Protect your back
Before trying to lift a heavy item, grasp one edge and slowly try to tilt it. If it’s tough to move, it’s too heavy to lift by yourself. Get a dolly or seek help from a co-worker.
Year: 2010
1-Minute Strategies: July ’10
Interviewing for a job? Ask whether this is a new position or whether you are replacing someone … Avoid misunderstandings by asking others to repeat what they heard … Trade in old electronics for cash or discounts … Humanize interoffice communication by relaxing some of the grammar rules you grew up with …
Call an intermission
When you need a few minutes to fix a technical glitch during a presentation, ask the meeting leader to call a brief “intermission.” That allows you to straighten out the problem without being in the spotlight.
Got an idea? Make it happen
“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration,” Thomas Edison once said. Making ideas happen is usually more difficult and time-consuming than announcing it in the first place. Jack Dorsey, creator and co-founder of Twitter, offers these tips for making ideas happen:
Forestall interruptions
At the end of each conversation, ask if you can do anything more for the person, whether it’s your boss or a customer. That simple question may prompt the other person to remember something then, rather than interrupting you later.
Pair yourself with a rookie
Listen to novices, as their fresh eyes can provide insights that you are unable to see. Young staffers or those who have recently joined your business may see things that are odd, wrong or could be done differently.
Cure post-vacation blues
Feel more rejuvenated after a summer vacation by coming home on Saturday, so you can spend some time Sunday catching up on e-mail and voice messages. Monday morning will be lot less hectic.
Declutter and simplify your writing
If there’s one technique that can instantly improve your business writing, it’s this: Trim and simplify. When writing in a hurry, it’s easy to include unnecessary words or cram too much into a single sentence. Result: Business writing easily becomes cluttered or “grandiose” sounding. Trimming can eliminate redundancies, while simplifying can make sentences easier to understand.
Give full attention
Stay in tune with your staff by refusing to multitask when someone pops into your office. Put your work down, look the person in the eye and focus on what he or she has to say.
Telling the boss his decision is bad for business
Question: “Salespeople in our company receive no salary and are paid totally on commission. The owner has just announced that he is slashing our commission rate. Because he wants to focus on getting new business, he also will be paying us almost nothing for serving established customers. This gives us no incentive to service our existing accounts. The owner says this is necessary because the company is losing money. However, he hasn’t reduced expenses or cut the pay of any other employees, including himself. We have lost all respect for this man, and our morale is in the gutter. He can obviously do whatever he wants, but why would he do this?” — Discouraged Salesman