Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
Winifred Gallagher is the author of New: Understanding our Need for Novelty and Change. Her book explores why we humans are so attracted to things that are new to us. I should start by saying that not all of us are. Gallagher calls people who are not open to new experiences “neophobes,” as opposed to “neophiles,” who seek out change and new experiences.
Goldman Sachs employee Greg Smith made a big splash with his March 14 resignation. He emailed his bosses at 6:40 A.M. London time, but neglected to inform them that a long op ed piece would appear in that morning’s edition of the New York Times. The 1,300 word letter described a culture of greed and contempt for clients, with employees referring to them frequently as “muppets.”
We’ve all got an inner Woody Allen, but how much you let him run the show is going to have a big effect on how well you work and play with others.
Mastery, innovation and creativity are the keys to breakthrough performance in any field. How can you apply the principles to your own career? Colvin suggests these guidelines.
Deliberate practice means that you take one skill you don’t have and work on it over and over and over and over. And then work on it some more. You work until you’re exhausted. And then some more.
You may not have the time or patience to do this kind of practice, but you may be able to get better results by applying yourself in a more deliberate way. Here are some tips for setting up a more deliberate practice, whatever you do.
It’s not all about you. Really. Sometimes, it’s not even a little about you. Yet taking things personally is one of the most frequent causes of conflict in the workplace – and in life. It’s easy to fly off the handle when someone gives you a hard time. After all, you fume, it’s not like I haven’t had a bad day / bad year / bad life myself. Who is she to snap at me when I ask a simple question? Before you give her a piece of your mind, take a deep breath and ask yourself these questions.
Monday Night Football’s game was a Green Bay Packers blowout over the Minnesota Vikings (45 – 7.) Like most of Packer Nation, I enjoyed watching the team do their jobs so expertly. It got me thinking: What if you were as good at your job as Aaron Rodgers and his teammates? You might be the defending Super Bowl champion of your profession. Here are some lessons you can take from the Green Bay Packers.
One of the most important things you can do for your career is to keep your boss in the loop. He wants to be informed of your progress and be able to report up to his boss, if need be. How can you do that without overwhelming him with details? The well-written Executive Summary is an art form that will pay big dividends if you can master it.
As it turns out, very few workers (almost none) identified physical touch as even part of how they seek or show appreciation in the workplace. As more and more human resources professionals educate companies on the hazards of sexual harassment and cultural differences in how people perceive touch, it’s not surprising that very few workers or managers think of touch to say thank you.
Choosing a gift can be complicated if you don’t know the recipient well. Your choice of gift will speak volumes about what you’ve been paying attention to over the course of the relationship (guys – I’m talking to you.) Yes, your gift choice matters, so don’t delegate the task to someone who is not familiar with the person you’re giving to. Be sure that she’s a football fan before giving tickets to the game; be sure he eats meat before gifting a steak house certificate. It’s almost always a good idea to make the gift substantial enough for two, even if the recipient isn’t married. No one likes to lunch or dine alone, and there’s no guarantee that her friends can afford to go with her.
Your Work, Your Way 