Workplace Wisdom...
Discover Fulfillment in Life and Work
with Michelle Y. Drake

As I was perusing The Wall Street Journal website, I came across an interesting article that introduced me to a new "business speak" term: "manage up."

Elizabeth Garone writes in her article "What It Means to 'Manage Up'" that "when someone tells you that you need to 'manage up,' what he or she is really saying is that you need to stretch yourself. You need to go above and beyond the tasks assigned to you so that you can enhance your manager's work, says Rosanne Badowski, co-author of 'Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You.'"

Amen. As I've told countless clients again and again: if you want to succeed and advance your career, you've got to put yourself in the spotlight and prove your value by driving your career, choosing high exposure projects, and communicating with your boss, as Ms. Garone points out in the article.

Communication above all else is the key. Do you know your boss's communication style? If not, find out! You may be more comfortable talking about the big picture, but he or she may prefer bullet points of facts and figures...and if you can't present your ideas in that manner, it's likely that they're falling on deaf ears.

The article goes on to list other ways to "manage up" - there's a lot of great info so I suggest you give it a read-through. I want you to ride out our economy's current crisis on a wave of success!

Labels: books, career opportunities, career-advancement, communication style, economic crisis, strategy, workplace-survival

I was having a coaching session with a client on the phone the other day while I was at home trying to recuperate from two whirlwind weeks in California attending the WITI Women and Technology Summit and meeting with clients and colleagues. She's a new employee trying to establish herself as a vital part of her new team, but she's having trouble dealing with one of her teammates.

"Every new idea that gets brought to the table is shot down by her," my client said. "We're facing some issues that demand solutions. We've had several meetings and are no closer to resolving anything. It's so frustrating!"

That's a tough one. We've all known our fair share of "Debbie Downer" types; they always something negative to say, always want to poke holes in our ideas, always playing "devil's advocate."

But are they being pessimists...or realists?

I found a great article on this subject on The Wall Street Journal website:

Tips on Finding Your Way Out of Negative Thinking at Work by Kayleen Schaefer

In this article, Ms. Schaefer likens these people to the office Eeyore :) and she give some great tips on how to alter your way of thinking without sacrificing your personality or completely refraining from offering a differing opinion.

After all, sometimes it's the devil's advocate or the hole-poker who keeps us from making major missteps at work. It's important to balance being positive with challenging your team and your company to strive for greatness and profitability.

Read the entire article here.

I've already forwarded this article to my client, and hopefully, she'll do the same to her co-worker!

Labels: balance, career-advancement, leadership, negativity in the workplace, organizational-effectiveness, positive thinking

Hey, gang!

I'm coming at you all the way from California today! I've been here since last Monday meeting with clients, catching up with colleagues like Dr. Helen (in Santa Rosa), and presenting at this year's Women and Technology Summit, hosted by WITI (Women in Technology International) at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara. I'm joining another colleague of mine, Ardice Farrow - founder and publisher of Wake Up Women - in two sessions at this conference: "Storytelling - A Powerful Leadership Tool" and "Developing the Natural Leader in YOU!" It's been so exciting and fascinating...I'll be sure to post about it when I return home to Connecticut.

In the meantime, I was doing my usual survey of today's news and was disheartened to see this headline in the Yahoo! Business section:

"Retirement Accounts Have Lost $2 Trillion"

"Ouch" doesn't even BEGIN to cover it.

By the time we reach retirement age or the point in our lives when we're ready to leave our professional careers and focus on doing all the things we never had time for, we rely on our retirement funds to finance us. We've worked hard, darn it, and we deserve to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor, to travel, to relax, to buy a boat...to follow our dreams! But so many people contemplating retirement today aren't going to be able to do that because they simply don't have the funds to leave the workforce.

While there's very little we can do to control economical circumstances, there are mistakes that we can avoid making, to help ensure that our nest egg is healthy and ready to be cracked open when we retire.

I found this fantastic article on AllBusiness.com:

"Top 10 Retirement Planning Mistakes"

Here are the highlights of the list:
Top 10 Retirement Planning Mistakes

1. "Not taking advantage of time."
2. "Not investing regularly."
3. "Not taking full advantage of tax-free retirement accounts."
4. "Poor asset allocation."
5. "Not creating a post-retirement plan."
6. "Forgetting about your 401(k)."
7. "Cashing out or borrowing heavily against your 401(k)."
8. "Failing to consider tax and inflation."
9. "Relying too heavily on Social Security."
10. "Relying too heavily on your company's stock."

I would strongly recommend that you go to the article directly and read through it carefully as well as do your own research on the dos and don'ts of planning for retirement. Your ability to retire might just depend on it!

Labels: economic crisis, education, finance, news, public speaking, retirement, strategy

The economy, the economy, the economy...

Aside from the Presidential race, it's the hottest topic in the country right now, and with all of its uncertainty and instability, it's also become a source of fear for our society.

I came across this fantastic article from CNNMoney.com:

"10 Solutions to a Personal Credit Crisis"

It has some sound advice for those of us who've reached for our credit cards one time too many. This info is especially crucial advice for entrepreneurs who may have relied on their personal credit to start and grow their businesses during those first few shaky years.

Here are the tip highlights of the article, written by Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer:

"1. Look at the big picture."
"2. Pay important bills first."
"3. Call your creditors."
"4. Transfer balances."
"5. Quit the cards."
"6. Prioritize paying down debt."
"7. Bulk up your payments."
"8. Check your credit report for mistakes."
"9. Get help."
"10. Start saving."

Read the full article here.

Here's hoping you can ride out this economic crisis and emerge with your finances in tact and thriving.

Labels: economic crisis, entrepreneurs, finance, small business, strategy