Category: Problem Solving
There are basically two types of people in the workplace—those motivated to do well by prevention and those motivated by promotion, writes Heidi Grant Halvorson, associate director of Columbia University’s Motivation Science Center. Research shows these two types of people need different strategies to succeed.
It’s easy to get emotional when a bank makes a mistake and money is at stake, but experts interviewed by personal finance reporter Daniel Bortz say you’re more likely to get your way if you take a measured approach to addressing the issue.
No matter what level you’re at, adopting these three behaviors is sure to impress your boss, Ora Shtull writes.
Air your disappointment with a product or service by writing a letter that lets you vent while making your points clearly and effectively.
Many management processes that look good on paper don’t work so well in the real world, writes Bruna Martinuzzi, author of Presenting with Credibility. Find opportunities where you can help cut the broken processes that don’t drive results and frustrate team members.
The next time you need a creative approach or solution, nix the disciplined mental focus and instead let your mind wander. In his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, Jonah Lehrer says that laser-like focus actually inhibits creative thinking.
“The issues most people struggle with have little to do with our ability to do the work,” says Quint Studer, author of The Great Employee Handbook: Making Work and Life Better. “It’s all the things that happen around the work. … It’s whether we make life easier for our co-workers or more difficult.” He offers these four workplace secrets:
In honor of this year’s Administrative Professionals Week, April 23-27, we’re taking stock of the changes in admins’ responsibilities over the past decade, based on the IAAP’s Administrative Professional Skills 2011 Benchmarking Survey:
Get someone to agree to a change by using the PAS formula, says Fred Kniggendorf of Gravyloaf. “PAS” stands for state the Problem, Analyze the problem, then finish by offering a Solution to the problem.
Administrative professionals and executive assistants often see themselves in their support roles as being “nonleaders.” Nothing, however, could be further from the truth, according to a new book, Who Took My Pen . . . Again?