Skip to content

Year: 2013

Leave job titles at the door

The worst way to start a meeting? Ask everyone to volunteer their job titles when they introduce themselves. Titles remind others immediately of office status and can be intimidating when what you want is a real group atmosphere of equality and camaraderie.

Don’t let a break derail your career

Maybe you want to take a few months off to care for an ailing relative, to take a longer career break to raise a family or to realize your dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail now, rather than when you retire. When work becomes incompatible with the rest of your life, and you take a leave of absence from the job, don’t drop your career in the dust.

Want to make poor performance last forever? Cover for it

Q: “After asking my boss for additional help, I was thrilled when he hired a young man in his early twenties. My excitement was short-lived, because ‘Jeff’ is both inexperienced and lazy. Even though I’m the office manager, Jeff reports directly to my boss. I have all the responsibility for his work, but no authority over him. I got tired of nagging and correcting his errors, so now I’m doing most of his work myself. After other employees began complaining, I finally mentioned Jeff’s behavior to my boss. However, he didn’t believe a word I said. What do I do now?”  Sick of Jeff

Empower your executive

All administrative professionals I work with have more on their plate than ever before. If you’re going to grow the number of executives you serve, yet the number of people supporting that growth remains the same, you may reconsider and start empowering your executive.

Let ’em know they were missed

Do some staff members have an attendance problem? Welcome them back from an absence with enthusiasm. Ask how they’re doing and how they spent their time. It’ll make them a tiny bit self-conscious about it even as your interest in their life makes them feel more a part of the team, thus making work the […]