Many kids just started school. It’s technically still summer until September 22. On Wednesday, temperatures hit around 100 degrees throughout the Northeast. But don’t worry about any of that: Retailers say now’s the time to start thinking about Santa, snowmen, and Christmas shopping.
Management Tip of the Day
Create Advocates for Your Brand
Often the most important people selling your product are not your sales and marketing teams, but your customers. Here’s how to turn them into company advocates:
- Let them interact. Connect your customers to their peers — other people like themselves who deal with similar issues. Bring them together through live events, in
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Leaders, Stop These Behaviors Now
If you want to empower, engage, or motivate others, don’t just focus on increasing your positive behaviors. Pay attention to the things you need to stop doing at the same time. Here are three to avoid:
- Judgmental body language. No one likes perceived condescension. Watch out for scowling, furrowed brows, and quizzical or sarcastic
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Write Your Business Case as a Story
If you’ve been charged with developing the case for a new project at your company, imagine you’re telling a story. The narrative starts, as all good ones do, with a problem. This is the business need you’re trying to solve. Then, identify the characters: the stakeholders who have the authority to approve or reject your business …
Show Your Strength as a Leader
Competence can be established by virtue of the position you hold, your reputation, and your actual performance. But your presence matters too. If you want people to see you as a strong leader, do the following three things:
- Feel in command. If you see yourself as an impostor, others will, too. Instead, believe in your abilities and
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How Optimism Can Hurt Your Team
For managers, optimism may seem like a great trait to have: A boss with a can-do attitude motivates others and makes them feel good. But there’s a downside too. An excessively positive outlook on a tough project may give the impression that you think the work is easy and doesn’t require any struggle. And, when you aren’t concerned …
Refuse to Participate in a Cutthroat Environment
It’s demoralizing to have a boss who pits you against your colleagues. Don’t give in to this dynamic. Instead, collaborate with coworkers to find your own ways of working together that don’t ratchet up the competition. Tell your boss how you feel about the situation, but be diplomatic and constructive. If she thinks you’re …
Impress Your Foreign Boss
If you think that it’s hard to impress your boss, try doing it in an unfamiliar culture – where the natural methods that work at home may fail you. In these circumstances you need to be more deliberate. Start by doing great work, showing loyalty to the organization, and helping your boss accomplish his or her professional goals. Of …
If You Want to Lead, Start Now
To become a leader, don’t wait for the fancy title or the corner office. Here are three things you can do now, even if someone else is calling the shots:
- Demonstrate your potential. Raise your hand for new initiatives, especially ones that might be visible to those outside your unit. Look for opportunities outside of work, too. You
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Find Your Authentic Self
No one likes to work with someone who is a fake. For people to trust that you’re being genuine, they need to know where you stand. Here are two ways to be sure you’re being true to yourself and connecting with others
Explain Why You’re Making a Career Move
Your decision to shift careers is often hard to translate to others. People may question whether it’s too risky to leave your current company or if you’re really qualified to enter a new field. But you can address the skepticism of potential employers, colleagues, and others by doing these three things
Don’t Let Your Boss’s Favoritism Get You Down
Many managers have a pet employee who appears to get special treatment—interesting assignments, invitations to social events, or even perks. As the non-pet, you may want to scream in frustration. Instead, try this:
- Stop obsessing. There’s little point to moaning that your boss has a favorite and it’s not fair. That’s not
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