Use the rear-view mirror
Professionals who have the habit of looking back are able to plan activities as much as 9.2 years into the future, compared with 5.1 years for professionals who only look forward.
Year: 2011
Never hand off work without a checklist
It’s not enough to do your work correctly and efficiently; you must also be sure that other members of the team or project-based work group can be trusted to finish what you started. Try using or adapting this “handoff checklist” to your work. Ask these questions of the person taking accountability for the completion of the work:
Overcome with work?
The cause may be lack of confidence in others, which causes you to take on everything yourself instead of asking for help. Remedy: Give clear instructions, be ready to coach and get regular progress reports.
How to keep focus forward, not backward, in job interview
Question: “I am sick of the job I’ve had for the past seven years. I’m planning to apply to other companies, but I’m not sure how to answer the question ‘Why do you want to leave your current position?’ I can’t say, ‘Because I hate my job.’ So how do I get around that?” —Puzzled Job Seeker
Etiquette rules for the modern age
Having good manners today is less about using the right fork, and more about showing consideration toward others. Why? Most people won’t notice if you use the wrong fork. But they will notice if you show disrespect toward their time or talent. Ways to show respect for others:
Leaders know 3 things
First, what they should do next. Second, why that activity is important. And third, how to use resources to get it done.
Add oomph to PowerPoint presentations
Innovative software is helping to make dull PowerPoint presentations a thing of the past. Here are three tools to keep handy when you’re creating slides:
Plan a speech that’s short and sweet
First, express the main point in a sentence or two. Second, find ideas or anecdotes that support the main point. Third, eliminate some points, since you probably have too many. Finally, create a good wrap-up, such as a solution.
Conditional formatting: Highlighting the whole row
I get asked this one a lot! How do I highlight an entire row when a particular cell contains a certain value? For example, if the total sales for the year are under $2,000, highlight the row in red. The secret is to use a formula to determine which cells to format. In fact, that […]
Before the next teardrop falls
It’s a horrible feeling—the sting of hot tears welling up. Here are five ways to rein in runaway emotions before you cry at work: