How to Work with Incompetent People and Not be Affected

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how to work with incompetent people

In my first job out of college, I worked in consulting and used to travel a lot and work late.  One night, three colleagues and I finished work around 9pm and shared a cab back to our hotel.  After being in the cab for 20 min, we knew clearly the cab driver was taking us for a ride for a better fare.  It was another 15 minutes before we got to the hotel.  As soon as we arrived, 3 of us, including me complained to the hotel lobby attendant that our driver was “shady”.  We paid him his fare, $5 more than usual, but got into a heated argument with the driver.  I was upset for at least another 30 min after that. ...  read more

To What Extent does Design Make a Good Resume?

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This article is contributed by Lucy Wyndham with edits by Lei Han

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” John Maeda, author of The Law of Simplicity, hits the nail on the head when he talks about the essence of design. When it comes to your resume, design is about much more than picking the right font or trying to captivate a human resource manager’s attention. ...  read more

Dare to be Happy – You Can Change Your Career at Any Age

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change your career at any age

85% of workers worldwide admit to hating their jobs when surveyed anonymously, according to a Gallup poll released in late 2017.  Yet, many of us tend to stay in our jobs and careers, thinking it’s too late to make a change.  I am here to tell you – it’s never too late!  Dare to be happy and bold.  You can change your career at any age. ...  read more

How to Communicate Strategically and With Impact – 5 Tips You can Use Immediately

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communicate strategically and with impact

Strategic and impactful communication skills are critical to success in almost any career.    Business professionals absolutely need these skills, but so do professionals in the technical arena, like architects, engineers, developers, etc…  The better you can translate the technical details of your work into impactful, simple business and customer outcomes, the more a business audience can appreciate your contribution.   In turn, they are more likely to want to partner with you and support you in your promotion.  ...  read more

You Can Achieve Anything at Work and in Life Using These 3 Tips

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you can achieve anything

You can achieve anything!  Isn’t that a great statement?  Now the important question is how.  I hope this story and these 3 tips will help you achieve anything you want at work and in life.

I love watching my kids try new things.  It’s a marvel to witness how much effort they put into it, even though they fail repeatedly at first.   The other day, I took Alexis, my six year old, to the Yerba Buena playground in San Francisco.  She was fascinated by this steep wall that had the climbing grips on them.   She wasn’t at all interested in using the grips to climb up.  Instead, she wanted to just run up and get to the top. ...  read more

How to Improve Negotiation Skills – Watch the Body Language

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how to improve negotiation skills using body language

This is a guest post with edits by Lei Han

Often, business communications take place remotely by phone or teleconference. However, negotiation experts recommend to always have important negotiations in person so you can take advantage of seeing all the non-verbal cues of the other party. People often subconsciously give away their thoughts and intended actions in a multitude of small ways through expression and body movement. Understanding non-verbal cues can help smooth interactions, enhance communication, and even provide a material advantage. ...  read more

How to Speak Effectively in Interviews When English is My Second Language

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Two weeks ago, I wrote about  how to improve my communication skills when English is my second language. It was prompted by this question below from a member.

I am a software engineer at a major American tech company.  I came here two years ago but have been studying English since the first grade.  I want to do an MBA and move into business development.  I feel my communication skills are holding me back.  I need to improve my communication skills. I want to feel more confident, speak fluently and answer to the point. I feel I tend to jump into answers, get too excited and do not know when to be quiet. Can you suggest how can I improve on this? ...  read more