you can squeeze in during your trip. Go a different route. Abuse your AmEx to buy healthy meals and snacks.

To prevent overindulgence at mealtime, fill your bag each morning with healthy snacks like granola bars, trail mix and pretzels. It should be enough to hold you over until your next meal.

2. Channel your inner hermit

You may feel compelled to attend every networking event or stay late at the happy hour organized by the conference you’re attending because more schmoozing will help you climb the career ladder, right?

In reality, mingling for hours on end, night after night, can not only be mentally exhausting, but also detrimental to your immune system.

Dedicate at least two hours a day to time for yourself. Put down your BlackBerry and shut off your computer. This time is for non-work activities.

Since you’re removed from other responsibilities and your friends while traveling, you can easily slip into a pattern of overwork. Burnout syndrome happens to the best of us, so make sure that when times are especially hectic, you get a little bit of alone time.

3. Explore your surroundings, not the hotel gym

Sure, you could sacrifice precious hours of sleep to wake up at the crack of dawn and hit the fitness center. But that will only contribute to your exhaustion. Since your schedule for the day is already packed, don’t worry about rigorous treadmill sessions. Cut yourself some slack.

If you have some time, explore your surroundings. Check out the local park or walk a loop around your hotel. A brisk 20-minute walk in the morning before you start a long work day can make you more alert. Like they say, a healthy body is a healthy mind.

4.  Watch your booze intake

A glass or two of wine at a company dinner or happy hour is OK. One drink can get the conversation started and ideas flowing. In fact, studies show that a glass of wine a day can help protect against strong risk factors for diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

But there’s a difference between a couple of drinks and closing the bar down. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Although it may be fun in the moment, keep in mind these people may be potential networking contacts. And you probably have a long day tomorrow.

So put your game face on, follow the two-drink rule and be professional. After that, stick to tonic water (or head back to your hotel room to get some sleep).

5. Set expectations with your boss

You may feel pressure to perform your regular job duties while also fulfilling obligations at your work event. Keep in mind you’re only one person and can only spread yourself so thin.

Before leaving the office for a week of business travel, set expectations with your boss. Discuss what you can realistically accomplish while also performing travel-related duties.

Are you ready for your next business trip?

When faced with the challenges of a fast-paced job, you can easily fall victim to a lazy lifestyle and slack on your health habits.

But following a simple, healthy routine will do wonders for your stress levels, relationships and overall well-being.

Making these changes overnight may be tough, so don’t be too hard on yourself. On your next business trip, try to focus on at least one of these tips and go from there, conquering your diet, sleep and exercise routine one city at a time.

Pretty soon, you’ll be jet-setting like a pro.

A southern girl at heart, Allison Parker is a 20-something writer embarking on a new life in Chicago. A victim of wanderlust, she is the editor of her blog, alli in the city, narrating her travels across the globe. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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The post 10 Annoying Habits That Could Cost You Your Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

Being a hardworking and competent employee is the first step to holding onto your job, but staying on your boss’s good side won’t hurt, either. Chances are your boss has pet peeves, and you’re committing several of them without even knowing. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)

To stay on your boss’s good side, read on to find out the 10 things you’re doing at work that drive your boss crazy — then promptly stop doing them.

1. You show up late

Sure, everyone has been stuck in traffic or overslept once or twice. Being late a couple times won’t hurt you. But habitual tardiness could cause you trouble.

Your boss perceives your lateness as disinterest or apathy towards your job, which surely doesn’t make you employee-of-the-month material.

2. You’re a Negative Nancy

If you find yourself complaining about everyone and everything in the office, break the habit immediately. Workplaces with a positive atmosphere are the most conducive to productivity.

Your boss knows your complaining can be contagious and could bring your whole office down. Next time you have something negative to say, save it for your journal.

3. You need too much handholding

Your boss hired you because you seemed like you could get the job done. Presenting them with every little problem about each task demonstrates the exact opposite of why you were hired in the first place.

Your boss doesn’t have time to oversee every one of your tasks. Put on your problem-solving cap and figure it out. If you come off as incompetent, don’t expect to keep your job for much longer.

4. Your meeting etiquette sucks

While some meetings may be less relevant or interesting than others, maintain a professional demeanor no matter how long the meeting drags on.

Your boss will notice if you aren’t taking notes, if you’re disinterestedly scrolling on your laptop (i.e. checking Facebook) or if you don’t contribute when you should. Follow along. Don’t be caught off guard and make it obvious you weren’t paying attention when someone asks you a question.

5. You have a new excuse for everything

Whether you were late to work, forgot to send an important email or did a project incorrectly, don’t make excuses.

Your boss hates when you can’t take ownership of your mistake. It shows your lack of honesty and professionalism. Own up. It’s better to apologize (but don’t overdo it) and fix your mistake.

6. You’re just lazy

Nothing infuriates a boss more than a lazy employee. It shows you don’t care about your job or your company, making your boss wonder why they hired you in the first place.

Try to be diligent and prove to your boss that you value your job by working hard.

7. Your work BFF is your cell phone

While it’s commonplace to keep your phone on your desk or send a quick text during a break, don’t make it a habit. Your boss will notice if you’re preoccupied with your phone when you’re supposed to be working.

Keep your cell phone use to a minimum, and please turn off your obnoxious Miley Cyrus ringtone. Your officemates don’t care if you came in like a wrecking ball.

8. You’re a broken record of other people’s ideas

When you’re in a meeting or having a discussion, your boss wants to hear fresh, innovative ideas and opinions. If an idea was stated once, repeating it won’t make it sound any more new or different.

Your boss will notice if you consistently copy your coworkers’ ideas. It’s certainly something you don’t want a reputation for. Instead, try to think of a relevant new perspective or build on someone else’s ideas.

9. You smack gum like it’s your job

Your office is not the place for Bubble Yum unless you work alone or at home where no one will see or hear you. Gum chewing can be loud, gross and unprofessional.

If you interact with people, whether you’re speaking at a meeting or sitting in a quiet office, stick with a breath mint.

10. You’re a tattletale

If you can think of no other way to get ahead than to throw others under the bus, beware. Your boss can tell the difference between a concerned employee and a snitch. If you resemble the latter, your middle-school behavior won’t be tolerated for long.

Instead of being the one to bring bad news to your boss about someone else’s screw-up, turn it into a problem-solving opportunity.

Your daily actions could be ticking off your boss without you even knowing. Constant laziness, tardiness and even gum chewing could result in a pink slip with your name all over it. Be aware of habits and actions that could rock the boat at work — and avoid them at all costs — to improve your job security.

Savannah Marie is a social media enthusiast and writer from New York. She is the editor of her blog Mixios and a freelance writer for 12 Keys.

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The post Learn to Use SEO Like a Pro With These 3 Simple Tools appeared first on Brazen Life.

But the sheer number of tools available can make it seem overwhelming, making it difficult to choose the right one. You have to ask yourself: What are the top SEO tools out there for beginners? Which are free? And how do I get started?

Top SEO tools to help make learning easier

If you’re not taking a class about SEO in school, you’re going to have to learn some of this on your own. Some of the tools below will use terms like PageRank and “domain authority.” Both of these terms refer to a number that’s given to your website based on how good Google thinks it really is — which is based in turn on SEO considerations such as links, navigation and content. PageRank ranks each page of a website, whereas domain authority ranks the entire domain as a whole.

If SEO seems overwhelming, you’re not alone. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Fortunately, there are a lot of great tools you can install to get familiar with the practice:

1. PageRank Browser Extension

This free browser extension lets you look at pages, and the value of pages, according to Google. PageRank isn’t everything and is becoming less important, but it’s a good starting point to help you realize that pages are ranked and evaluated.

Because it’s an extension, you’ll see it all the time, so you’ll constantly be aware of online rank as you visit different pages. Below is a screenshot of the extension:

2. Mozbar Extension

Formerly SEOMoz, this is one of the most authoritative companies in the industry, so downloading their toolbar won’t steer you wrong. This tool goes a little bit further than the last and offers you more detailed information about a page and gives you its authority right on a search engine results page, or SERP, as opposed to having to click the website.

In this screenshot, you’ll see PA (page authority) and DA (domain authority) in gray, along with a link analysis, which takes you to another page with more advanced information:

The screenshot below shows what happens when you click the extension when viewing a page:

3. Open Site Explorer

This cool tool allows you to check a site’s backlinks whenever you visit a website. It’s easy to understand, there are no popups and it offers a good picture of how link building works.

A paid version is available, but the free version is enough for someone just trying to get an understanding of how SEO works. All you have to do is click the link above and then type in the URL. Below is a screenshot of OSE:

Quick tips

Of course, there are other ways to learn SEO on your own, including reading some of the most popular SEO blogs, connecting with industry leaders on social media and contributing guest articles in your niche. These are typically good methods to incorporate while using some of the tools discussed above.

One of the best ways to start learning SEO is to create your own WordPress blog and start writing. You can then play with things like Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.

Have you found that having SEO skills is important when on the job hunt? What tools did you use in school to get yourself started? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Amanda DiSilvestro gives small business and entrepreneurs SEO advice ranging from keyword density to recovering from Panda and Penguin updates. She writes for the nationally recognized SEO firm HigherVisibility, which offers online marketing services to a wide range of companies across the country.

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The post 4 Travel Tips to Make Your Next Business Trip Go Smoothly appeared first on Brazen Life.

According to a recent study by Expedia and Egencia, Millennials are the new business jet setters, traveling for work more than any other age set today.

Whether you’re taking your first or fifteenth business trip with your boss, coworker or client, here are four tips to ensure you represent yourself and the company well while you’re cruising the friendly skies:

1. Nix the social media

As much as we love keeping our friends, family and colleagues up-to-date on what’s going on, rethinking the appropriate times to use your cell phone and social media is important when you’re on business travel.

Providing 140-character play-by-plays during a client meeting won’t help you close a deal, and you definitely don’t want your boss to discover you Instagramming your filet mignon at the other end of the dinner table in front of the client.

It’s important to remember you’ve been selected to go on this trip for a reason. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Use this opportunity to be active in conversations with your colleagues and clients, and respond to text and direct messages during your personal time.

2. Be prepared to overdeliver

You can never be too prepared when it comes to business travel. Not only do you have to pack for yourself, but you may also have to prepare materials for the client meetings or sales presentations.

Ensuring you have the appropriate attire is critical. Be mindful that an all-day client meeting could turn into an evening dinner. Having options for several occasions is ideal.

More often than not, the most junior person traveling is responsible for bringing the appropriate materials — and that junior-level person will probably be you. Show your boss you’re a stickler for details by being thoroughly prepared. It’s wise to always have itineraries, addresses, directions and important phone numbers printed out so you can easily refer to them.

3. Over-communicate

Sometimes travel can be unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean your communication should be unpredictable, too. Staying plugged in with your key point of contact during your business trip is vital.

If your flight is delayed, it’s important to inform someone about the status of your flight and your new expected time of arrival. If you’re traveling separately from the rest of your team or the client, planning a place to meet up once everyone has arrived is key.

Position yourself as the person who’s alert and openly communicates for the duration of the trip, and your boss will want you to accompany her every time.

4. Leave your complaints at home

Business travel isn’t designed to be a leisure vacation, and you have to be ready for the 6:00 a.m. flights, unpredictable weather and late evenings.

Of the many unforeseen circumstances that could — and probably will — occur while you’re jet setting around the world for business, the best thing you can do is not complain. If you see a challenge has emerged, don’t whine or make excuses — think of ways to resolve the problem.

You want your boss to view you as someone who can function well under pressure during travel. More importantly, you want to stay at the top of the consideration list for future business travel opportunities.

Have you ever been on a business trip? What are some other tips for young professional business travelers?

Jaimee Ratliff is a PR professional, freelance writer and a culture enthusiast based in Houston, Texas. Follow her at @WhatJaiSays.

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The post When Should You Tell Your Boss About a Coworker’s Inappropriate Office Behavior? appeared first on Brazen Life.

What’s the difference?

• Tattling: ratting out a coworker so you look better; always mentioning every single time they slack off or make a personal call at work.
• Telling: expressing your discomfort or concern about when you witness something that could hurt the company’s reputation.

Many employees believe telling makes others see you as having loose lips and being untrustworthy. But the truth is, with enough cause, people will support you and intervene to help you resolve the situation in order to protect the company.

Below are five ways to know when it’s clear you should tell your boss:

1. When you’re following professional standards

Most situations that involve unprofessional behavior in the workplace are cause for report. Your company spends time and money creating handbooks and professional policies to follow. Companies don’t take these violations lightly.

If your coworker spends a few minutes talking about last night’s football game instead of working at their desk, chances are it’s not worth bringing up to the boss. But if a serious policy has been broken, take action. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) When you report sexual harassment, for example, you’re protecting yourself, others and your company’s reputation.

Put a stop to blatantly inappropriate behavior and know your boss will appreciate that you embraced their standards.

2. When you know the facts

When you’re considering reporting a coworker, make sure all of your allegations are valid and documented. Keep track of misbehaviors by writing down dates and details of the events. This way, you have an arsenal of evidence to support your claim. Don’t run screaming to your boss because you heard negative gossip about a coworker. Make sure you’ve witnessed the behavior firsthand.

Also be sure to ask yourself why you’re telling the boss. If it’s to teach someone a lesson for annoying you, it’s time to reconsider. Put aside your personal opinions and things that don’t pertain to the workplace. Remember, it’s not the coworker’s personality that’s brought to attention; it’s their actions.

3. When you’re protecting the integrity of the company

If a coworker is doing something detrimental, it’s your job to protect the company and consider your responsibility to your clients. It’s one thing if a coworker is slacking off on their own time, but another if they’re having a negative impact on customers.

Let’s say you work at a commercial real estate business where you deal with customers and clients every day. You repeatedly hear a coworker being rude to clients over the phone, causing a loss in customers and sales. It doesn’t take much for someone to go online and start bashing the company. By not taking action to stop your coworker, you miss a chance to prevent your company’s reputation from taking a nosedive.

4. When you’re keeping your work climate in control

Sometimes a coworker can have such a toxic relationship with other employees that the entire office gets drained of energy. By not reporting it, you’re enabling the person to continue their pattern of behavior, which can slow the work progress of the whole team.

Putting a stop to their unsavory behavior can alleviate tension and stress between coworkers. Perhaps you can encourage your boss to produce a survey on the climate of your workplace. They’ll be thankful for feedback, too.

5. When you’re saving yourself and others

A lot of people think reporting will come back to cause them extra stress. Though it can be tempting to push the situation aside to avoid conflict, confront the issue.

Patience and tolerance can only go so far when it comes to letting things go. If you keep your feelings pent up, the situation can get ugly fast. You don’t want to look like the unprofessional one who’s lost their temper.

Other advice

Coworkers who slack off or don’t pull their weight aren’t always reason to tattle. You could always confront them calmly and give them constructive criticism.

Always seek clarification, and don’t play the blame game. Don’t approach your boss and dump a bunch of accusations. Instead, share your concerns and ask for advice on how to handle the situation. Chances are, your boss will take matters into their own hands.

Remain professional and listen well. Your boss will be grateful for a hint at what’s going on outside of their door. Showing you trust them will also help you build a mutual respect between you and your boss.

At the end of the day, know why you’re reporting. You should feel guilt-free if you’ve focused on facts, not your personal opinion. After all, you’re protecting the company, your fellow coworkers and yourself from a potentially hostile work environment.

Scott Huntington is a writer, reporter and entrepreneur. He covers a variety of topics in his blog, Blogspike. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and son. You can follow Scott at @SMHuntington.

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The post Does GenY Ask Too Much? Stephen Colbert Doesn’t Think So appeared first on Brazen Life.

See Exhibit A: a bit Stephen Colbert recently did on The Colbert Report in which he discussed a new feature introduced by Slate.com: the “minutes to read” feature. That’s right; as you browse recent articles on the site, Slate now lets you know right next to the title just how long it will take to read each one.

Why?

As Colbert put it, Millennials (which group he includes himself in) are a group that simply doesn’t have time to spare on anything that isn’t personally meaningful:

We want our food fast, our ‘grams Insta, our mobs flash — and we want it all now…Clicking on a story is a huge commitment. First, you’ve gotta aim the cursor, then it takes about two seconds to load, then I gotta scan the thing to see how long it is…As many as eight seconds have passed and I’m that much closer to the cold embrace of death.”

You can view the full segment here (it’s worth it!):

As funny as this segment is, can you relate to it? Are you (or anyone you know) like this?

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The post Does GenY Ask Too Much? Stephen Colbert Doesn’t Think So appeared first on Brazen Life.

The post Want a More Flexible Work Schedule? Here’s How to Ask Your Boss appeared first on Brazen Life.

GenY is one of the groups pushing for more flexibility in their jobs because they don’t want to be tied to their office desks, working long days and giving up their personal lives. Instead, they realize work and life can be better balanced, and they’re making it happen.

The modern workplace is trending away from traditional 9-to-5 office jobs and toward greater flexibility in when, where and how we work. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) If you’re looking for a more flexible job, either with your current employer or in a new company, here’s how to get it:

1. Decide what type of job flexibility you want

Common options include telecommuting, working a flexible schedule or alternative schedule, working a condensed work week, combining vacation and sick time into all-inclusive “paid time off” or setting your own schedule.

What type of flexibility is most appealing to you? Is it location or hours? Something else? It could be one type or a combination. Decide what the ideal flexible job looks like for your life before going further.

2. Assess how likely your employer is to embrace flexibility

Do they already offer casual Fridays, generous personal time off or impromptu early closures? Are you casually allowed to work from home for a day or two each week or month? Or is your company more of a traditional office environment with fairly rigid work schedules?

If they don’t seem open to offering flexible work options, proceed to step five. But if you think they might get flexible, read on.

3. Develop a pitch for a flexible work arrangement

This can’t be a spur-of-the-moment conversation. Take time to create a formal proposal outlining your request for work flexibility. The proposal should include the type of flexibility you want, a plan for putting it into place and how you’ll maintain or improve your work performance as a result.

Your proposal should be less about why you’ll benefit from flexible work, and more about how your employer will benefit.

4. Ask for a trial period

Many managers will be hesitant to grant your request for flexible work options out of fear of the unknown. The easiest way to allay that fear is to ask for a trial period where you’ll demonstrate how great this newfound flexibility will be.

Aim for at least a month so you’ll have a chance to smooth out rough patches at the start, and keep track of anything quantifiable to show your boss improvements in your output.

5. If all else fails, look for more flexible pastures

If you’ve tried these tips and your employer won’t budge, it may be time to find a more flexible job elsewhere. Lots of job listings now state specifically if they offer perks like telecommuting, flexible schedules or ROWEs (results-only work environments). Even if they don’t, it’s worth asking about during a job interview.

Flexible job options are a popular and growing part of the workplace. Young professionals are expanding these options by making them a necessity rather than a perk, and work flexibility is becoming the norm at companies throughout the world. All it takes is a little preparation, and you’ll be on your way to a more flexible job.

Brie Weiler Reynolds is the Director of Online Content at FlexJobs and a contributing writer for 1 Million for Work Flexibility, the first national initiative to bring people together and create a collective voice in support of work flexibility. FlexJobs lists thousands of professional-level jobs that offer flexibility like telecommuting, flexible scheduling and freelancing.

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The post 5 Sure-to-Fail Approaches For Dealing With a Bad Boss appeared first on Brazen Life.

Yet no matter how miserable you are, you’re probably not going to quit, because let’s face it: even if you can land another job, the likelihood is another bad boss will be attached to it.

Dry your tears, quit pulling your hair out and learn what’s not going to work so you can stop spinning your wheels and get your career on a successful track… even with a bad boss.

1. Managing up

Having a nice sit-down conversation with your bad boss about what’s not working and offering some suggestions about how to make things better — so civilized, so PC. Unfortunately, it’s never going to happen.

Managing up works well with mediocre bosses or bosses who are difficult because they’re struggling with their own pressures. But when it comes to diehard, bad-to-the-bone bad bosses, all you’ll get is a glazed look — or summarily dismissed — and suddenly you’re a problem employee.

Instead, turn your boss into a mentor by asking him how you can improve your work. Take his advice seriously (no matter how inane), turn it into something that does improve your work, then give your boss sincere appreciation and credit. Rinse and repeat. After a while, he’ll be proud of the sterling accomplishments he led you to.

2. Giving your boss a workplace reality check

A bad boss may be incompetent for any number of reasons, but she certainly doesn’t want to be seen as incompetent. By complaining about a lack of resources or training, that’s exactly what you’re doing: exposing her incompetence. Your well-intended lament will only earn you further disdain, or more work, as your boss tells you to suck it up.

Instead, take charge of your job and your to do list. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) When your boss slings another do-it-do-it-now on your overloaded plate, say, “I’d be glad to handle this, but which of your other requests would you like me to back burner, Project A or Project B?” When she answers, reply “Got it!” and get on it before she can pile the whole list on you.

Also be creative about getting support, like engaging willing coworkers in a “Do this for me, I’ll do that for you” system.

3. Confronting your bad boss’s bad behavior

Your boss is a screamer. Or a blaming finger-pointer. You stand up for yourself. You tell your boss, calmly and in private, “This is unacceptable. I’ll not be screamed at or blamed for something I didn’t do.” You expect your boss to recognize his bad behavior and cut it out.

Good luck.

At the least, you’ll get counseled on your bad behavior, and a note will go into your personnel file about the problematic employee you are. Or you’ll be on the short list for rapid — and perfectly lawful — termination.

Instead, make a note of your boss’s directives in front of him. If questioned, put on your best innocent face and say something like, “I want to make sure I get what you want done right.” Avoid sarcasm or a snarky tone.

Bosses are loathe to have their bad behavior set down in writing. After all, it may end up upstairs or in HuffPost. With any luck, the bad behavior — at least the part aimed toward you — will diminish.

4. Working harder and longer

All that nose-to-the-grindstone effort won’t reap well-deserved rewards. If you work like a slave, your bad boss will cry “Hallelujah!” and work you harder, with no return consideration or reward.

Don’t give your all to what you think will please your bad boss. Instead, work like a slave — for yourself. Do your absolute best, but be proactive and discriminating. Target those projects, teams and tasks in line with your career goals, and do the hustle-and-persistence dance on your own behalf.

5. Going above your bad boss’s head to complain

The reason why your boss is a boss probably has something to do with the person above him. Leapfrogging your bad boss will only get you dumped faster.

Instead, get the higher-ups’ attention with outstanding performance and productivity. Volunteer to take on projects that involve other departments and explore your talents.

Get bosses from other departments to value your work, and either your own boss will see your value or you’ll get poached into a better boss’s department.

Work hard, but on your own behalf, for your own success.

Noelle C. Nelson, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, business trial consultant and the author of 12 books, including her most recent, Got a Bad Boss? At the core of Noelle’s books, leadership seminars and consulting practice is the power of appreciation: how to be happier, healthier and more successful at work, at home and in relationships. You can visit her website at www.noellenelson.com/.

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The post Easy and Delicious Ways to Eat Better at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Walnuts will never be able to hold a candle to the free box of office donuts, yet every day, they try to compete with the jelly filling that oozes your name.

Good advice often ignores those who forget — or “forget” — to eat and those saved from Starbucks by working at home, but not saved from having the whole fridge at their disposal. Thankfully, there are a number of desk-dining hacks that make workday eating tasty. (Click here to Tweet these tips.)

Debbie Desk Diner

Do you eat lunch at your desk while working to save your break for a massage? Or do you sit down and concentrate on every bite of your healthy lunch, only to embrace an entire bag of Hershey’s Kisses at 3:00 p.m.? If so, you’ve probably found most healthy lunch strategies are directed towards you, and that they’re difficult to implement.

While Geneen Roth thinks one of the keys to stop compulsively eating at work is to not eat at your desk, this may not be possible every day. Yes, stress is likely at the root of your desk dining, but it’s not going to disappear all at once.

Aim to eat away from your desk, but pack emergency snacks for days when you can’t. Almond butter-dipped dates are a great sweet treat, and while not as healthy as unsalted nuts, tamari almonds and pumpkin seeds can trick you away from the potato chips.

Cost-free calories

“Calories don’t count if the food is free” might seem like a cliché straight out of an old Cathy cartoon, but this logic is often cloaked in other language at the end of a hard week when you feel you “deserve” a treat. You’ve worked hard, but the free cake has the power to spike your blood sugar, contributing to an even worse crash — and possibly binge — later.

If donuts are your better self’s Kryptonite, or if a lunch catered by a restaurant that has options you wouldn’t normally consider launches you into a buffet mindset, find a way to remind yourself of your health goals.

Load an article on healthy eating in a browser tab, or better yet, make a Pinterest board that reminds you of the kind of life you’d like to lead. Counter the donuts with a snack that aligns with your ideals or health goals. Nothing tastes better than the enjoyment of a treat you know is better for yourself or for the planet, like a peach or a small square of organic, equal-trade dark chocolate.

Saved from Starbucks

Congratulations; working from home has saved you from the temptation of daily lattes and lunches at Applebee’s. But it took less than a pay period for you to amp up your grocery shopping to account for the void left by the office pretzels.

In fact, the freedom to work while wearing elastic waistbands can also lead to the less desirable side effects of schedule flexibility, like eating while working in the kitchen.

Structure is key to successfully working at home. Your structure should include enough time to give your undivided attention to your food. With the whole house at your disposal, it shouldn’t be too challenging to not eat at your desk.

Notice how often you get up for a snack. If it’s multiple times an hour, it’s probably time to refocus or work on another task. If going to restaurants was the only thing that got you out of the office, leave the house for a walk to reset your mind without the excess calories.

Lady Willpower

If you forget to eat at work, your willpower may inspire envy, but not eating might make you moody and less efficient at your job. You may think you’re making a positive impression by prioritizing deadlines over dining, but your body needs to be replenished.

Tasks will seem less overwhelming — and you may feel less tempted to go without breaks — if you give your body the fuel it needs. On days you work through lunch, come armed with healthy, balanced snacks. Raw veggies with hummus can easily be eaten at your desk.

If you find you don’t have time to eat because you’re racing from one job to another to make ends meet, put snacks in cups that fit in your car’s cup holders. Eating on the go is never as satisfying as sitting down and enjoying a meal, but healthy snacks will fuel you through your busy life.

Trisha Jefford is a self-proclaimed foodie and wine enthusiast who loves to scour the net for new ideas and trends in food creation and presentation. She currently writes and blogs for the website EZCater.

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The post What to Do When Your Job is Slowly Killing You appeared first on Brazen Life.

Then you got that fresh-out-of school fellowship or perfect first grownup job. Perhaps you knew it was just a stepping stone, that you were gaining experience for your next big move. You may have even promised yourself you’d just do it just for a year or two. Then you’d jump ship and start your own thing, write that book, live that dream.

A year goes by, and they promote you. The money is pretty darn good. And a second year goes by, and then five. And then it really hits you.

Bureaucracy is slowly killing you.

All of the meetings. All of the webinars. All of the templates. All of the TPS reports.

No matter how idealistic and creative you think you are, it gets zapped out of you the moment you walk into that beige world. The eeriest part is that so many others don’t seem to mind.

But you feel stuck in a rut, immobilized by the seeming spiral of success. What do you do?

Here are some things to think through if your soul is dying in your bureaucratic work environment:

1. Think back to the last time you were driven and dreamy and idealistic

Was it during undergrad? What did you want to do with your life? What did you want to be when you grew up? What impacts did you want to make on the world?

Write all this down. Take a good long look at it.

2. Decide if it’s still worth a shot

(Hint: the answer is usually “yes.”)

3. Determine how much longer you plan to stay at your current workplace

Set a timeframe and stick to it. This can be anywhere from one month to 20 years. Sometimes just having a plan and a light at the end of the tunnel can be magical. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)

4. If you decide to stay in your current work environment for more than six months…

Determine ways you can create meaning and fulfilment in your life as it is now. How can you infuse more of yourself into your workplace?

If you’re into yoga, get certified over the weekends and start teaching yoga to your colleagues during lunch breaks. If you love Star Wars, start incorporating a Jedi Knight theme into your office decor and your memos. If you feel like your creativity has languished, start advocating for out-of-the-box thinking whenever you can; make it your mission to bring color to the beige.

(Note: No one will get hurt if you insert some mindfulness or joy or creativity into your work life. After some initial jealous resistance, your colleagues will likely thank you. Besides, eye rolls don’t kill).

5. If you’re ready to leave your job…

Begin to envision what you want your life to look like and chart out a plan. You can even find a friend or hire a coach to help you develop your plan and stick to your goals.

Start getting the wheels in motion. Determine how much money you’ll need to save, when you’ll put in your notice and how you’ll set yourself (and your office) up for success through the transition.

Be careful not to jump into another opportunity that’s going to put you right back in the same situation. Anytime you’re feeling tempted, refer back to step number one, and remind yourself of your plan to follow your passion.

6. Thank yourself for staying true to you, however that looks

Whether you decide to jump ship or stay the course, the most important piece of advice is to find a way to be engaged and on fire again. Don’t let the beige bring you down; find an occasion and rise to it.

Have you found ways to bring joy and meaning to a bureaucratic work environment? Or are you planning your next bold move? Tell us in the comments.

Sara Harrier is a coach and communication expert who works with intelligent and highly sensitive individuals to help them harness their strengths and revolutionize the world. She has a Masters in Social Work, and one of her specialties is working hands-on with women to map out their next creative career move or entrepreneurial dreams.

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The post Take Back Your Work Productivity by Taking Charge of Your Sleep appeared first on Brazen Life.

I was one, too, until my career kicked off and I crashed and burned. Fresh out of college and with more sleep debt than common sense, I pushed through Monday-to-Friday with my mind on the weekend, promising myself two days of sleeping in and lazing around. Sound familiar?

Maybe you’re also finding that pulling all-nighters or half-nighters isn’t doable anymore. Not unless you fancy being a scattered mess at work the next day — a surefire way to impress your first boss.

I eventually learned to work yawn-free and with my eyes wide open. Here’s how you, too, can leave the night owl behind to get a leg up on the career ladder:

Disillusion yourself

The first thing to go was my belief that I felt great and was highly productive after only a few hours of sleep.

This might have been true in college when I was power napping between study sessions, but not in the real world where naps are a hot commodity and the threat exhaustion looms large.

Those of us who regularly restrict our sleep to four to six hours a night might be oblivious to our performance, rating it much higher than it actually is, according to a study published in SLEEP, a scientific journal that publishes papers about, well, sleep. With your focus, motivation and engagement suffering throughout the day, there’s no glory in depriving yourself of sleep.

Even worse, your mood can take a dive, too, and no one likes the office Grinch.

Set goals

Early on, I set an ambitious goal for when I wanted to be asleep. To get there, I gradually brought my bedtime forward in half-hour increments each week.

As it became tougher on my self-control to go to bed earlier, I shortened these windows to 15-minute increments. Finally it became a habit to be ready for sleep by 9:45 p.m. and asleep by 10:45 p.m. at the very latest.

My other goal defines my ideal sleep length. You might find this helpful if you’ve ever had the depressing realization when setting your (overly loud) alarm clock that you’re going to get inhumanely few hours of sleep. And that’s not counting the time it’ll take to fall asleep.

Sleeping about seven hours energizes me plenty and inspires morning wakefulness. In fact, my thorough enjoyment of waking early has dispersed any doubts that I should’ve stuck to being a night owl.

And the reward for meeting your goals? Less eye-rubbing in the morning and a stronger sense of control over your workload. A night of insufficient sleep feels like a huge setback and is punishment in itself.

Automate it

Forming bedtime and morning routines around my new sleep schedule helped me stick with it. Today, sleep is what follows stretching and brushing my teeth.

Having a bedtime routine has been shown to correlate with better sleep quality in children and the elderly (according to studies in SLEEP), so there’s reason to assume it might benefit the rest of us as well.

In the morning, take some time to enjoy your breakfast in peace or take a walk outside. Another scientific journal, Physiology & Behavior, linked exposure to natural light in the mornings to better sleep quality and better productivity.

What you can’t do in moderation, avoid completely

Naps, formerly my lifeline and preferred way of topping up on sleep, are now banned. Too often a power nap postponed my bedtime. Eliminating them was the only way I could ensure I’d get a solid amount of sleep at night.

The snooze button is another offender. Since I’ve set my sleep pattern straight, the compulsion to snooze is almost gone. As you may know, the only thing snoozing ever did was make it much harder to get up and out of bed in the morning.

The result

I never stay up late unless there’s something concrete to do (scrolling through my Twitter timeline doesn’t count). To prioritize sleep over work and other duties, I’ve stopped seeing it as a waste of time. Sleep tops off our mental and emotional reserves, allowing us to function at our best.

Most importantly, I wake up happier in the morning and am more confident I can handle whatever challenges the day brings me.

Changing my sleep schedule has truly turned my life around. It might change yours, too. (Click here to Tweet this post.)

Helena Pilih is a night owl turned sleep enthusiast and a contributor to Sleepio, a website run by experts dedicated to sleep improvement.

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The post What the Healthcare Debacle Can Teach Us All About Communication appeared first on Brazen Life.

It’s come to light that one of the main reasons for all the technical snafus seems to be a basic lack of communication — the sort many have experienced in offices and organizations nationwide. Software engineers recognized emerging concerns, but didn’t always feel free (or able) to honestly discuss them with the Oval Office.

A recent article on Forbes discusses the similarity between this “communication breakdown” and the situation many of us face at work:

Where have I heard this before? The short answer is—in my discussions with managers and executives from all kinds of organizations that are, to coin a phrase, conversation-challenged. By this I mean that the organizational cultures do not invite people at various levels to share ideas, concerns, and information needed to successfully complete projects. I would say most organizations fall into this trap at one point or another.

And it’s not just a failing of large bureaucracies, although that is undoubtedly a big part of the problem with the Obamacare launch. All you need is a manager or some other leader who, unintentionally or otherwise, is in the unfortunate habit of killing good conversations. These people are “terminators” rather than “continuers” of conversation.

You can read the full article here.

Regardless of where the finger-pointing takes us, the healthcare debacle serves as a cautionary tale of why employees should be encouraged to speak up when they have a good idea or notice something wrong. It’s a lesson that’s applicable to all of us, whether we’re managers, workers or freelancers afraid of raising an issue with our clients. Where communication is “terminated,” success rates also suffer.

Have you ever experienced a “communication breakdown” at work? How do you think these situations can be addressed?

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The post Delivering Bad News to the Boss? Here’s How to Look Good When You Do appeared first on Brazen Life.

Employers are looking for individuals who know how to think on their feet, can adapt quickly and can communicate effectively. Reframing a work travesty by offering up solid, well-researched solution in a timely manner will prove to your boss you’re not only a thinker, but also a doer with management potential.

So when that moment strikes and you have to break bad news to the person determining if you can to go home for the holidays, consider the following strategies:

1. Bring the whole story to the table

Rushing to squeal that the keynote speaker for your annual conference just got a DUI isn’t going to make anyone’s day any better.

Before you make a move, consider the source. Is this information coming from a credible outlet or individual? Providing disturbing yet uninformed information is problematic. Do your research (quickly!) so you can provide context to the decision-maker. Then they can make an informed choice on how to proceed.

Knowing all the details helps frame the situation, allows for the best decision-making to occur and makes you look like a mature and informed colleague rather than an opportunistic tattletale.

2. Be an objective party

Taking sides and passing blame does nothing to solve the problem. Instead, you’ll only paint yourself in a negative and self-serving manner — the complete opposite of what you want.

While this doesn’t mean you should keep secret any pertinent information you have regarding the problem, you also don’t need to wrap a particular person up in a bow and affix them to a bull’s eye.

Referencing the person at fault isn’t necessary to solving the immediate problem, and if necessary at all, should be set to the side until a solution has been found. Dodging any assertions of blame helps you to avoid looking like you’re stepping on another employee to make yourself look good. Plus, you’ll protect your working relationships with all parties involved — including the idiot who ordered 200 bottles of pineapple juice instead of Pinot Grigio for the donor banquet.

3. Present problem-solving options

You’ll accomplish nothing if all you do is break bad news empty-handed. Options are necessary. To lessen the likelihood of being on the receiving end of reactionary insults, make sure to come with alternatives in hand.

You serve little purpose if all you can do is deliver stress-inducing updates. Research both cost- and time-effective alternatives and assess expected output so you can present options to your employer.

But keep in mind that offering effective solutions requires more than just a Google search and a few thrown-together spreadsheets. No solution can be implemented without employee energy, so assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each potential solution. Take these actions to significantly reduce the time and cost of the mistake — and to simultaneously paint yourself as a proactive and strategic thinker.

 Breaking bad news is never easy, but reframing a negative situation into a positive opportunity for yourself can be beneficial both for you and your company.

The next time someone accidentally sends the salary listing for every employee in your company to every employee in your company, don’t fret. Get the whole story, be objective and come with a solution in hand.

Sarah Colomé, M.S. is an educator, advocate and the SOARS Booking Director for A Long Walk Home, Inc. Based in Chicago, Sarah has traveled both nationally and internationally as a competitive collegiate public speaker and teaches on topics related to social justice and diversity, health education, sexual violence and persuasive speaking. Follow her on Twitter @sarahcolome.

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The post Hate Your Job? 3 Steps for Convincing Yourself to Get Out of Bed and Face the Workday appeared first on Brazen Life.

We’ve all been there, dreading the moment when we have to get out of bed and go to work — and nothing seems to make it any better. It’s enough to make you go crazy and want to pull your hair out.

Who are all of those people talking about how much they love their jobs? Are they lying through their teeth, or is there something they know that can make you hate your job a little less? Here are some steps to make it easier:

1. Take stock: what do you hate the most?

It’s easy to lump all of the “Blerrgghhhhh, I hate my job” feelings into one big category of “Please don’t make me go!”

Take stock and pinpoint the problem so you can do something about it. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) What do you hate? Your boss? The work itself? Your work environment or coworkers?

What’s driving you the most crazy? Though it’s easy to say “All of it!”, that thinking won’t get your posterior out of bed. Think about each reason for a moment and see what makes your gut clench the most. That’s your first clue.

2. Zero in on the problem

OK. You’ve identified the problem, which means you’ve taken the hardest step. Identifying the enemy is half the battle, right?

Next, focus on the issue at hand and see what solutions come to mind:

If your boss is the problem…

If you’re dealing with a difficult boss, get clear on the biggest issue first. What do you need from your boss to eliminate some of your stress? Is it less management? More management? Or a complete personality overhaul?

If it’s something that can be fixed (like more or better communication), start by scheduling a meeting and asking for what you need.

If you answered “a complete personality overhaul,” consider your options. Can you make a lateral move within your company? Is there a way to shift who manages you? Can you work with a mentor to help you talk with your boss? Or is this a big enough issue it’s time to move on to the next job?

Think about your best, most realistic option, and then move toward it.

If your work is the problem…

Step one of dealing with your work is to get clear on what part of your work is causing you the most pain. Do you feel like you’re bad at your job? Are you bored by your job? Has your job changed into something you don’t love anymore, and you aren’t sure how to find your way back?

If you know your job isn’t a good fit for you, get feedback on what you could do instead. Can you delegate certain tasks and pick up others? Can you get training or mentoring? Is there a way to change to a new job or opportunity?

If you’re bored, what would make you feel more engaged? How do you need to be challenged to be happy? By learning new skills? Tackling a new project? Figure it out and find it at your company, or start looking elsewhere.

If your job has changed and you don’t like the direction it’s going in, it may be time to talk to your boss and see what your options are. Can you change roles or responsibilities to get back to what you love? Is the change irrevocable? What do you need to do to love some of your tasks again?

If your environment or coworkers are the problem…

In some ways, this is the easiest of the problems to solve. Can you switch desks or offices? Work from home or in another office? If none of these is a good fit, it may be time to look elsewhere.

3. Take action

A lot of the advice in this article ends with, “And if you don’t like it, look for something else.” Because the truth is, taking action — even if it involves looking for another job — is the best answer to ending your unhappiness.

Getting out there, seeing your options, learning your market worth and thinking about what makes you happy can open the door for opportunity and give you much-needed perspective on what you have. That might be enough to make you wake up and feel better about what you do.

You can do this!

Christie Mims is an expert career coach for smart women who aren’t willing to settle for anything less than career happiness. Want to know the six simple ways to find your passion? Find the answer by clicking here, and follow Christie on Facebook and Twitter for more career advice.

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The post 4 Strategies for Cranking Up Your Productivity appeared first on Brazen Life.

This constant busyness can actually take you off course from your high-value goals; hurt your physical, psychological and emotional system; and even damage or destroy relationships.

I’ve been studying some of the top executives, CEOs, authors and millionaires over the past couple years, and I’d like to share some things I’ve observed that might help you work at your productive best:

1. 80/20 everything

This is called Pareto’s Law. It can be summarized as follows: 80 percent of your output results from 20 percent of your input. Out of 10 tasks and activities you want to accomplish, two of them will produce more results than the other eight combined.

Sometimes when we get busy, we feel we must get more done rather than focusing on the tasks that create bigger results. Challenge yourself to really think intelligently about what 20 percent of your work you can do with absolute focus that will yield huge results.

2. Most things don’t matter

I remember Tim Ferris stating that “most things make no difference.” Being busy is a form of laziness, lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being overwhelmed is often as unproductive as doing nothing, and is far more unpleasant.

Being selective and taking more intelligent action is really the path to high productivity. Focus on the important few and ignore or delegate the rest.

3. Doing something unimportant well doesn’t make it any more important

Activities that aren’t connected to an outcome or purpose are the drain of all fortune. Understand that what you do is a lot more important than how you do it. Effectiveness is still important, but it’s useless unless applied to the right things. (Click here to Tweet this idea.)

There are a handful of things you could be focusing on that will create exceptional outcomes for your goals. It’s easy to get caught in a flood of trivial matters.

The key to not feeling rushed is remembering that lack of time actually means lack of priorities. Take time to stop and refocus your priorities as often as needed. Intelligent thinking combined with the right action will get your productivity to a level few attain. Remember what Jim Collins stated in his bestseller Good To Great: “If you have more than three priorities, you don’t have any.”

4. Obey Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will become of larger importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. I have personally found high value in deadlines. If I give you 12 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the essentials. If I give you a week to complete the same task, it will most likely be six days of validation, excuses and procrastination and one day of rushed work. If I give you a month, it usually becomes a mental monster. The result of deadlines is often higher quality due to greater focus.

Identify the few critical tasks that contribute most to your income, and schedule them with very short and clear deadlines. If you haven’t identified your critical tasks and set aggressive start and end times for their completion, the unimportant becomes important. Even if you know what’s critical, without deadlines that create focus, the minor tasks forced upon you will rise to consume time until another minuscule task jumps in to replace it, leaving you at the end of the day with nothing accomplished.

I’ve spent months jumping from one interruption to the next, feeling run by my business instead of the other way around. Don’t make the same mistake — instead, adopt these four strategies in your life and business today.

A version of this post originally appeared on the author’s blog.

Peter Voogd (of RealVipSuccess) is an entrepreneur dedicating himself to excellence in every area of life so he can better serve others. He strongly believes the more people you help to succeed, the most successful you become. His mission is to inspire 1,000,000 people through his movement and a deep understanding of what it takes to inspire, motivate and train at the highest level.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

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The post How to Network for a New Job While Still Employed appeared first on Brazen Life.

So, what’s your escape plan? How can you get out there, network and look for new opportunities without your employer finding out?

Make networking something you do not just during the bad times, but during the good times as well. When you’re known as a networker, it’s perfectly normal for your boss to see you eating lunch with strangers, going to meetings for professional groups and joining organizations that further your career. It’s also normal to see you volunteer time for causes you support. Some of the best networking takes place among like-minded people.

The more you reach out to others, the more people you’ll connect with and know. “Relationship before task” is good advice that I got while pursuing my master’s degree. It means that first you form relationships, and then you ask for favors.

Too many people wait until they’re desperate for a new job, then go out to network while coming from a very needy place. Neediness is a turn-off, and potential employers can smell it a mile away. Offer a favor before you ask for one. And always be ethical — no taking company material for a competitor in order to gain ground.

Here are three ways to get your network started:

1. Block out some time

How much time are you willing to devote to networking? Is lunchtime networking available to you, or evenings only? Are breakfast meetings an option? How many days a week?

Remember, this is a long-term plan. You may start out networking every night of the week, but it’s not sustainable over time — not without relationships or other areas of your life suffering. It can also be expensive. How much time and money are you willing to spend?

2. Choose your method

Do you prefer face-to-face networking or online networking through social media? Are you ready to go to meetings alone? How many people can you stand in a room before it makes you crazy?

I prefer to connect through social media like LinkedIn and then set up a time to meet. I also meet people initially at networking functions and reach out afterward for coffee. If you can’t do face-to-face meetings, try Skype, FaceTime, Tango or Google Hangouts. It’s important to make eye contact and read body language, which you can’t do via email.

There is a methodology to writing professional emails and choosing your appearance and background on video. Understand that each and every step you take may be remembered, and you’ll want that first impression to be a great one.

3. Find your tribe

Who do you want to connect with? Think about the kind of people you’d like to have as coworkers. Where do they hang out? Are they at industry conferences and groups, or do they do volunteer work? Are they in your master’s program? Can you reach out to someone via LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook? What about “accidental networking,” which can come from meeting someone at an unexpected place like the grocery store, gym or a hiking group?

From there, just start networking! By making it an everyday occurrence, you keep your reputation and skills sharp. It becomes a way of life. And then, when that itch creeps in, you’ve already got an active network that’s there for support and guidance. Networking is funny—it’s a web, not a straight line. Often the connections come from the oddest places.

One last thing…

Karma is a b***, and you get what you give. Always, always be professional, ethical and on the top of your game.

Whether you realize it or not, people are always watching and judging. Every interaction is a potential job interview. The best way to get that call for a great new position is to be the first person someone thinks of before they post that opening.

Now, go get ‘em!

Laurie D. Battaglia is a career and leadership coach and Co-Owner of Living the Dream Coaches, LLC in Scottsdale, AZ. She coaches high-achieving women and men who want more out of life, work and relationships. Laurie is a blogger, speaker, consultant and leader. She writes for various online blogs and has been quoted on career and workplace issues in national and international publications. Find out more about Laurie and her company here or like them on Facebook.

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The post The Key to Successful Innovation Is… Conformists? appeared first on Brazen Life.

And you’re partially right. But, according to a recent article by Ella Miron-Spektor on Harvard Business Review, you’re also partially wrong. While creative types are necessary for innovation, including conformists in your team may be necessary to make sure all those grand new ideas actually get done.

As Miron-Spektor writes:

We found that conformists, of all people, are the key to balancing the creatives. If you have the right proportion of conformists on an innovation team, they can dramatically increase its output of radical innovations – not just ideas, but workable products.

Creative people’s tendency to generate conflict and their dislike of rules may hinder team performance. Conformists, by contrast, diminish conflict, follow the rules, and contribute to their group’s confidence and cohesion.

You can read the full article here.

What’s your reaction to this article? Can you see the case for conformists?

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The post The Secret to Dealing with Criticism (and Avoiding Tears) at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Criticism takes many forms and has many purposes, most of which you can’t control. What you can control, however, is how you respond to it. Will you be cool and calm or will you, well, kind of lose it?

Keeping it together in the face of unpleasant feedback is a mark of real professionalism. So, with that as your end goal, here are a few tactics to help you avoid embarrassing meltdowns, job-endangering rage fits or even just lingering (and potentially job-ruining) disappointment:

Remove yourself from the situation

If at all possible, coolly and calmly excuse yourself from the presence of the person giving you feedback. Simply saying something like, “Thanks for your input. Will you excuse me for a moment?” should work just fine.

It can be very, very difficult to control your emotions in the face of harsh criticism — so don’t try. Just get yourself out of there as gracefully as you can.

If you’re in the middle of a meeting and can’t take a bathroom break, calm yourself down by mentally escaping and thinking about things that make you happy: your best friends, your puppy, your upcoming vacation.

Vent—but choose your ventees wisely

Many people like to talk through things that upset them. It’s a great coping mechanism… with two caveats.

First, if you can avoid it, don’t vent to coworkers. It can be hard to know where people’s allegiances lie, or even just if they’re any good at keeping things confidential.

Second, if your coworker is your best friend and your go-to person for venting, do not (repeat: do NOT) discuss it at work! The very last thing you need after getting criticized is for someone to overhear you “complaining” about it. If that gets around — or worse, gets back to the criticizer — it’s going to look pretty bad for you.

Wait until drinks after work. It’s a great excuse for a margarita, anyway.

Get more information

Once you’ve cooled down a bit, go back to talk to the person who gave you the criticism.

I know; this is the person you least want to see, but bear with me. Everyone’s communication style is different. What’s “criticism” for you, could just be “feedback” for her.

Schedule some private time with the person who gave you the criticism to ask questions about what she said. Let her know you’re just looking to best utilize her feedback, and ask things like, “Could you be more specific about _______?” or “I understood that you meant _______. Did I get that right?”

You may discover you weren’t even being “criticized” at all!

Figure out what you can learn from it

Again, wait until you’re calm for this step. But in almost all of even the most heinous pieces of criticism, there is some lesson you can apply to make yourself a better person.

Think through the criticism. Try to restate it to yourself without any anger or frustration. For example, say your boss shouted, “This report is unacceptable! My third-grade daughter could have done a better job!” (Especially cruel, but you see what I’m getting at.)

Restating that without emotion, it might become, “This report is disappointing to me. There are more mistakes in here than I think are acceptable, and it’s not as thorough as I’d like it to be.”

Figuring out what you can learn from criticism gives you action steps to improve your performance and, hopefully, help you avoid getting criticized in the future.

Figure out your optimal feedback style

OK, so you know you’re going to have to get feedback throughout your career. One of the best ways to make sure that feedback is constructive and usable is to plan ahead. How and when are you most receptive to feedback?

Some people like immediate feedback; others need time. Some like itemized issues; others prefer the big picture. The list goes on, but you get the picture: Figure out what works best for you.

Then, let your boss (or the people giving you feedback most often) know. After all, what’s the point in knowing how you best receive input if they don’t give it in that way?

Communicating this can be as simple as, “Thanks so much for the feedback; I really appreciate your input. In the future, though, I take feedback best in private/in writing/in person/etc. Would it be possible to set up our feedback sessions like this?”

Criticism can be difficult to receive, but it can also be beneficial for your professional development. Looking at it in a new light and dealing with it effectively can help you take any feedback in stride.

How do you deal with criticism? Do you have any additional techniques to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Nicki Krawczyk is a copywriter, copy coach and founder of Filthy Rich Writer, an online resource for new and aspiring copywriters. She helps people take charge of their careers, craft their own unique selling points and perspectives and market themselves or their businesses to the world. You can get access to her free Break Into Copywriting ebook here and find her on Twitter at @nickikr.

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The post Could a Messy Desk Be Your Key to Success? appeared first on Brazen Life.

Maybe not.

In a recent post on The New York Times, writer Gretchen Reynolds explores the ramifications of a study by the University of Minnesota that examined whether neat environments could produce good habits in people (and vice versa).

The surprising findings? A messy office may make you a more innovative worker than a tidy one.

As Reynolds writes:

In the first experiment, [researchers] randomly assigned a group of college-age students to spend time in adjacent office spaces, one of which was exquisitely neat, the other wildly cluttered with papers and other work-related detritus. The students spent their time filling out questionnaires unrelated to the study. After 10 minutes, they were told they could leave and were offered an apple or a chocolate bar as they exited. Those students who sat in the orderly office were twice as likely to choose the apple than those who sat amid the mess.

A second experiment, however, found that working in chaos has its advantages, too. In this one, college students were placed in a messy or a neat office and asked to dream up new uses for Ping-Pong balls. Those in messy spaces generated ideas that were significantly more creative, according to two independent judges, than those plugging away in offices where stacks of papers and other objects were neatly aligned.

…“Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition,” Dr. Vohs and her co-authors conclude in the study, “which can produce fresh insights.”

You can read the full article here.

What do you think about these conclusions? Are messy environments more conducive to out-of-the-box thinking — or do out-of-the-box thinkers just tend to have messier offices? Weigh in in the comments!

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The post 8 Distinguished Trophies Millennials Deserve to Win at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

The Millennial generation, which is 80+ million strong and larger than the Baby Boomers, has started to fill management roles at companies big and small. You could say our journey into the upper ranks isn’t going smoothly.

In a recent workplace study, older employees believe GenY managers are entitled and only concerned with ourselves.

Part of the problem: the idea that we deserve trophies for everything — even the stuff we’re expected to do all along, like work hard or not burn down a forest (seriously). We young folk, the so-called “Trophy Generation,” think even the smallest accomplishment is cause for major celebration. We figure we’re awesome. Then people call us entitled.

So when you hear your name, please come to the podium and accept this year’s “honors.” You earned them!

1. The “Arrived on Time for Three Straight Weeks” Award

Remarkable. You have greater precision than a fine Swiss watch. If you stay punctual an entire month, the company might even name a wing after you.

2. The “Worked Late to Finish a Big Project” Award

Company policy says the day ends at 5:30 p.m., but somehow, you soldiered on and didn’t leave the office until the clock struck 10:00 p.m. Forget about a trophy. You, fine sir or madam, deserve a medal of bravery.

3. The “Successfully Explained Twitter to the CEO” Award

The boss is 67. You’re 24. An outside observer might say you were the obvious choice to educate the CEO on social media. But no, what you did forever changed company culture and solidified your place as a future leader of the organization.

4. The “Effectively Dealt with an Annoying Client” Award

We all watched in amazement as you handled the thorniest client in company history. Until then, none of us had ever encountered a difficult business relationship. It had all been like a dream. What would we do without you?

5. The “Took Out the Garbage Even Though No One Asked Me” Award

The trash spewed from every can and threatened to overwhelm helpless coworkers. You calmly rolled up your sleeves, emptied each can and rid the office of vicious waste. Selflessness of the highest order. We know a trophy isn’t enough, but it will have to suffice.

6. The “Survived a Rough Yearly Review” Award

You entered the review feeling invincible and left with a dark shiner below your right eye. No matter. You slapped a frozen steak on the bruise, fought the urge to quit, made improvements and came back stronger than ever. Good on ya.

7. The “Stayed at the Same Job for More Than 2 Years” Award

Everyone figured after year two, you’d be long gone. Somehow, you found the strength to settle in and grow with your current organization. It takes a special kind of courage to be so committed.

And the most heralded trophy of all…

8. The “Lifetime Achievement by Age 27″ Award

Shut it down. Game’s over. At only 27, you became a manager with a corner office and a team of people under your dominion — some of whom are older than you. What else is there? You’ve reach the summit.

And why hasn’t someone topped off your coffee already? Interrrrn!

OK, here’s the deal…

A manager and a leader are not the same thing. Management means to oversee people; leadership means to inspire. As we assume management positions, we can’t forget what it means to lead.

Team-first over me-first. (Click here to Tweet!)You don’t need credit for a job well done. Be grateful rather than entitled. Sort of like…

The “Most Fortunate to Have Reached a Management Position” Award

Someone oughta make a trophy for that one.

This post originally appeared on News To Live By.

Danny Rubin is a PR professional in Virginia Beach. He also writes News To Live By, a blog that shows us the career advice that’s hidden in the day’s top stories. Follow him at @NewsToLiveBy.

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The post 5 Simple Ways to Get Organized at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Right from the get-go, you’ll want to explore the advice and tools available to get yourself organized. By keeping your desk, tasks and emails organized, you’ll be on the right track for performing successfully at work — without ripping your hair out. (Click to Tweet!)

1. Create a routine

On your first day of work, start an organizational system. Before you receive a significant workload, you’ll have an established routine to keep you on track. Use an app like Evernote, which you can access on your computer and mobile device, to track information, lists, tasks and more. Ask employees who do similar work what their organizational method is and any advice they can give.

If your company uses a specific software, adapt to its various uses and organizational properties. For example, construction workers who don’t use the normal office organization techniques should check out software that’s specific to their industry.

2. Actually use your email calendar

A great way to stay on top of meetings, deadlines and tasks is to use the existing calendar on your email account. Whether you choose your work email calendar or a Gmail account, it’s helpful to mark all events on the calendar. Since you’ll constantly be using your email, you’ll have easy and consistent access to this calendar.

You can also use the calendar to add alerts, particularly for recurring events. If you have a weekly meeting, set up your calendar to automatically remind you. Similarly, you can use your work calendar to invite and set up meetings with coworkers.

3. Have a central to-do list

You may prefer to write tasks down on paper or use websites designed to keep you on track, such as Basecamp. Basecamp allows you to see all of your assignments, update their status and cross them off when finished.

Organize your to-do list by creating a color-coding system to distinguish priority level or related subjects. If you keep your to-do list electronically, cross items off rather than deleting them. This way, you’ll still be able to keep track of finished assignments and feel a sense of accomplishment.

4. Don’t drop the ball on email

As your position develops, you’ll start to receive countless emails each day. Learning early how to prioritize and organize them will benefit you greatly throughout your career.

Most email providers come with tabs and filters to organize emails into categories, including the ability to “flag” emails as important. This will also help you to quickly decipher which emails hold precedence, although you should generally reply to every email as soon as possible.

Find a system that best works for you and for achieving your tasks. You may also want to invest in an email organization app. Yahoo! Voices suggests Thunderbird, an app designed to keep all of your email accounts in one place while providing organizational tools.

5. Make your workspace work for you

You’re going to spend the majority of your day in your office, your car or wherever your workspace is. Remember to keep this space clean and organized. If you primarily do work at a desk, it’s essential to your organization and sanity to keep it from getting out of control. In fact, messy desks can be dangerous.

Keeping your physical space clean and your virtual workspace organized will help you stay focused and on-task at work. The only way to stay on top of all your assignments while delivering quality work is to learn to prioritize tasks with extreme organization. Using these tips, you’ll find that organization is not the daring feat you might have once viewed it as.

Alicia Lawrence is a content coordinator for WebpageFX and blogs in her free time at MarCom Land. Her work has been published by the Association for Business Communication, Yahoo! Small Business and Spin Sucks.

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The post Do Women with Children Get Preferential Treatment at Work? appeared first on Brazen Life.

Some women say yes, citing discriminatory practices in cases of requested leave and sympathy from employers—a disparity when it comes to gaining approval for vacation or early leave due to emergencies. One woman even says there’s a “cult of motherhood” in the UK, where mothers’ out-of-office lives are perceived as more significant than childless women’s.

“There’s an unbelievable permissiveness towards mothers at work,” says Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women, an organization that seeks to support, inspire and empower childless women. “If they’re bombarding their colleagues with child-related talk all day, it’s deemed acceptable, but if women without children talk about their lives in the same way, we’re seen as self-absorbed.”

Wow. Ya don’t say.

Read more at Black Enterprise…

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The post Why You Should Structure Your Work Day on a High School Schedule appeared first on Brazen Life.

I recently connected with many new graduates to find out why they’re uncomfortable with the daily work routine. It seems that unfortunately, college spoiled us into having classes a few days a week at the times when we wanted them. Our days were built to accommodate our lives.

College wired us to approach our days very differently than what we experience in corporate America and in offices around the world each and every day. Even with the latest shifts in company culture, most of our work days are dictated by company policy, and flexibility varies.

However, we can structure our day to optimize our productivity in the same way high school did.

1. Break your day off into periods

By understanding your attention span and your bursts of productivity, you can create a set schedule to tackle your to-do list in designated time periods. The average adult has an attention span of 20 minutes. This may not seem promising for a working professional with a million things to do. However, giving yourself short-term deadlines to accomplish tasks will help keep you focused.

For example, identify five priorities for that day and assign hour blocks to them with 10-minute breaks in between. To accommodate for the tasks that might pop up throughout the day, allot a sixth period. By creating this schedule, you can focus your energy on one task at a time and get more crossed off your to-do list instead of trying to simultaneously handle multiple projects. Multitasking is actually more distracting than you realize.

2. Breakfast and lunch are non-negotiable

Whether you ate or not, breakfast and lunch were part of your day in high school. Make it a priority to take your breaks to fuel up on food as well as give yourself a mental rest. Take a walk outside, connect with your college friend who lives across the country via phone or just sit and eat somewhere that isn’t at your desk.

By stepping away and engaging in a completely different activity, you break up the monotony of the day and feel refreshed and rejuvenated when you return.

3. Become involved in extracurricular activities

No matter how much your day might have dragged on, you usually had something to look forward to after school, whether it was a sport, club, meeting or even just grabbing a bite to eat with your friends. Now, as an adult, you should look to become involved in an activity that also gives you something to look forward to. Take a class at the gym, schedule a date with a friend or significant other, join a professional organization or participate in your company’s affinity groups.  If all you have waiting for you at the end of the day are errands, you will approach your day much differently.

Recently, there have been a lot of different perspectives on having it all, leaning in and achieving work-life balance. The reality is that finding equilibrium between our job and personal life is something that we spend a majority of our careers trying to do. Working long hours has become the norm, and becoming burnt out can happen quickly if you don’t know how to adjust to the change in your schedule and lifestyle.

Remind yourself to take short breaks between tasks and carve out pieces of the day for yourself. You really can become comfortable in the daily routine while maintaining your sanity. All you have to do is find a structure and system that works for you.

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The post 3 Advantages GenY Employees Have in the Workplace appeared first on Brazen Life.

Well, it seems the world is changing rapidly. Now that young professionals are moving up the ranks in the workforce, we’re likely to see some fundamental shifts in how business gets done. (Click to Tweet!)

GenY has a few significant advantages over their predecessors:

1. Social media fluency

Social media is here to stay. And who are the biggest users of social media? Generation Y.

Although social media has been around for a number of years, many organizations have yet to make an appearance on these platforms. In today’s competitive business age, social media is a must to build an attractive brand and reach a larger market. GenY feels comfortable with social media and can help businesses grow through these platforms.

GenY grew up using social media and the Internet, so they’ll most likely be the ones who make the decisions, apply innovation and manage projects in the workplace. This is not just limited to social media, but all digital marketing. It just makes business sense.

2. New networking tactics

Networking is becoming easier, and Millenials have learned to branch beyond their business cards and get creative to reach influential people in their industry. You might reach out through a tweet, a LinkedIn message or even by writing a personal email to get the attention of the person you’re after.

Since GenY has had the advantage of growing up with this technology, they’ll most likely find online networking easier. There are also forums abundant with opportunities to network. And, of course, there’s the good old Google search. Type in a name or a topic of your interest, and away you go, straight to the “About” or “Contact” page.

It’s great to see more and more Baby Boomers and GenX networking online, but GenY employees do have a slightly better opportunity to leverage this medium to help advance their careers faster and more effectively.

3. Drive to learn and adapt

Although Baby Boomers and GenX have been working in the corporate world for much longer and have a massive amount of expertise and knowledge, GenY does have an advantage in understanding more about the way the future will look and feel.

Another advantage to GenY is they have the desire to tap into more knowledge, skills and expertise at the earlier stages of their career—and not just in the local community, but around the world. Millennials are eager to learn on the job so they can make projects successful and advance their careers.

The way business is being done is changing forever. It’s exciting. Because of rapid technology advancements, we’re at a pivotal point in the history of the world and how companies operate.

Baby Boomers and Gen X are the driving force of organizations, but GenY workers have already started to make their impact and will soon take the reigns.

Brendan Baker is the Founder and Director of Gradrecruit, a graduate careers portal that provides graduates with the opportunity to search and apply for graduate jobs, internships and vacation programs and provides the latest and most relevant career advice from leading experts around the world. Head over now and launch your career at Gradrecruit.

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The post Get Up, Stand Up: How to Fend Off Sitting Disease appeared first on Brazen Life.

But sitting in a chair all day is completely harmless, right? Wrong.

The scientific community has coined the phrase “Sitting Disease” to refer to the effect sitting has on the metabolism and just the general horrible things that come as a result of a sedentary lifestyle. “Sitting Disease” is a serious problem, and you need to try to deal with it now.

According to a survey by Ergotron, a manufacturer of digital display mounting and mobility products, just sitting at your desk could produce numerous health problems. Here are some startling findings from the survey:

• People who sit for more than 11 hours a day have a 40 percent increased risk of death in the next three years, compared with people who sit for four hours or less.
• Women who were inactive and sat for over six hours a day were 94 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who were physically active and sat less than three hours a day.
• Sitting for long periods may also affect the development of musculoskeletal disorders.

Basically, even if you’re going to the gym every day after work and running marathons on the weekend, you can still be affected by Sitting Disease. Designer and Founder of Focal Upright Furniture Martin Keen told Levo:

Primarily, Sitting Disease is twofold. One [issue is] the inactivity that it puts you in, a state of non-motion, which shuts down circulation and respiratory function to a degree. Second is the issues of what it is doing to your internal organs. Ninety-degree sitting causes Sitting Disease by folding or compressing organs that were intended to be used for the full amount of space. For example, those folds and compressions can alter the function of the pancreas and the production of insulin. Even digestion is an issue. Again, respiratory and less space for the lungs and the heart.

So, what can we do to fend off Sitting Disease as long as possible, besides quitting our jobs?

1. Look for any opportunity to walk

If you can walk or bike to work without it taking too much time, do it. If you get sweaty on the way, bring extra clothes. Also, don’t just Gchat with your coworker; walk over and ask them your question. If you can read a memo and walk, do it. Walk the extra blocks to the better Starbucks. Suggest replacing boardroom meetings with walking meetings. (You’ll feel like you’re on The West Wing!)

2. Ask your employer about a standing desk

Employers are getting more and more flexible about alternative seating for employees. Ask about a standing desk, an exercise ball or even a treadmill desk. Being more upright can do wonders for your health. Keen told Levo:

As a solution, I recommend to keep your body more upright in a leaning posture where you are able to maintain mobility and movement throughout the day. As we evolve to be upright people, you are keeping your organs more open, as intended for nature. When you sit in a 90-degree position (what causes the Sitting Disease), your hip flexors shorten, you put a lot of strain on the posterior side of your back and compress the front side of your vertebrae. Maintaining upright posture keeps you more in column with your respiratory system.

3. Stretch your legs as much as possible

Try to stretch out your legs and back at least once per hour. Your spine will thank you later.

4. Try to stand as much as possible

It sounds tiring, but it’s better for your body and is actually better for productivity as well. Sitting is associated with relaxing, but standing has a stronger link to actually working (especially before everyone got desk jobs). When you are standing, you literally feel more productive.

5. Better posture and standing will help you communicate better

Standing and upright posture will not only to fend off Sitting Disease effects; they will also make you come across better in the workplace because they are power poses. According to The Wall Street Journal, new research shows that using powerful body language can actually change a person’s hormones and behavior, just as if he or she had real power.

Dr.Carol Kinsey Goman, author of The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help—or Hurt—How You Lead, told Levo: “Remember that status and authority are non-verbally demonstrated through height and space. So stand tall, pull your shoulders back, widen your stance and hold your head high.”

Is sitting all day giving you health problems? Tell us in the comments!

Meredith Lepore is the former editor of the women’s career site The Grindstone. Before that, she was on staff at Wall Street Letter and Business Insider and was a contributing writer for LearnVest. She earned her Master’s in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University after graduating with a degree in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester. Meredith resides in New York full-time and enjoys reading, jogging, shopping and playing with her puppy, Otis.

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The post Get Up, Stand Up: How to Fend Off Sitting Disease appeared first on Brazen Life.