Challenging people are a fact of working life. Learning how to deal with difficult coworkers and still get things done will make a big difference in your success. And it will be key for your sanity. Tips for How to Deal with Difficult Coworkers These lessons are based on my own experience of working with … Read more
You’re in a conversation with multiple colleagues or clients. You want to speak up, get assertive, and get your perspective heard. But the conversation is being dominated by a few loud and confident voices (usually those with the highest status in the group). And there’s a lot of quick comments being exchanged from multiple people. … Read more
We all want to be liked, even managers and leaders. While making friends with as many people as possible is a great way to network, it’s not a good way to lead. Of course, a friendly and comfortable work environment is important. But resist the temptation to become friends with your subordinates. When on the … Read more
How to Gain Respect as a New Leader Gaining respect as a new leader or manager is critical to your success. You’ve got to lead people who are new to you or those you were once on a team with, and earn their respect so they’ll follow you. If you’re younger than some on your … Read more
Being Camera Shy is Quite Common With more people working from home, people are being asked to participate in video calls and video conferences over Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and other apps. While video conferencing can be great for productivity and team collaboration, many people are uncomfortable on camera and have camera shyness. … Read more
Many clients and students come to us with a common challenge: “I need to learn how to be assertive at work.” You might need to get more assertive to get your ideas heard, command more respect, or get team members to follow through on your guidance more consistently. How to Be Assertive at Work: Tips … Read more
In this video I cover 3 simple ways you can convey more assertiveness and leadership during remote meeting facilitation. Right now countless people are running meetings remotely over video conferencing like Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts or other apps. How can you project competence, keep your meeting organized and focused, and avoid unnecessary interruptions or disruptions? … Read more
Assertiveness doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us. It can often bring about an uncomfortable feeling that we’re rocking the boat or disrupting the status quo. So many of us are inclined to try to “fit in”, whether that’s within our families, with colleagues or friends. Nevertheless, assertiveness is an important skill to master … Read more
Does remote work increase productivity? Many studies say yes, and others say no. So which is it? Well, it turns out, it depends on the type of work you’re doing. Jerry Useem wrote in The Atlantic: If it’s personal productivity—how many sales you close or customer complaints you handle—then the research, on balance, suggests that … Read more
The “call to action” is a classic tactic in marketing, sales, advertising and other fields. In public speaking and presentations, we are encouraged to provide a call to action to our audience. It’s something that focuses the audience on a specific task, and helps them understand how to put your ideas and recommendations into practice. … Read more