Some jobs come with a role description and the duties you perform do not change much from day to day. In such a position, you know exactly what is expected of you and what to do in order to do well. However, most jobs are a bit more ambiguous and the path to success a [...]

Reader question: “Do you have any tips for concentration or productivity in the office? I seem to get sucked into checking blogs, wanting to sleep, texting friends, thinking about coffee breaks, etc. When I do have a deadline, I am able to meet it, but it’s not because I work ahead – more like I rush until the end. The work my company does is very meaningful, but I just stopped caring recently and don’t know what to do.”

A corporate restructuring is often a stressful time. Many uncertainties exist for an undetermined period of time. Will you be demoted or laid off? Who is going to be your boss? Will the projects you are working on be cut? This can be nerve-wracking. How things work out is usually beyond your control but you [...]

Reader question: “I’m a manager in a small department and have to get approval of flexible schedules for staff from my Boss. Boss wants everyone to be at work during normal business hours, doesn’t like flexible schedules, and sees all requests as the same (trying to get out of work). Boss tends to overreact whenever I bring up the topic and gets into the issue of “not trusting the employee to really work and not goof off.” Any suggestions or advice on how I can approach the subject and try to get Boss to logically consider these requests?”

Reader question: “Recently, a new colleague has joined my team. We have to work very closely together as a team to deliver on goals, but whenever there is a brainstorming session on she never fails to say, “I don’t know,” and I end up being the one coming up with all the ideas. I tried bringing this up with my boss, and she said I’ll have to iron this matter out with my new colleague. Is there is a way of politely telling my new colleague that she can’t always give an “I don’t know” answer and needs to pitch in and do her part?”

Change in our business environment happens very quickly these days. To be successful in your career years and decades ago, it was more or less enough to learn a skill or process and then simply repeat it over and over. Today this is not enough. We must continually learn and develop our skills. As true [...]

Reader question: “I’ve been at my job for two years, and I’m getting bored. Things keep getting dumped on me, from big tasks to administrative details. My boss meanwhile seems to want us to keep growing, and wants more results, faster, with tighter deadlines and more elements. I’m starting to feel a bit burned out. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t even really manage to take a sick day properly — there’s too much to do, and all the eggs are in my basket, and can’t be left unattended even for a minute. I’m planning on leaving the job to go to grad school next year… any advice about not hating my job as much and getting through ’til May?”

Two years ago I wrote a three-part series on big picture thinking versus detail-orientation and they have been some of my most popular articles. This delineation is just one way of categorizing the way we think, the way we solve problems, and how we go about getting work done. Big picture thinkers tend to be creative, [...]