Get Your Message Across in a Difficult Conversation If you need to have a difficult conversation with someone, you’re unlikely  to come to a resolution if you don’t hear the other person out. After you’ve listened to your counterpart, you can clarify  your message by doing the following: Own your perspective. Treat your opinion like what… Continue reading Get Your Message Across in a Difficult Conversation

Make Learning Harder to Increase  Retention When information is at our fingertips, and attention spans are shorter than ever, it’s no wonder that people expect learning to be easy, too. But research shows that real learning — the kind which embeds knowledge and skills in long-term memory — is never simple. In fact, “easy in” (little… Continue reading Make Learning Harder to Increase Retention

Set a Timer When Making a Tough Decision We spend a lot of time and energy each day making choices — some minor, and some serious. But it’s possible to handle decisions of all kinds more efficiently. One strategy is to use a timer for the most difficult and unpredictable decisions. Some decisions are so complicated… Continue reading Set a Timer When Making a Tough Decision

Great Managers Do 3 Things Every Day Most new managers find that they rarely end a day having done what they planned to do. They spend most of their time solving unexpected problems and making sure work gets done. But there are three essential things that managers should be doing every day: building trust, building… Continue reading Great Managers Do 3 Things Every Day

Good Leaders Don’t Ignore Their Personal Lives Good leaders put aside their own needs for the good of the organization — but that doesn’t mean they completely sacrifice their personal lives. Leaders who ignore their need for exercise, sleep, and recreation eventually succumb to brownout: the loss of energy, focus, and passion. Brownout is often… Continue reading Don’t Ignore Your Personal Life

Decide How You’ll   React to Negative Feedback When criticism arrives unexpectedly, remembering how you should react to it is tricky.  Getting caught up   in the heat of the moment  can overwhelm our best intentions. Think through the reaction you want to have now, so that you’ll be ready when the time comes: Listen carefully to… Continue reading Decide How You’ll React to Negative Feedback

Know When to Stop Checking Your Phone and Go to Sleep By now we’ve all heard the importance of getting enough sleep. Yet many of us let our technology sabotage us getting a good night’s rest.  Research has found that anxiety, due to fear of missing out,  plays a major role in how we use… Continue reading Know When to Stop Checking Your Phone and Go to Sleep

Balance Your Personal and Professional Selves on Facebook More people use Facebook than any other social network, which means that you need a Facebook strategy for your career. This is especially true since we usually use our personal accounts when we’re on it. Here are some tips for managing your personal account in relation to… Continue reading Balance Your Personal and Professional Selves on Facebook

Be Careful with Sloppy Writing People judge you by your writing. They decide how smart, creative, and trustworthy you are — all from what you’ve written. So be sure your writing makes a good impression on the reader. Here are some common mistakes that can damage your reputation: Using lots of pairs or sets of… Continue reading Be Careful with Sloppy Writing

Get the Full Benefits of Walking Meetings Walking meetings are a growing trend, replacing a traditional sitting meeting in a coffee shop or boardroom with a little exercise. The benefits are plentiful:  Research has found that walking leads to increases in creative thinking, and anecdotal evidence suggests that walking meetings spur more productive, honest conversations.… Continue reading Get the Full Benefits of Walking Meetings