Create Smarter Return Policies New research  shows that offering a lenient  return  policy can increase the number of items  purchased more than it increases the number of items returned. But in the real world, most companies impose  restrictions to try to prevent too many returns. This is understandable, but companies should take a more balanced … Continue reading Create Smarter Return Policies

Two Ways to Leave Work Stress Behind After a long day, it can be a struggle to leave work behind you. Too often, we take out  job-related stress on our friends, children, or partners.  Here are two ways to make sure your work troubles   stay at the office: Have an end-of-work   habit.   Signal to your… Continue reading Two Ways to Leave Work Stress Behind

Help Your Team Shake a Bad Mood Morning traffic, spilled coffee, running late — it’s not uncommon for people to arrive to work harried and annoyed. But if your team members start the day in a bad mood, they’re likely to stay that way, which can affect their performance. Luckily it’s possible to help people… Continue reading Help Your Team Shake a Bad Mood

Make the Most of a Short-Term Assignment Short-term assignments, transfers, or rotation programs can have big advantages:  You’re exposed to new geographies, functions, cultures, and people. But these temporary positions often  come with little or no training, so it’s your responsibility to get up to speed fast. Here are three ways to make sure you’re… Continue reading Make the Most of a Short-Term Assignment

Good Listeners Ask Good Questions Some people equate good listening with sitting silently, nodding, making eye contact, and, when the speaker is done, paraphrasing what you heard. But these things are only part of what makes someone feel that you heard them. The best listeners go deeper by trying to understand the substance of what… Continue reading Good Listeners Ask Good Questions

When You’re Annoyed by a Colleague, Take a Look in the Mirror Sometimes you work with someone you just don’t like. Maybe your colleague rubs you the wrong way, disagrees with you constantly, or is arrogant and entitled. Before you start pointing fingers,  take a look in the mirror. Think about how you might be… Continue reading When You’re Annoyed by a Colleague, Take a Look in the Mirror

Simple Ways to Be More Considerate to Your Colleagues No one wants to be told they’re a selfish  jerk at work — and being thought as one could hold you back in your career. But if you are inconsiderate,  chances are it’s not because you’re mean; it may be because you’re not paying attention or… Continue reading Simple Ways to Be More Considerate to Your Colleagues

Give Women the Space to Contribute in Meetings In the ideal meeting, all attendees participate, contributing diverse points of view and ideas. But few meetings live up to that. Multiple studies have shown that women are interrupted in meetings far more often, and their ideas are taken less seriously. To make sure you’re getting the… Continue reading Give Women the Space to Contribute in Meetings

To Build Resilience, Write Down What You’re Grateful For When it comes to  building your emotional resilience,  nothing does more good than maintaining a positive outlook and regularly expressing gratitude. These two actions have been shown to decrease  anxiety, reduce symptoms of illness, and improve the quality of your sleep. But it’s not enough to… Continue reading To Build Resilience, Write Down What You’re Grateful For

Get Over Your Resistance to Having Difficult Conversations You can’t be an effective leader if you’re unwilling to have tough conversations from time to time. Whether you’re giving critical feedback to an underperformer or explaining why the team has been restructured, don’t avoid uncomfortable situations. It’s better to address them head-on.  Here’s how: Shift your mindset. Don’t… Continue reading Get Over Your Resistance to Having Difficult Conversations