photo credit: the_progressive

Over at WebWorkerDaily, there’s a great article called Teach an Old Dog New Tricks: How to Break Bad Work Habits. Karen Leland admits that impatience is her bad habit, and it affects her work:

In terms of how it’s affected my productivity at work, I’m embarrassed to say that my impatience has led to countless instances of emails sent in a hurry, which only needed to be retracted or clarified latter; decisions made on quick assumptions — that turned out to be wrong — and occasional crankiness with those around me who are not moving fast enough.

She goes on to list steps to break bad habits, including naming the habit and setting up alternate actions to get around the habitual behavior.

How have you overcome bad habits at work?

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Gossip. Some of us take part more than others, but we all contribute a little from time to time.

In the workplace, gossip can get really mean. A former coworker was recently telling me about attempts to undermine her that came from others in the office who saw that she was away from her desk while her boss was out of town. (The truth was that she’d had a doctor appointment, and had emailed her boss about it in advance.)

But it doesn’t stop there. Office gossip can trump up single instances of a behavior into a gossip-worthy pattern: maybe someone who’s having a tough morning is observed stepping out for a 5-minute fresh air break and suddenly that person is suspected of having a pattern of idling. Or maybe someone is observed taking the last cup of coffee without starting a new pot because he or she is in a hurry to a meeting, and suddenly that person is the culprit whenever the pot is empty.

Whatever the behavior, gossip has a way of turning trivial events into something sinister in the retelling over time. There is also, according to an article in this morning’s New York Times, a tendency for gossip to grow due to the pressure to contribute to it:

The earlier studies found that once someone made a negative comment about a person who wasn’t there, the conversation would get meaner unless someone immediately defended the target. Otherwise, among both adults and teenagers, the insults would keep coming because there was so much social pressure to agree with the others.

You know what our suggestion is: be the one to shut it down. We’ve talked before about how important it is to empathize with others around you; great accomplishments are rarely made without true collaboration, and for true collaboration, you need at least reasonable compassion and empathy for those you’re working with. But nothing breaks down trust and creates barriers to collaboration like gossip. Shut it down. Move on. Foster a culture of empathy and understanding. If something needs to be communicated to someone, talk to the person directly or communicate with his or her manager if need be. But no good will come from spreading gossip around the office.

Besides, you’ll only be making it more likely that one day, office gossip will be spreading about you.

photo credit: Niffty..

Over at Forbes.com, there’s an article about how to have a successful office romance. via How To Have A Successful Office Romance – Forbes.com. It’s relevant because:

According to a 2009 survey by the job search Web site CareerBuilder.com, four out of 10 workers say they’ve dated a colleague at some point in their careers. Three in 10 say they married the person they dated at work.

Some of the wisdom this article imparts is:

Don’t date underlings.

“You might as well put a sign on your forehead that says, ‘Kick me here.’” McKenna acts mainly as a defense lawyer.

Negotiate in advance

If a supervisor and an underling just can’t resist each other, McKenna recommends that they sign what she calls a “cupid contract.” They should spell out in writing the fact that both are engaging in a consensual relationship. If the company has a sexual harassment policy, they should make it clear they understand the rules.

Know that the stakes are high

One more piece of advice: Consider how you would feel if you lost your job. Everyone who has experienced heartbreak knows that proximity to an ex can be unbearable. All too often, say experts, failed office romances result in one person leaving the job–willfully or not.

While this is a fairly comprehensive run-down of being in a relationship with someone at work, it overlooks some of the nuances around getting into and out of that relationship.

What about everything leading up to and following the office romance? How do you approach someone at work you find attractive? Anything flirtatious runs the risk of at least being viewed as sexual harassment, even if the approach is handled carefully and with respect. How do you manage it without crossing a line?

And then how and when do you decide to tell coworkers you’re dating a fellow coworker? Is it wise to keep it a secret? Is it even really possible?

And of course, how do you deal with the fallout of a breakup? Have you ever had to work alongside someone you used to date? How did it go?

Been there? Give us your wisdom in the comments.

photo credit: MikeSchinkel

So much attention is paid in the business world to starting things. We value entrepreneurs as celebrities. We praise people who are innovative and think up the next big idea.

But rarely do we congratulate someone on finishing something. We hardly ever pat someone on the back when they prudently decide it’s time to move on, that the business model no longer works or that they need to break up with a client.

Maybe it’s because usually, things end badly. Most of the time, when we end any relationship (business or personal), we’re not sure quite how to do it, so things go awry, people get angry, and we hastily halt everything in order to move on quickly.

It’s like all of our professional relationships can be summed up in Berger’s post-it note to Carrie.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be transitioning out of the world of entrepreneurship, consulting and freelancing, at least on a full-time basis. I’ll be transitioning into a world of offices, 9-to-5 schedules, and corporate hierarchy. It’s a big transition in and of itself, but it’s also one that’s been full of small details that are equally important.

There are client projects that I must finish in a timely and efficient manner. There are duties that need to be described and handed over. There are roles and responsibilities that must be abdicated and then passed on. As excited as I am about what’s next, I’ve still got to make sure everything is still taken care of.

When I was graduating high school, a mentor told me to make sure I finished well. That advice has stayed with me, and every time I end something, those words ring true. No matter what we’re ending, we’ve got to do it well.

How do you end things? Do you rush through them in order to move on, or do you double-check to make sure everything is happening in a timely and professional manner?

photo credit: Giuseppe Bognanni

If you’re a manager, chances are you think your job is harder than that of your reports’. Perhaps it’s uncomfortable to admit, but it’s probably at least an occasional fleeting thought. And if you’re a ground-level player, chances are you think your job is harder than your manager’s job.

And how about those slackers in that other department? They always seem to be goofing off every time you go by for coffee.

You know where I’m going with this, I’m sure. Sometimes it’s easier to be hard on others than it is to empathize. But truly great accomplishments are rare when there isn’t a healthy spirit of collaboration and teamwork.

Yes, I know: teamwork. It’s a concept so overused by motivational posters and earnest HR professionals, I’m cringing even as I type it.

But like most cliches, it has roots in some grounded truth. Great things happen when we start looking at issues the way our colleagues see them, the way our customers and clients see them, the way our bosses see them. It takes looking beyond your day-to-day frustrations, and seeing new possibilities for progress.

Maybe this week is as good a week as any to try looking over the wall at what those around you are experiencing. There’s a chance you’ll be just the right person to solve someone else’s problem for them. And there’s even a chance that’ll solve problems of your own.

photo credit: Iain Farrell

There it was. Rather, there they were. Usually every day.

I’m talking about meeting requests. They don’t flood my inbox, but they’re there. And they don’t go away unless I do something about them.

The trouble with meeting requests is that you can rarely gauge how much trouble they’re worth. You could say no to just the right contact who could have landed you on Oprah (if you know how to do this, I’d like to meet with you, actually). Or, you could say yes to meeting with someone who just wanted to sell you pet insurance. How can one navigate the muddy meeting waters?

Monica O’Brien, who writes at Twentyset, says this:

I get messages almost daily from people who read my blog and want to meet with me by phone or in-person. As a rule, though, I won’t meet with anyone unless they have interacted with me several times, or they give me a good reason (not just “let’s chat”). I realize this may make me seem snobby or elite, which isn’t my intention.

My intention is to avoid time sucks. I would love to be everyone’s friend, but it isn’t a reality for me at this time. I have work, school, a house, and a family that all need my attention too.

Go read the rest of her article. It’s really about finding the right mentor – and not just about scheduling meetings. But, she does bring to light pertinent realities when it comes to making sure you take the right meetings and ditch the bad ones.

Whether you’re meeting someone new or deciding if it’s worth running over to the other department to meet with someone, how do you decide which meetings to take? We’d love to hear how you avoid time sucks and really capitalize on face-to-face encounters.

photo credit: Mountain/Ash

They may not talk about it much, but deep down, every entrepreneur, freelancer and consultant confronts it at some point: loneliness.

When you’re out on the road speaking, or writing code from the confines of your home office, or slaving away with earphones in at the coffee shop, you can’t deny the fact that you’re isolated. You’re making it on your own, and as great as that is, part of you kind of craves human interaction other than the kind that comes from communicating with a client or speaking to a room full of accountants.

Corporate America with its miles of cube farms isn’t necessarily the antidote to this disease. You can feel just as isolated in a room full of 250 peers with similar name badges as you do by yourself on your sofa. So it’s not just that you want people around, it’s that you want the right kind of people around.

You want friendly water cooler banter. You want the practical joke or the staff birthday to celebrate. You want the brainstorming session, the creativity maelstrom or the high-level meeting where the real decisions get made.

Is there a way to take the good without the bad? Or are you just left with the facts of the corporate or the entrepreneurial life when it comes to finding community during your day job?

One concept that has taken root in many cities is that of coworking, where entrepreneurs and visionaries find refuge, solace and community under one roof. But is it a perfect solution? Or should someone who wants regular interaction and even friendship start applying for jobs at larger companies?

Tell us: what’s been your experience with coworking? Anyone out there been a part of one? Or, how do you make friends and influence people as an entrepreneur? Or as someone who’s part of a larger company?

photo credit: alexik

Do you have friends at work? Studies show that people are generally much happier in their jobs when they have friends at their workplace.

This week, it might be worthwhile to try to strengthen your relationships at work: have a laugh with a friend at work, and plant the seeds of friendship with a casual coworker.

Penelope Trunk wrote an excellent blog post about having friends at work a few summers ago with a list of steps to go through to make it happen. One of my favorites in the list is this:

Find coworkers with shared vision and values.

This situation is probably most common at a nonprofit like Project: Think Different: “Everyone is linked together based on a passion for what we’re doing,” says, Raipal. “We all have a strong desire to change messages in pop culture.”

CareerBuilder on CNN.com has a great breakdown of “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of friendships at work, and it includes this should-be-obvious note:

Don’t, however mistake these initiatives as an open invitation to socialize all day. Keep your friendships in check and remember… you are at work to work!

(Socialize a bit, of course, but turning the average workday into an excuse for an office party is simply not sustainable — silly picture I chose for this post notwithstanding.)

Perhaps you’re even luckier than most, and you not only have a friend at work, you have a best friend at work. USAToday.com has an article on the advantages for business when coworkers are best friends.

Best friendships are good for business. Companies are coming to discover that, yet are at a loss at what to do about it. Group-hug Tuesdays? That idea sends chills down managers’ spines.

As well it should. No one wants to be required to befriend coworkers. Yet there certainly are management tactics that can promote the environment needed for coworkers to find like-minded peers and become friends. From the same article:

Brian Le Gette, CEO of Baltimore company 180s, is a believer in workplace friendships. The maker of sunglasses, ear warmers and gloves has a young, active workforce, and the company sponsors employees in Frisbee golf tournaments and a charitable rowing competition called dragon boat races that had 22 co-workers practicing for long hours after work.

Is all of this old hat for you? Are you a natural at making friends in the workplace? Leave us a note in the comments and let us know your tips for establishing workplace friendships.

photo credit: quinn.anya

As I mentioned on Mother’s Day, I grew up in a household where both parents were business people. (My mother, as I said in that post, spent years as a chamber of commerce executive and is now an elected official in my hometown.) My father spent 30-some years in industrial sales and sales management, and he worked out of our house when he wasn’t on the road, so I saw him in work mode a great deal of the time.

Both my parents were role models for me in many ways to become the Corporate Idealist I am today. Below are a few lessons I learned from my father, and which I hope are similar to lessons other people have learned from their own fathers about business.

Act sensibly, but be passionate about what you do.

My father was a likable, friendly guy but he had a short fuse and I sometimes heard him getting angry on the phone with suppliers, colleagues, and probably even customers. I know that what set him off the most was when people didn’t match his expectations of quality and service.

While I don’t think yelling at people on the phone is necessarily the best way to conduct ourselves in business, it shows passion. If you’re passionate about what you do, the challenge is to use your zeal to fuel others’ enthusiasm, and to spark your own creativity and innovation. Even slightly hot-headed dads would probably agree.

Don’t start fights, but stand up for yourself if you’re bullied.

This lesson comes not so much from the workplace as from the playground, but it applies everywhere. Unfortunately, even in the most mundane office environments, there are often still playground bullies. Sometimes they’re the CEO; sometimes they’re just at the next desk. Fortunately, Cy Wakeman recently posted an entry over at Fast Company about dealing with office bullies.

Invent and innovate.

My dad and I were on the front porch swing one time, and he started talking about inventions, and how much money there was in inventing something, and how I should try to think of something I could invent. I remember describing a concept I had for a typewriter that would type down onto paper underneath of it so it could work on odd size pages and bound paper. I don’t think he was very impressed, and I chuckle when I think of it.

Still, while I have not invented something in a classic sense, I have certainly tried to apply a philosophy of innovation to my work and other areas of my life.

In the end, your relationships matter.

When my dad was dying from cancer in 2005, he asked me to help him write some letters to some of his friends. He had a very difficult time finding a way to express what he wanted to say, so we came up with something that said “thank you for everything – your support, your kindness, your prayers, and most of all, your love.” Several of his friends approached me at his funeral to tell me how much they cherished that letter. Many of us may not suffer long enough to get the bittersweet chance to write those kinds of letters, so it’s important to express our love and gratitude to each other as often as we can.

The corollary to that lesson is that life is too short to spend your time with people you don’t care about, or who don’t share your values.

How about you? What did you learn from your father about business, or about life in general? Leave your lessons and stories in the comments.

And Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and children of fathers!

“The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity” – Tom Peters

In our quest to be ever more productive, sometimes it’s easy to overlook maintaining our relationships. I know I sometimes need reminders to get up, walk away from the computer, and go spend some time people I care about. Even if it’s just meeting a friend for coffee  — even if it’s just meeting a business acquaintance for coffee! — that time is time well spent.

photo credit: kalandrakas

I even schedule recurring appointments on my to do list to remind me to reach out to people I want to be sure not to lose touch with, from business associates to my mother and sister. It may sound a little crazy, but it’s not all that uncommon that the reminder comes up and I realize it’s been two weeks since I last spoke with my mom, and it’s just the prod I need to make me pick up the phone.

As you head into this week, remember that the most healthy and productive acts we do often involve other people.