my insecure coworker keeps spying on me and trying to one-up me by Alison Green on September 10, 2015 A reader writes: My former boss was all about giving orders, and when she did ask for my feedback on a project, she usually took credit for my ideas. She recently resigned and there have been some organizational shake-ups in my department. The result is that I’m getting more exposure to higher-ups, more responsibility, and […] Read the full article →
how to set goals that are real, not wishful thinking by Alison Green on September 10, 2015 As a manager, you want your staff setting and working toward clear, concrete goals. After all, goals are how you can measure progress, hold people accountable, and drive real results. But some teams set goals that aren’t “real” – they’re so lofty that they’re unlikely to come to fruition, and because people sense that, they’re […] Read the full article →
my boss wants to secretly recruit my coworkers and me into a money-making scheme by Alison Green on September 10, 2015 A reader writes: I work for a very high-profile nonprofit as one of the “people on the ground” (aka, the people who get paid the least to do most of the work that is the nonprofit’s claim to fame). I’m fine with the low pay, especially because I love the work we do and believe […] Read the full article →
expectations of student workers, transit service didn’t pick me up for work, and more by Alison Green on September 10, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Am I being unreasonable in my expectations of this student worker? I’m a newly hired assistant manager in an office setting. We recently hired a student worker who is paid hourly. On her second day, our student worker “saved” her unpaid lunch for the end […] Read the full article →
my new coworker keeps joking about violence by Alison Green on September 9, 2015 A reader writes: I have started working with a new employee who has been working at our company for about a week. He’s really great at his job, and I would love working with him except that he is always making these little “jokes.” Essentially, he looks at me with a deadpan face and says […] Read the full article →
incompetent people probably have no clue that they’re incompetent by Alison Green on September 9, 2015 A fascinating Cornell University study a few years back found that people who are incompetent tend to dramatically overestimate their own competence, and people who truly are quite competent tend to underestimate their own performance. At Inc. today, I talk about the implications of this for managers — such as that you must be explicit […] Read the full article →
should I pay a company to create a false work history for my resume? by Alison Green on September 9, 2015 We’ve had several posts about lying on resumes lately, and here’s one from the candidate side. A reader writes: I have been unemployed for nine months now. I am scared that I’ll easily hit the one-year mark, and the financial stress is adding to the psychological pressure, emotional toll, and mental fixation. It is a […] Read the full article →
team member caused drunken scene at coworker’s wedding, asking for Friday off the first week on the job, and more by Alison Green on September 9, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Team member caused a drunken scene at coworker’s wedding I am a team leader in a very small company. The team I manage only has two other members. A few weeks ago, one of them, Jamie, got married. A few other colleagues and I were […] Read the full article →
do not cheat the one-page resume rule by using a tiny font and tiny margins by Alison Green on September 8, 2015 If you’re early in your career, you’ve probably heard that your resume should only be one page. And perhaps you’ve tried to wiggle your way around that rule by using a tiny font and non-existent margins so that you can cram more text into one page. If you’re done this, you’re violating the rule in spirit […] Read the full article →
can you be a good manager if you’re shy? by Alison Green on September 8, 2015 If you’re shy or introverted but want to move up in your career, you’ll probably have to manage people at some point. Can you be a strong leader and an effective manager despite being shy? The answer is: It depends. Being quiet or introverted definitely doesn’t preclude you from excelling at management; in fact, you […] Read the full article →