Quiz: The multitasker’s dilemma
For each one of the behaviors below that you’re guilty of, give yourself a point. Oh, but don’t get happy if you start racking them up—each one is a sign you may be doing too much.
Getting control of emails with filters
Spent any time Googling how to sort your email messages in Gmail? Pretty frustrating, right? Here are several ways to find the needles in the Gmail haystack.
When they’re dragging their feet just a little
Three subtle, polite phrases to encourage co-workers to give you what they promised: “A quick check to see if we’re on track to deliver XYZ by …” “As we agreed on June 12 …” “Resending this message in case it got buried in your inbox. Please respond by …”
When is it too soon—or too late—to thwart bullying?
Question: “I’ve told myself that if my boss takes a very bullying tone to me again, I’ll speak up about it. But in the heat of the moment, I tend to weaken and not defend myself from it. Should I report his actions to someone immediately after it happens, or should I wait till I cool down so I get a better perspective and have notes? If I confront him directly, should I come back to his office sometime after it’s over and we’ve both settled down, or deal with the issue right away and risk an escalating argument? It’s not so much a question of if I try to put an end to this; it’s when.” – Anonymous Admin
11 questions you probably have about taking minutes
You feel you’ve almost got minute-taking down, but there’s still that tiny flutter of apprehension going into a meeting. See if our Q&A soothes your mind.
Stop using !!!! so much
You might not think a simple punctuation mark matters. However, if you overuse exclamation points, you can undermine your professionalism—and even make you look a little unhinged. Here are some basic rules to follow.
Don’t be the cause of bottlenecks
Communication bottlenecks can bring your team’s progress to a screeching halt. Make sure that you aren’t responsible for slowing things down because of poor communication habits. Follow these tips.
Get serious with meeting stragglers
OK, this might seem a little harsh, but if your meetings suffer from perpetual late stragglers, here is solution to try: Close and lock—yes, lock!—the door to the meeting room at the precise start time. That will send a silent, not-so-subtle message to latecomers. Once a tardy attendee has to make an embarrassing public entrance […]
Do these new manager blues feel familiar?
Q: “My boyfriend, ‘Doug,’ was recently promoted, but he’s having a lot of problems. He is now supervising his former boss, who is unhappy about being demoted. On top of that, the assistant manager applied for the job and resents the fact that Doug was selected. Their negative attitudes have spread to other employees, who are becoming insubordinate. Doug is expected to clean up this department, which is a complete mess. However, he has no management experience, and these toxic people seem to feel they can run all over him. He is feeling really stressed out. Do you have any advice?”
Can a 60-year-old bridge the generation gap?
Q. I just entered my sixties, and I really feel a distance building between myself and the younger generations. Should I feel ridiculous about wanting to look and act younger, just so I feel like I’m more relevant to the staff around me?