Category Archives for office diplomacy
Overcoming the Biggest Workplace Challenge
Managing Up With Bad Bosses, Tough Coworker and Clients is a Win-Win Working with challenging behavior, be it bad bosses, challenging coworkers or clients, takes a lot of diplomacy; the ability to see the backstory before reacting; and setting boundaries when necessary. Managing up techniques can result in a much better work life, for everyone. […]
Read MoreAre You a Good Boss or a Bad Boss?
The Test That Really Matters “Boss” is a word that has so many negative connotations, people sometimes forget “good bosses” even exist. No-one is going to make a movie called “Wonderful Bosses” anytime soon, or remake “The Office” with Tom Hanks as a team leader that’s just so darn loveable. Anybody who has dealt with […]
Read MoreHandle A Bad Boss Like a Pro
(Even If He Hates You) You’ve heard the phrase, “When the going get’s tough, the tough get going.” Well that applies to managing up with a tough boss. Don’t just sit there. This is your opportunity to take the high road and role model good behavior (assuming, of course that your boss’s behavior is tolerable […]
Read MoreThe Money Talk
The interviews went well; you like the company; the company likes you. Now there comes a point in the application process where the company is going to tell you how much they actually like you – through the numbers of your proposed salary. If that is more or less what you feel you are worth, […]
Read MoreHow Do You Cope with Annoying Co-Workers?
There is an important corollary to the phrase “It takes all kinds to make a world”: some of those “kinds” are not always easy to be around. If the micro-world of your workplace includes someone annoying, there’s no picking and choosing; you’ve got to stick it out. (Not that we are all perfect.) But there […]
Read MoreCan You Manage Up With a Bad Boss?
“Take a sad song and make it better” Bad bosses are ubiquitous. It seems the only comfort you can have while working for one is that you’re not alone. But don’t despair. There are few truly incorrigible office tyrants—most bad bosses behave badly episodically. And you (yes, you!) can help your boss improve. The […]
Read MoreHave You Seen The Horrible Bosses Sequel?
(I Hope It Doesn’t Remind You Of Someone You Know) Horrible Bosses Two is in theaters, and whether you’ve seen the movie or not, it’s a good reminder to check whether those two words also sum up your current work situation. Bosses with exalted, entitled views of their authority may act out not unlike ‘terrible twos’ toddlers. […]
Read MoreBad Boss Readiness
Prevention Is The Best Cure In the realm of the omniscient Google, “good boss” returns way more results than “bad boss”. Yet, when I talk to people about their work, it’s usually the other way around. Even when giving their boss an overall OK, people still tend to bring up some feature they find annoying […]
Read MoreHow to Manage Tyrant Bosses & Remain Productive
Tyrannical bosses can have any one or several of the bad boss traits you’ve probably witnessed at some point. There are two traits, however, I hear the most about in the workplace – bullying and overly demanding. Fortunately, there are ways to manage up with a difficult boss. As I describe in the Forbes article […]
Read MoreLet Your Inner Child Play
Make Sure, Though, That It “Plays Nice” Recently, to mark Take Your Kids To Work Day Huffington Post held a webcast titled An Office Full Of Kids where executives, bloggers, and experts, including yours truly, discussed the significance of this day for both children and parents. My key point there was that adults can also […]
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