Make the Right Career Move

From Make the Right Career Move: 28 Critical Insights and Strategies to Land Your Dream Job" (Wiley) by Rachelle J. Canter, Ph.D.: "Ask bold questions during job interviews like 'Do you have any reservations about my candidacy?' That gives you the advantage of the startle effect. It takes a lot of confidence to ask a bold question, a good quality to convey to a prospective employer."
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More Things You Need to be Told

Sometimes you will forget the names of people you meet, say Honore McDonough Ervin and Lesley Carlin in their book The Etiquette Girls: More Things You Need to be Told (Berkley). When you draw a blank, do not hesitate to say the three most important words in human relations: I am sorry: “Then memorize the person’s name so you never make the same mistake again.”
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Get to interviews on time or before

Get to interviews on time or before, but never too early, says Roger Effron in Insider's Guide to Finding a Job in Education: "You do not want to be sitting in the waiting area more than 15 minutes. Waiting can increase your anxiety level. Consider congested traffic, parking options and road construction. Factor in anything that could possibly make you late. Don't be late!"
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Wages for women

Wage growth for female workers stalled in the last decade. Adjusted for inflation, wages have grown 0.7% during the 2000s as opposed to 1.2% during the 1990s, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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It’s Okay to be the Boss

As you monitor and measure performance, stay focused on outcomes, says Bruce Tulgan in It’s Okay to be the Boss (Collins). Look at the work product and keep asking questions: "Did you do what you said you were going to do? Why or why not? How did you do it? How long did each step take? Why? Press for details and ask for explanations. And don't forget to ask around. Ask customers, clients, vendors, co-workers and other managers."
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Discrimination lawsuits

William T. Dickens, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., said companies that expand rapidly are sometimes vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits linked to promotions. "And the more discretion that is given to supervisors, the more likely that things those supervisors do will be perceived as discriminatory even if the actions are not."
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The C Student’s Guide to Success

After you gain a certain amount of experience, volunteer for more challenging jobs, says Ron Bliwas in The C Student’s Guide to Success: “Even if you fail you will have demonstrated your willingness to take responsibility for a tough job, and if you succeed, you're a hero. Keep tackling tough assignments and don't be discouraged by failure. People will recognize your courage, a key trait of anyone who takes responsibility seriously."
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Be like Warren

If you want to be like Warren — billionaire Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. — then scrutinize motivations of would-be employees, says Robert Miles, author of Warren Buffett CEO (Wiley): “He has to quickly figure out if a person is more interested in the money or the business. If they love the money, Buffett isn't interested,"
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People Decisions

Most managers and executives believe that they are very good at sizing up and choosing people, says Claudio Fernandez Araoz in Great People Decisions (Wiley), despite their lack of preparation, experience and a track record replete with mistakes: "In other words, our snap judgments tend to be long on snap and short on judgment."
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Great works

Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance - Samuel Johnson
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Surprise questions

Surprise questions carry clout, says Rachelle J. Canter Ph.D. in her book Make the Right Career Move: 28 Critical Insights and Strategies to Land Your Dream Job" (Wiley): "Interviewers are generally so surprised by an unexpected question that they are apt to answer candidly. This provides you with useful information about unexpressed concerns."

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Turf Wars

Little betrayals happen to every team, says Harvey Robbins, a business psychologist and author of Turf Wars: Moving from Competition to Collaboration (NW Publishing): "Police against little betrayals. Continually check in with goals and expectations."

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The spirited horse

The spirited horse, which will try to win the race of its own accord, will run even faster if encouraged.
Ovid

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Winning the Toughest Customer

What motivates a woman to buy? asks Winning the Toughest Customer (Kaplan; 2007) by Delia Passi with A. B. Aronson Top of the list is relationship with the salesperson. "It is the point of connection that will drive the sale. Are you a good listener? Can she trust you? That is what matters to women in the sales relationship. Men are transaction-focused as customers, but for women, it's all about connection and trust."
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Homer

I'm a white male, age 18 to 49. Everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are.

Homer Simpson

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Take rest

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop.
Ovid

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Why Teams Don’t Work

Human nature goes against teamwork in many, many ways, says Michael Finley, author of Why Teams Don’t Work (Berrett-Koehler): "Smart team leaders must understand that people have private agendas and to some degree, allow those agendas to happen."
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Buddha: 9 to 5

In Buddha: 9 to 5 (Adams Media; 2007) author Nancy Spears suggests that developing virtues you want to maintain at work - such as patience, generosity and compassion - strengthens your overall performance. Avoid or overcome negative thoughts: "You now have plenty of room for thoughts that offer brighter results - an effort that may be as subtle as pausing to make kind eye contact with an employee."
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Women or their families

The new millennium has not been easy on women or their families. Between 2000 and 2006 the median income of female-headed families fell by 3 percent, a loss of $836 in 2007 dollars, to $24,394, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Family succession

Family business adviser Kevin Gersick thinks most family business challenges have to do with succession. Many companies fail because executives age and lose interest; others because the next generation has other life purposes; and still others -maybe 10 percent - implode from anger. "The real bitter cases are outnumbered by five or six times by situations where the junior generation pursues other opportunities.'
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Email

The biggest time sponge at work these days is sending and answering e-mail. Most people devote one 40-hour work week each year to creating and answering messages, according to GartnerGroup, of Stamford, Conn. One of four workers really can't tear themselves away from the PC, either. They spend more than an hour a day managing e-mail.

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Memo from Dr. Seuss

Memo to all memo writers from Dr. Seuss: So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
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Supreme confidence

Decisions made with supreme confidence can lead to serious mistakes. A decision based on 90 percent certainty ends up being far less astute by the time the decision is made and consequences are assessed, according to research from professors at the universities of Pennsylvania and Florida. Very confident had a 30 percent chance of being wrong: "People have little yes men in their heads.''



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Customer service

Brad Saltz, former CFO at a national restaurant chain, says firms that do not teach staff etiquette are losing customers daily: "It's amazing to me how many restaurants and retailers have workers who cut you off - walk right in front of you and don't exercise customer-right-of-way. That says oodles to customers about their importance. The key to customer service is in the little tiny things that employees and service folks do.''

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Don't clobber somebody who makes a mistake

Herb Greenberg, founder and chief executive of Caliper, a human resources consulting firm, offers one suggestion to most clients: "I can't tell you how many times I've said to people I coach to make 10 more mistakes this year than last year. A good leader should never be guilty of paralysis through analysis. They should tell their people to do it and if it's wrong, well, it's wrong. Don't clobber somebody who makes a mistake.”

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Understanding others

Caliper, a human resources consulting firm with headquarters in Princeton, N.J., found most careers stall because managers do not understand people well enough: what moves them, angers them, motivates them and comforts them. Six of 10 executives cited understanding others ahead of swift problem-solving as top traits of a leader. The third most important quality among managers? Willingness to take a risk.
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Pot of Gold Daily Quote

While dogs at work may boost morale, not so with cats. An Eastern Kentucky University study offered three pictures to students for insight into animals on-the-job: an office, an office with a cat and an office with a dog. "The person who owned the office with the cat was perceived as less friendly and comfortable, even more so than the office with no animal," said researcher Meredith Wells. Leave the cat at home.

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Working like a dog

A study from Eastern Kentucky University brings new luster to that phrase: working like a dog. Their survey found that a pet in the office reduced stress, made jobs more satisfying and helped reduce turnover. "It totally surprised us how positive everybody was,'' said researcher Meredith Wells. "On a scale of one to six, where six was most favorable, the median score was a six. It made the workplace more like home.''



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