Must-Have Answers from ‘Ask a Manager’ Author Alison Green
For many employees, the work itself is easy. It’s the office politics that are hard. That’s partly why Alison Green started her blog, “Ask a Manager,” 11 years ago. A chief of staff at a non-profit organization at the time, she kept thinking that coworkers would have made different decisions if they’d had their boss’ or HR’s perspective.
“As a manager, I could see that people weren’t going to get the outcome they thought they were,” Green recalls. “It occurred to me that a lot of people would benefit from knowing what their bosses are thinking when they hear x or what they mean when they say y.” Read More
Office Hours: How to Self-Promote Without Feeling Like a Show-off
Talking yourself up when it’s expected, say, during a job interview, is one thing. But doing it during a team meeting or one-on-one with your boss can feel silly, phony, even slimy. As a result, many women don’t do it—and hold back their careers.
So how do you take credit for your work and feel authentic to yourself? Here, three executive women offer their advice: Read More
Could Your Emails Be Hurting the Friends You’re Trying to Help?
Technology hasn’t only made it easier to stay in touch with former colleagues, old classmates and far-flung friends. It has also made asking them for favors such as referrals and introductions as effortless as hitting send.
Likewise, when you’re on the receiving end of such a request, it’s less or little hassle, in this age of email, to help a contact out.
But before you make another ask or agree to act as connector, consider this: some e-introductions can actually be harmful to women. Read More
Strive for This Instead of Work-Life Balance
A self-professed “truth-bomber,” Anne Grady is all about getting real and talking about things that no one wants to talk about.
Here is one thing the leadership development expert wants everyone to know: Work-life balance is a mirage.
Or as she puts it: “Balance is bullsh*t.”
“It doesn’t really exist,” says Grady, author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love and Work. “Or if it does, it’s only temporary and fleeting. Stuff happens. Your job, family, friends, health—they can’t all stay in perfect alignment all the time.” Read More
Three Real Ways to Manage Work Stress (from Someone Who Almost Died from It)
Seven years ago, Nathalie Molina Niño was living the dream. At least she was to outward appearances. Having sold her first start-up in her 20s, she, now an “intrepreneur,” was on her fourth venture with a corporation, a $100 million business that was building the biggest private “crowd.”
The work took her to every corner of the world. “I was constantly on a plane, flying to 30 plus countries,” recalls Molina Niño, who was based in Seattle at the time. “It was exciting, but also exhausting.” Read More
This Entrepreneur Was Sued for Hosting Events for Women
Claire Wasserman, founder of Ladies Get Paid, a career development platform, is committed to closing the wage and leadership gap. If anyone is about equity and inclusion, it is Claire.
So imagine her disbelief when she was informed last October that she was being sued for sex discrimination.
“At that point, we were hosting events in 18 cities, including San Diego,” Wasserman says. “The idea was to provide a safe and comfortable environment for women—including female-identifying and non-binary people—to talk freely and honestly about the challenges they face at work.” Read More
Office Hours: How to Own Up to a Mistake at Work
Admitting to a work screw-up is like knowing CPR. You want to be good at it, but not because you’ve had a lot of real-life practice. It’s also like CPR in the sense that the slower you are to act, the worse the outcome is likely to be.
To help you know what to do on the spot, we asked two senior executives—both have seen and heard it all—for their advice on the best way to own up to a mistake. Read More
How to Stop a Bad Boss from Impeding Your Career
If you have a difficult boss, you know what it is to feel stuck. You can always quit, of course, but leaving without a new job is risky. Most people can’t take the financial or professional hit. Or maybe you are at a great company and simply don’t want to leave.
The thing to remember in this situation: “Your career is a marathon and not a sprint,” says Mary Abbajay, president and CEO of management consultancy Careerstone Group. “Every long run has rough patches, but that’s when you grow—when you’re being challenged.” Read More
10 Minutes, 3 Yoga Poses, 1 Great Way to Start the Day
Though her reputation as a yoga practitioner got its start on Instagram (360,000 followers and counting!), Jessamyn Stanley wants you to know that yoga is more than “handstands on the beach.”
Much more.
“A lot of people focus on the athletic aspect or fitness benefits, but for me, yoga provides a blueprint for life,” says Stanley, author of Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the Mat, Love Your Body. “It’s a practice that helps you as you go through your day—and life.” Read More
Your Tax Refund: What This Money Writer Says to Do with It
Some of us take an interest in personal finance when we start pulling a real paycheck. Some of us become interested when we run into debt problems or set our sights on a big goal like saving for a house. Kristin Wong was drawn to money matters as a teenager, and read books on the topic while in high school.
“Growing up, I experienced my family going from being pretty broke to middle class,” she says. “I saw how financial change can impact your life, the power your finances can have over your life.” Read More