Working with a difficult person can be distracting and draining. Next time a colleague irritates you to no end, try these three things:
Careers & Workplace
Stop Working More than 40 Hours a Week
There’s been a flurry of coverage praising Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, for leaving the office every day at 5:30 p.m. to be with her kids. Apparently she’s been doing this for years but only recently …
How to Stop a Slow-Motion Disaster: Learning to Live With Global Aging
Global aging threatens to lay waste to your retirement plan. Here’s why you need to stay healthy and write your congressman.
You Can’t Get It All Done
If you’re like most people, you’re overwhelmed with how much you have to do and frustrated by all the things you can’t finish. The reality is that there isn’t enough time to do it all. Once you admit that, you can explicitly choose what you are going to do. Instead of letting things haphazardly fall through the cracks, you can …
Even High Performers Need Feedback
Some managers assume their star employees don’t need feedback. They’re clearly doing a good job and they don’t need to improve, right? Wrong. Even your top performers need input to stay engaged, focused, and motivated. Frequently give your stars both positive and negative feedback. Tell them how much you appreciate their good work.
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End a Mentoring Relationship Before It Dies
It’s easy for a mentoring relationship to outlive its worth. You get into a groove, you enjoy the stimulating conversations, and you’re learning. But sometimes you have to move on to move up. Set goals and assess whether you have achieved them. Once you have, it might be time to find a new mentor to help you with your next set of …
Business Etiquette: 5 Rules That Matter Now
The word “etiquette” gets a bad rap. For one thing, it sounds stodgy and pretentious. And rules that are socially or morally prescribed seem intrusive to our sense of individuality and freedom.
But the concept of etiquette is …
Hold That Password: The New Reality of Evaluating Job Applicants
The news that some employers have asked for direct access to the Facebook accounts — including user names and passwords — of people applying for jobs at their firms has set off a firestorm of controversy. The reports have …
Practice Being a Leader
Leadership is not an innate trait that you’re born with. It can be learned. The key is to practice before you have the official title. Start by focusing on the choices you make now, such as who to put on your team or what vendor to use for your project. Recognize that you likely don’t know everything. Making decisions based on …
Why $50,000 May Be the (New) Happiness Tipping Point
A landmark 2010 Princeton University study showed that money really can buy happiness — up to a very specific point. The researchers (including Nobelist Daniel Kahneman) found that up to about $75,000, annual income closely …
Keep Your Cool When Getting Feedback
No one likes to hear that they aren’t performing well. Yet, everyone can improve. Next time you receive constructive feedback, do these three things:
One Online Petition’s Goal: Ending Junk Mail
As the U.S. Postal Service increasingly promotes its new direct mail program, one group is trying to stop that mail from ever reaching your mailbox.