According to a recent poll, Americans are unsatisfied with their work and their lives. People of all ages, and across income levels, are unhappy with their supervisors and not engaged with what they do. What, if anything, can you do about this dismal state of affairs?
Question: “I have a new co-worker who frequently scowls, sighs disapprovingly, and mutters inappropriate remarks under her breath. I try to avoid her because she makes me uncomfortable. Last week, she exhibited the same behavior during a meeting at a client’s office. I was embarrassed by the way she represented our company. When I reported her conduct to our manager, he said that I should “learn to work with different types of people.” His reaction surprised me, because I am a very open-minded person. I thought that my boss would appreciate this information, but he seems to feel that I’m an insensitive tattletale. Was I wrong to report her behavior?” — Mortified Co-worker
Your desk isn’t the only thing that needs occasional decluttering. Our lives could use some decluttering, too, says Gail Blanke, author of Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life. Blanke calls the extra physical and emotional debris “life plaque.”
Make your email more readable by crafting enticing subject lines … Why wait for an annual review to get feedback? Ask for one-minute feedback at every opportunity … Knock out more of your critical to-dos by whittling down your to-do list each day … Go ahead: Ask for a $100,000 salary …
If you have the gift of gab, it can limit your opportunities to move ahead. Communications pro Barbara Pachter offers these tips to rein in loquaciousness:
Aiming high and going after a big goal, like the ant who aimed to move a rubber tree plant (in the pop song “High Hopes”), actually makes you happier, new research shows.