Category Archives for Office Politics
Dealing with an Overly Demanding Boss
In a recent Forbes blog by Jacquelyn Smith, titled10 Tips For Dealing With An Overly Demanding Boss, I offered some thoughts and suggestions to help mitigate this type of bad boss behavior. I’d like to share them with you. Here are some observations I made in this very useful article: “An overly demanding boss doesn’t empathize […]
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 […]
Read MoreGain the Confidence of Your Boss
Enhance Your Career Without Alienating Your Co-Workers Being a boss’s go-to person and confidante can help your career in life changing ways. It demonstrates that you can be trusted and have leadership skills to take charge in your manager’s absence. The positive reinforcement you receive feeds on itself and enhances your productivity. Call it Pavlovian or just human nature, but we’re […]
Read MoreHelp a Self-Centered, Bad Boss Change His Tune
It’s not that bad or childish bosses— “TOTs” (Terrible Office Tyrants)—are intentionally out to sabotage your career. Many are just “me-focused.” They believe the world really does focus around them in the workplace. Unfortunately, employees who don’t stand up for themselves (diplomatically) can get trampled in their desire to please. I address the issue of […]
Read MoreIs It Better to Be Liked or Feared?
Do you find your newly promoted manager vacillating between wanting to be feared and needing to be liked? It may be that the new position requires interpersonal skills that the manager doesn’t possess. He was great at his previous job where working solo was a necessity, but how to lead a team currently eludes him. […]
Read MoreTOT-taming for Beleaguered Office Workers
TOT-taming is reaching out to more beleaguered office workers this month with articles appearing in Forbes, CBS/MoneyWatch and Media Bistro. Forbes highlighted Seven Ways to Tame an Office Tyrant — don’t let them see you sweat, listen actively, be a role model, be a problem solver, harness strengths and weaknesses, use humor and show empathy. Of […]
Read MoreThe Art Of Quitting (Or Staying)
Jenna Goudreau, who runs a diverse and informative women-oriented column on Forbes.com touches upon a very important subject in her recent article, The Dos And Don’ts Before Leaving Your Job. A study by insurance provider MetLife shows that 36% of workers are planning a fresh start in 2011. If you are one of them, there is a […]
Read MoreSurvey: Boss Behavior Causes Rampant Worrying
Workplace Expert, Author, Provides Career Tips for 2010 and Beyond SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 13 — According to a new survey released today by national workplace expert Lynn Taylor, author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT) (John Wiley & Sons), U.S. employees spend 19.2 hours a week (13 hours during the work week and […]
Read MoreHOLIDAY OFFICE TALES FOR THE BAD BOSS BLUES
In case you missed it, here is a recap of some chilly bad boss stories that should bring some levity, holiday cheer, or at least commiseration to your day – along with some coping tips: If you’ve been working for a Grinch, Ice Queen or a “Tiny TOT” boss during the past tumultuous year, there […]
Read MoreGeneration Unretired, Gen U™ Humanizes Offices
There’s been a lot of discussion in recent months about the “unretired” – seniors who are returning to the workforce for economic or personal reasons. I call this formidable group, “Gen U™” because they represent an astounding number of workers – a true generation with a different mindset from previous retired generations. Because they have […]
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