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Year: 2012

4 tips to improve your listening skills

You’re on your way to a meeting or you’re in the middle of a project that requires your focus, when someone tells you something im­­portant. “Got it!” you say. Later, though, you realize you weren’t fully tuned in. Consider what sort of listener you are, and then heed these tips:

No more procrastinating

Tempted to put off unpleasant work? Instead, pounce on the assignment immediately, the minute you realize you don’t want to do it. By acting quickly, you prevent yourself from activating those stalling tactics that ultimately prolong the delay and exacerbate your dread.

How to ask for feedback

You crave it. And you probably don’t get enough of it. Here’s how to ask for feedback on your performance: Schedule it. Explain what you want. Don’t fish for compliments. Ask for specifics. Stop being defensive …

To ‘cc’ or not to ‘cc’ criticism?

Question: “Recently I received an email from a manager reprimanding me for some work I’d done that was ‘not the best use of your time.’ He pointed to other projects that would be ‘a better use’ of my time. What upset me was that he also cc’d my direct supervisor. It was demoralizing. What happened to approaching someone directly with criticism? Now I don’t trust this manager. Has this happened to anyone else?” —Deflated by a cc

Surround yourself with geniuses

When Gina Amaro Rudan quit her job to start her own business, she realized that she needed other risk-takers in her life. So she made a “genius wish list” of 25 people whose stories intrigued her. Then she asked each of them for a conversation. Each successful conversation built her confidence.

When a co-worker has a drug problem

Question: “One of my co-workers always has bruises on her arms. She says that these are from insulin injections, but I have long suspected she has a drug problem. Recently, she stopped driving her car to work. She told me she received a DUI, but the public record says she was arrested for possession of narcotics…”