Inter vs. intra
An admin reader recently wrote, “My goodness, will you please do a piece that tells people the difference between ‘intra’ and ‘inter’? While you’re at it, ‘effect’ vs. ‘affect’ wouldn’t hurt, either.”
Victim of lies and political warfare?
Question: “My former boss and I have become the victims of another manager’s envy and greed. My boss was a brilliant executive who grew our business to ten times its original size. But then another senior manager, “Mike” became jealous of his success. Mike openly criticized my boss and tried to insert himself into our operations. My boss firmly pushed him out. Next, Mike got one of our employees to spy on us and began telling the CEO lies about our department. We ignored this, assuming that no one would believe him. Then the worst happened. My boss was demoted, and I was transferred to another office. Mike took over our department…
What’s your communication IQ?
Do you know how to win people over by saying the right thing? Find out in this survey crafted by Laurie Puhn, Harvard lawyer, couples mediator and best-selling author, designed to gauge your communication IQ.
What gives an admin ‘wow’ factor?
Being a stellar admin requires the skills of a mind-reader. So it was a boon recently when admins heard two executives speak candidly at the 18th Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence about the administrative profession.
Handling customer complaints
Harvard Business Review suggests you follow these 3 tips to expedite the complaint process: 1) Understand the full context—The more information you have, the easier it is to determine the root of the dissatisfaction. 2) Propose a resolution—What would make the situation better for your customer? 3) Show respect—Be empathetic; reframe harsh criticism into constructive […]
Work with a complaining co-worker?
Watch out, complaining can be contagious. And grousing drives away potential allies who see you both as whiners. When you’re irritated by something, don’t feel compelled to talk about it. Ask yourself, “What’s to gain?” that should help you avoid injecting negative observations.
Just how important is this tech stuff?
How important is the Internet to younger workers’ lives? Very. For example, in a recent eye-opening study of college students and young professionals, one in three considers the Internet to be as important as air, water, food and shelter.
8 ways to restore civility at work
If you’ve ever been hung up on or interrupted, you’ve been the victim of a loss of civility in the workplace. Bring back courtesy and build a kinder workplace with tips from Tom Terez of WorkplaceNow.com:
What to do in Office right now to make next year a breeze
As business professionals, one of the goals we should have is to find new and better ways to repeat success, not re-invent it. Here’s what I’m doing today to make my life easier next year. Word This year I started writing proposals on 2 different types of work. I plan to do more next year. […]
What can I say? I’m ashamed of my career
Question: “I was recently contacted online by a close friend that I haven’t seen in 25 years. We made plans to get together, but I’m worried about seeing him. ‘Steve’ is at the top of his game as a highly successful motivational speaker. He’s been married for almost 30 years and has four kids. My life is the complete opposite. I never married, and my career ended after the 9/11 attacks. Then my mother developed a terminal illness, and my father became senile. I went bankrupt, lost my home, and am now destitute. At the age of 50, I’m working two jobs, sleeping at a friend’s house, and fending off depression. I am very ashamed of my situation. What on earth can I say when Steve asks how I’m doing?” —Downtrodden