Question: “I have been having problems with a female co-worker. ‘Kelly’ and I have always had a friendly relationship, but now she’s avoiding me … I’d like to talk privately and get everything out in the open, but I don’t think Kelly will allow it. What should I do?”— Just a Friend
Check out the Netiquette web site at www.netmanners.com. You’ll find business e-mail basics, Netiquette forums for discussion and a section that allows you to pose your own questions and receive personal advice.
I had a great question last week on our Outlook® webinar. Could Outlook® be used to replace a CRM function when it came to generating tasks with predefined date dependencies. For example, a real estate closing. Earnest money (or binder) is due a certain number of days from the contract date. Loan docs are due a certain number of days after the appraisal, and so on. I answered, No.
After thinking about it for awhile, I came up with a possible workaround using a combination of Excel® and Outlook®.
Question: “I am feeling completely overwhelmed by all my responsibilities. I have worked my way up from sales representative to regional manager in a rapidly growing business. My sales team consistently leads the company.However, I also have four children under the age of 10, and I want to give the best to them. I have considered stepping down from management, but then everything I’ve built will go into someone else’s hands. I will also lose a lot of money. Right now, I feel burned-out, especially because my job requires a lot of travel. I also volunteer for many church and school activities. After investing so much time in my career, should I just give everything up?” — Tired Mom
What’s the best way to get a job right now? Networking. To reap the benefits of your network, you’ll first want to make sure it’s as strongly woven as a trapeze net. Start by effectively deploying LinkedIn. Susan Colantuono, CEO of Leading Women, says she uses LinkedIn in six ways to nurture her network:
Include people on your work team who like to punch holes in other people’s ideas. These “alternate thinkers” will keep the group from reaching a point at which everyone wants so much to agree that they stop challenging others’ assumptions.
One of the most common reader questions we receive is about the serial comma—that is, the comma that comes before the “and” when you’re listing a series of things. The question is, “Should I use it or not use it?” The answer is, it’s up to you. The serial comma is used by some publications and dismissed by others, which makes it a matter of style.
Send a thank-you note to the boss after attending a seminar or special training. It shows that you appreciate the organization’s investment in your future.
Communications strategist Miri McDonald thinks unproductive meetings should be banned. And when a meeting is needed, it should be both productive and fun. She believes in thinking through every aspect of a meeting in advance—everything from the relationships between attendees to which open-ended questions will get a conversation going.
“To continue in English, press 1 … To access your account, press 2 … Press 3,4,5,6 …” Want to reach a live customer-service rep faster? Check out the “cheat sheet” at //gethuman.com/us/.