Real stories

Don’t Be So Humble

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i am amazing

On Sunday, I was hanging out with some friends, and one of them complimented me: “Wow, Lei, you have lost a lot of weight. You look amazing…” I felt pretty good, since I had been trying to lose the weight I gained from having a second child. However, I immediately replied, “Thanks, but I still have about 10 lbs. to go. It’s been a process, and this last 10 lbs. has been quite stubborn.” Afterwards, I thought, “Why did I say that? Instead of continuing to feel good, I immediately started focusing on what was not working for me, and re-directed the conversation to something less positive.” ...  read more

How to Break into a Managerial Role – Part 2

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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

Overwhelmed with Data – 7 Tips on How to Deal

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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

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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

Being Right Is Not Enough

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I have been struggling with an issue at work: We are doing a project that I know is the right thing to do for the company and the line of business involved.  With that said, I still need to figure out the best way to inform the partners in that line of business about the project, get their “buy in,” as well as their help to ensure that it is getting done correctly. ...  read more

Dealing with Difficult Personalities – 5 Effective Tips

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difficult personality

In my article, “Dealing with Difficult Personalities – What Not to Do,” I talked about 4 things not to do:

  1. Don’t react emotionally or defensively.
  2. Don’t try to change this person.
  3. Don’t complain to this person’s boss to try to resolve this.
  4. Don’t gossip about this situation with other co-workers.

Continuing with my example with Anna, what should I have done?  To recap: Anna hada great reputation for being smart and excellent at her job.   I also met her casually in the hallway, and thought she was quite nice.  During our first business meeting, she cut me off and began to pepper me with questions about why I needed this data and what I planned to use it for.  Her tone was sharp and aggressive.  I was quite surprised and caught off guard. ”  Here are 5 tips I recommend using to deal with any “difficult personality” at work, and for achieving the best long-term results. ...  read more

Example of Networking Emails that Worked

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networking email example

Since I have written a few networking emails in the last few months, I wanted to share these examples with you to help you with your networking efforts.   Below are two examples, each with a different networking purpose.

Example 1: Existing contact – asking for help (scoop on a company X)

Context: This person is in my network (Lisa) but I haven’t spoken to her in five years.  Last time, I spoke with her, I helped her with some career advice.  We have a mutual friend in common (Cindy) who are good friends with both of us. ...  read more