Know When to Change Jobs – Watch for Six Signs

by
when to change jobs

Do you know when it’s time to change jobs?  I find this topic interesting because when and how often you decide to change jobs can determine how fast you can progress in your career.   Those who stay at a job too long can stignant their own career progression without knowing it as opposed to those who are in tune with the overall job market and their market value.   It’s important to realize when to change jobs so you can giving yourself the best chance for upward progression.   For this question of when to change jobs,  I have two answers. ...  read more

Managing Upwards – Always Take Care of Your “Monkeys”

by

In a separate article, I talked about a famous Harvard Business Review (HBR) article,  “Who’s Got the Monkey?”, and why an effective manager must let his team take care of the “Monkeys” (problems discovered during their work).  Today, I want to shift focus and talk about tips for the team members — How can you excel as an individual contributor and demonstrate that you are ready for a management position? ...  read more

Giving Constructive Feedback – 10 Tips

by
constructive-feedback

How to give constructive feedback is a great question to ask and an important soft skill to develop especially if you are now managing a team.  The abiliity for coach and mentor  well each of your team members is essentially to your and your team’s success.  To be a great team leader, you need to be able to provide constructive feedback that meets two objectives ...  read more

How to Break into a Managerial Role – Part 2

by

Previously, we discussed the first part of this real life situation that Jessica is experiencing.  Today, we will finish this topic on how to break into a managerial role with a follow up discussion I had with Jessica a few weeks later.  Here is her follow up email updating me on her situation and some new challenges she is facing. ...  read more

Back-stabbed at Work – How Sarah Responded

by
back-stabbed at work

Recently, I wrote about Sarah, who were back-stabbed at work and asked you what you would do if you were her.  Thanks for all who voted!  It was great to see many of you knew the best way to handle this unfortunate situation and protect yourself and your work reputation.   Here is what Sarah actually did.  All the quoted dialogue are paraphrased ...  read more

Overwhelmed with Data – 7 Tips on How to Deal

by
overwhelmed at work

Member Question: Overwhelmed with Data

I am getting my MBA from the University of Chicago, and I am doing a summer internship at a start up. I have to deliver a final Marketing Plan in 2 weeks, and I am overwhelmed with data. I collected a lot of data and I am trying to write a draft now, but I feel like I will never finish. I have 10 sections in the Marketing Plan, and it’s 12 pages long so far; just for one section, I am listing 15 options with pros and cons. I still have a lot more data in various files everywhere. I feel like I need to organize them all, but that I will run out of time. What should I do to get it all done? ...  read more

How to Break into a Managerial Role – Part 1

by
team manager

How to get into a team management role is a great question to ask as you advance in your career.  If you have been a stellar individual contributor, the next stage of your career advancement is most likely the management of others.

While this is the natural next step, it is not always obvious how you can become a team manager. Sometimes you’ll be promoted, but other times you’ll have to change jobs to break into a managerial role. ...  read more