“My boss is driving me crazy. What can I do about it?” … “My co-worker got a promotion, even though I do a better job.” The starting point for almost any question about your career, says career columnist Penelope Trunk, is: Know yourself better.
Fear can paralyze even the most successful people. To make it through the recession, though, businesses need people who can be fearless. Gayle Lantz, author of Take the Bull by the Horns, says that to move back into “thrive” mode, “You’ve got to figure out how to aggressively move forward.”
There’s a silver lining among all the dark clouds of this recession, says John Challenger, chief executive of the employment-consulting firm Challenger and Gray, and it’s this: Layoffs can be good news, in a strange way.
Recently, workplace expert Tory Johnson was interviewed about how women can succeed in a challenging job market. She talked about what she believes is the biggest challenge for female managers, but the advice could easily apply to anyone. Here’s what she said:
More pink slips are on the horizon … While you can’t control the job market, you can control the impact you make at work every day. “It’s important for your own survival to do what you can, as opposed to backing into a corner and waiting for the ax to fall,” says Deb Bright, a longtime executive coach, of Bright Enterprises.
When you’re ready to put a big idea on the table, you’ll need to be a defender, a supporter and a champion of the idea. Classic example: Spence Silver’s glue that wasn’t so good at sticking. He championed his pet project, and Post-it notes became an office mainstay.
Your boss is relocating, and he wants you to go with him. Should you relocate? Or find another job? Ask yourself these questions to find an answer:
Rather than wait for your company to foot the bill for a class or conference, turn to online sources, such as
eHow.com and
good-tutorials.com, or the instruction manuals shelved in your IT department.
You might prefer a sharp stick in the eye over an afternoon of networking, but in tough times, you can’t afford not to cultivate a robust network. The larger your circle, the better off you’ll be. Here are a few tips from the pros.
You return from a conference brimming with new knowledge. But when it comes to applying what you’ve learned, you fall flat. Why is it easier to learn new things than to apply them? Anxiety and old habits get in the way, says Dr. Harry Martin. The solution: Put more focus on what happens after training.
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