Imagine the task of helping the CEO of a $408 billion business stay organized. Walmart CEO Mike Duke relies on his assistant, Paula, to help him track a business that spans 8,500-plus stores and employs 2.1 million people. What organizing principles keep the office humming?
Don’t use phrases that call your integrity into question. Example: “To be perfectly honest …” That implies you haven’t been honest until now.
Question: “Our group has one person, ‘Cindy,’ who is called the team lead. This is not a supervisory position. Although she is just supposed to assist our supervisor and fill in when he’s away, Cindy constantly tells me what to do. Because our open-door policy says we can go straight to the vice president, I plan to discuss the situation with her. What do you think?” — Not a Pushover
Go through your workspace and toss out papers, supplies and any unnecessary items you’ve kept for “someday” use but haven’t used in the past year. Eliminating unused clutter allows you to find important items faster.
Virtual meetings, whether by phone or video, have become a business staple. But virtual meetings present special challenges. How to stay professional during a virtual meeting:
Take the sting out of negative feedback by speaking diplomatically. Instead of saying, “You’re wrong,” say, “Let’s make sure we’re on the right track.” You’ll avoid triggering defensiveness.
With its workaday reputation, LinkedIn is still the go-to social-media site for anyone trying to ramp up a career. Krista Canfield, a LinkedIn spokeswoman, says that to reap the social-networking benefits of the site, you need at least 35 connections. Here’s how to best use the web site:
Just 32% of employees have private offices, down from 36% in 1997, according to the 2010 survey of 414 office-space managers by the International Facility Management Association.
Just as smile on your face affects your tone of voice when talking on the phone, so does your inattention. Watch out for “surfer’s voice”: If you check e-mail or scan web pages, the person talking to you may sense your inattentiveness even if he or she doesn’t hear keys tapping.
You don’t need the word “chief” in your title to act as a leader to the troops. Show that you possess the qualities to lead a team by exhibiting these leadership traits:
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