Management styles What you need to know

Management styles What you need to know by Michael Cheary When it comes to management, some of us choose style over substance… If you’ve been working for the same company for a while, it can be all too easy to slip into autopilot when it comes to communication with your boss. But knowing how to work with them effectively could be key to your progression â€" and a lot of it comes down to understanding their style.To help you sort your autocratic leaders from your Laissez-Faire, here are five of the most common management styles you might find in your office (and how to deal with them):Autocratic Who they are: Managers who make decisions on their own, with very little input from other members of the team. Autocratic managers don’t ask your opinion; they tell you it. If they were a country, they’d probably be nearer to North Korea than Nepal.Advantages: Good for people who want to work with clear direction, and in situations where a decision needs to be made quickly. Extremely effective when implemented by a n atural leader.Disadvantages: Will depend on who’s in charge. Can be demoralising, discourage open communication and stifle creativity. Modern workers tend not to react well to autocratic leaders.How to handle it: Never challenge an autocratic manager directly, and avoid springing any surprises. If you’ve got an issue, feed information to them bit-by-bit, then allow them to make the necessary changes themselves. That doesn’t mean saying ‘yes’ to everything â€" it just means thinking of a more creative way to say no (usually by emphasising what’s in it for them if they take your advice).Democratic Who they are: Reverse of autocratic leaders; these bosses actually want to know your thoughts. Everyone has the opportunity to contribute ideas, and any decisions are agreed upon by the majority. They’re like the cool hippy Dad of management.Advantages: Encourages creativity, communication and collaboration. Gives a sense of autonomy to employees, and often leads to greater job satisfaction.Disadvantages: Can take a long time for the team to make decisions, and sometimes leads to uncertainty. As there is no clear leader, can end up with too many opinions i.e. ‘too many stakeholders spoil the broth’ (or something along these lines which makes more sense).How to handle it: This style hinges on employees being as open as possible. Tell your democratic manager your thoughts when they ask; they’re not just being polite; they really want to know. Even if your ideas aren’t fully formed, someone else in the team might be able to build on them â€" so never be afraid to start speaking up.Laissez-Faire  Who they are: Huh? That’s fine…like, whatever. Laissez-Faire literally translates as ‘let them do’ and, essentially, that’s what these managers do. Practically the definition of hands-off, preferring to wait and see what happens than make any actual decisions. Usually disengaged to a fault.Advantages: Effective when working with especially skilled individuals, who might work better under their own direction. Great for when the staff have certain expertise that their manager doesn’t. Also leads to a sense of autonomy.Disadvantages: Projects can lose their sense of direction. And doesn’t work well for staff who may require more guidance, or need help to complete tasks and meet deadlines.How to handle it: Enjoy the responsibility and sense of trust placed in you, and be confident in your own abilities. If you struggle, lean on other members of the team to lend support â€" not your boss. Essentially, Laissez-Faire managers just want you to get on with the job. Do that.Transactional Who they are: Like the annoying game show hosts of management. Sure, they’ll offer you a treat for doing your job. But get the answer wrong, and your punishment will inevitably follow. Like a stressed out parent with an unpredictable child, they make it clear they’ve got a reward at the ready. But you’ll only get it if you behave…Advantages : Can be a powerful motivator. Especially if employees are goal-orientated. Clear and easy to follow, and means staff are always aware of the benefits of doing a good job.Disadvantages: Goals can be set too high or may be unrealistic, leading to greater pressure, demotivation and a bad working environment. Can also be detrimental to the team dynamic, as everyone is looking out for their own interests.How to handle it: Transactional managers need to feel that you appreciate their sentiments. Do your work, receive your reward and say thank you. It’s (almost) that simple. And if goals are set too high, try and sit down with your manager to talk through why you think that may be the case.Transformational   Who they are: The most inspiring type of manager, transformational managers identify the need for change. They work on a variety of different levels at one time, tricking people into believing they’re having a good time instead of working and pulling incentives and new opportuniti es out of hats like rabbits (yes, essentially, they’re magicians).Advantages: Always provide positive reinforcement and encourage personal growth. Work especially well in companies with low morale amongst employees, and can help create the vision that inspires change.Disadvantages: Can sometimes be blinded by passion and instinct, rather than having their ideas rooted in reality. May also over-reward people based on charisma, rather than hard work.How to handle it: Transformational managers want you to succeed. You won’t go wrong with these guys if you listen to their advice, input your ideas and work with them towards a shared vision (when you get the chance).How to deal with different management stylesRightly or wrongly, a huge amount of our time at work is spent trying to please our boss.Understanding different management styles and how they affect your day-to-day tasks is vital if you want to get on in your current employment and feel that those hours in the office are well spent.Of course, there will always be the exceptions to the rule; the bosses who don’t quite fit the mould. Notice which styles they most frequently use and adjust accordingly.If you’re aware of the management style which your boss favours, then you’ll understand the most effective way to work with them, not to mention make yourself a candidate for advancement within the company.And if you can’t deal with it? Be honest, and talk to your boss directly about your concerns.Because no one deserves to deal with a horrible boss on a daily basis…Think times up for you and your boss?  View all available jobs now.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about job s and career related topics. Features Workplace culture

Knocked Down This Way Up!

Knocked Down This Way Up! I suppose there are some people out there who never have any challenges beyond the tragedy of a facial zit.  But I think theyre about as rare as a unicorn.  For the rest of us, which is basically everyone, we take our share of falls.  Yes, some seem to get more than their share of pretty awful things happening to them.  More than anything else, there is one key difference that Ive noticed in peoples response to the crap that comes their way.  Its how quickly they choose to get up again. Having been in the pits of life myself more times than I care to remember, I have plenty of empathy with those who are down.  Relationships, financial disaster, health, whatever once the initial punch to the gut is landed, we all need some time to catch our breath.  We need to assess what happened and get our bearings again.  While some people seem to need less time than others, theres the critical moment when its time to take the next step.  Its time to get up. That said, sometimes the challenges come in rapid fire, and while you may snap back faster from the earlier falls, it gets ever more difficult to tell yourself to get up again.  The best you can do is hold to a kind of numbness that makes at least surviving each day tolerable.  This is an especially horrible place to be.  Its easy to lose hope, and lose connection to the people and dreams you held dear. Whether life  has landed a single punch or delivered the drubbing of your life, theres going to be a defining moment when you realize youre at choice.  In the worst of times, the voice thats calling you to get up may be faint, but it will be there.  You will always have a choice.  The question is, what are your choices? The Moment of Choice Theres always the choice to just give up.  Sounds easy, almost like a reward for the pain youve been through.  But like each and every choice in life, there is a price.  I dont have to paint a picture of those who have given up.   Youve seen them.  I make no judgement of them, I simply notice that they have given up.  They have also given up all control of their life and their future.   And I can assure you that, unless they make new and better choices, not one of them will ever have a life you or I would want to embrace. The other choice is to take actions, small or big, to begin rebuilding.  If youve lost a relationship, read helpful books and talk to friends and family to work through it.  If youve taken a big financial hit, re-group and remember that you started from zero once (or more!) and can do it again.  If theres a health challenge, look to the examples of those who have turned those around before you. No matter what the cause of the crap in your life, theres going to be a recovery time.  If youve gotten really down, emotionally, it will require some patience, with yourself, to build up resilience and strength again.  But the skies will begin to clear, and you can be confident that things will improve soon enough.  If youre tempted to dwell on notions of failure, take a look at this advice by Samara Zimmerman. Ive  found inspiration and renewed determination in myself by reading the stories of others who have fallen multiple times, or who have overcome odds to prosper in all areas of their lives.  You can find lots of them out there, and most recently I read Get Back Up by George Santino.   Written in the first person, it makes it easy to step back and re-focus on the gratitude for all the good things in  life.  Its a great read, and I recommend it. Its also important to surround yourself with positive reminders.  These can be of your own making, or some of those that resonate with you that you can find online.  Print them up and post them on your refrigerator and your bathroom mirror.  Put an image of them in your smartphone.  And when those moments of weakness or doubt pop up, let them be your everywhere personal motivational coach. Images: Get up:  Screen Sifar   Stairs  Andréa Portilla

Intelligent Disobedience Part 2

Intelligent Disobedience Part 2 This is one of a series of posts on Intelligent Disobedience  by Ira Chaleff. In an earlier  post, I outlined the process of deciding whether to obey an order: The system we are part of is reasonably fair and functioning. The authority figure giving the order or setting the rule is legitimate and reasonably competent. The order itself is reasonably constructive. If none of my company’s or personal values is being violated, I should probably do as I’m told even if it strikes me that the order is unusual. But if any of those criteria above are not in place, I should employ intelligent disobedience, which Chaleff defines as “resisting as effectively as I can, while searching for another way.” Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'LoMzyUi_S9Rc67rNIFLB1w',sig:'rr2CTnO3q-mBW8mu8BNbPeTHJfHPjpTny9nZnQjnKns=',w:'507px',h:'338px',items:'110701860',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Chaleff also provides a framework for resisting or trying to draw attention to an order that may be a mistake. It takes real courage to resist an order from a superior, made more difficult when leaders perceive resistance as challenging their authority or intelligence. Once you have tripped the ego wire, you may trigger emotions that make it even harder for a leader to change course. The key, Chaleff says, is to train the team (including, and especially, the leader) to assume that intelligent disobedience makes no presumption of malice or criticism of the leader; it is designed to protect the safety of the team or customers or the public. The presumption must be that intelligent disobedience will prevent harm by slowing down the current course of events and allowing team members and the leader to think more deeply about what is happening. Chaleff says that you must train yourself to pay attention to your instincts. The first signal that something is wrong will be a feeling that you’ve often had but may not trust. Call it a hunch, a niggling suspicion, sinking feeling, gut reaction, or its technical term: cognitive dissonance.  Chaleff says that you must practice recognizing it when it happens and learn to sit quietly with the feeling until you can identify the source. What triggered your response? Was it the unusual body language of your boss when he asked you to make a change to the numbers? Was it the uneasiness in the eyes of the person who made the request? Was it the surprise in your assistant’s face when you issued that order? It’s easy to push away the unease you feel in favor of obedience, but your instincts are an important first warning system. Many disasters could be averted if team members knew how to escalate their concerns to make sure the team leader understood the urgency of the situation. But hesitation and deference to authority can allow leaders to push aside concerns. Courageous followers learn to change their language to match their level of concern Level 1 is used when a situation is ambiguous or not urgent: “I’m not sure if you noticed this, but…” or “I’m not sure these numbers are right â€" could we take another look?” Chaleff calls this soft approach mitigating language; its intent is to softly point out that the team would benefit from another check of its assumptions before taking action. As the situation becomes more urgent or you become more certain that something is wrong, you must make your language less soft and more urgent, climbing a scale from “mildly assertive” to “insistently assertive.” “Something’s wrong here.” “I don’t feel good about this.” “This approach poses a serious risk to…” Finally, if there is a clear and present danger if the team stays on this course, you have an obligation to stop what’s happening. “Stop now.   We are in danger of…” This is the equivalent of pushing someone out of the way of a moving car. You’d never worry about whether you should push someone important; the immediate danger overrides concerns about rank or protocol. The Pope won’t mind being pushed. Next: What we can learn from guide dogs.

What Do Hiring Managers Look for in Interviews - Career Sidekick

What Do Hiring Managers Look for in Interviews - Career Sidekick What Do Hiring Managers Look for in Interviews? Interview Preparation / https://www.edenscott.com/blog As a recruiter, a lot of job seekers ask me, what do hiring managers look for in an interview?In this article, Im going to reveal 5 hints for your interview with a hiring manager. These are the top 5 things hiring managers are looking for when they interview you.(No matter what industry youre in).You can watch the full list in video format below, or scroll down to read the article.Interview with a Hiring Manager: 5 Things They Look For1. Can you perform the job?Do you have the skills, experience, abilities needed to perform the job?If theres education or training required, thats included here too.Job requirements are often a bit flexible but the hiring manager is almost always looking for somebody who can step in and make a smooth transition, and start contributing relatively quickly.So its not just about whether your experience isadequate, but whether it has set you up for a high chance of success.Remember, companies want less risk less risk youll lea ve the job, less risk youll spend months training and learning and not produce any results, etc.To summarize: Companies want to see you that your skills and experience will allow you to hit the ground running and be successful in the job theyre offering relatively quickly.This last part isnt always the case; sometimes they just want a hungry, motivated person and theyre willing to be patient with them (particularly for entry-level jobs or younger job seekers). But in most cases, hiring managers look for how quickly you can learn the job.The best way to demonstrate this is talking about past work and past successes that are as closely-related to their job as possible. Thats something you should be spending a lot of time doing in your interview with the hiring manager.2. Do you want the job?Okay, so youve shownthem you can do the job. But you also need to show passion in your interview. Do you want to do this? Is it exciting to you?This tells the hiring manager how youll handle chall enges, what type of energy youll bring, and most importantly- how long youll stay in the job!Nobody wants to hire a person who will get bored at work, lose focus, or leave in 6 months, regardless of talent or experience!Hiring managers DO worry about somebody being over-qualified, and thats why. It takes a lot of time and effort to hire somebody, get them through orientation and familiar with how the company works, only to have them leave in 6 months.If you want to beat the competition and get hired faster, onething you should do in eachinterview is try to show a DESIRE for the specificjob youre discussing with the company, and put the companysmind at ease about any risk of leaving within the first year.3. Do you have the right attitude and motivation?This area relates to youroverall work characteristics, regardless of skills or experience and regardless of interest in this particular job.In general Do you seem motivated and driven? And by what?Often the hiring manager will ask dire ctly, what motivates you? what is the reason you get up every day and come to work?Its important to have a great answer to that. Get specific. Tell a story if you can!They want to know how youre going to respond when things get difficult.If you accept thisjob and it ends up being a rocky first couple of months where you struggle a bit, whats going to be your response?Again- they dont want you leaving in 6 months if things arent going perfectly to plan! Sometimes you join a company and its a struggle to get started. It happens to even the best workers and its definitely happened to me. But the hiring manager wants to know that youre going to come in and work hard to overcome it, not quit.Helping them understand the specific reasons that keep you going each and every day willput their mind at ease when it comes to this topic. Its okay to get personal too (example: Im passionate about the automotive safety industry because my father was badly injured in a car accident).4. Will your per sonality fit with the team?This is a huge component of what hiring managers look for in an interview, yet most job seekers dont realize.My suggestion is be authentic to who you are but also show that youre flexible and able to work with a variety of people.Dontbe too polarizing or extreme in the interview.Avoid words like always and never when describing your habits and personality.Example of what NOTto say:I never work well with type A personalitiesI always take the lead in groups that Im inIf you seem too extreme in any one direction, the hiring manager might become worried if your style is different than somebody else on the team.The company hasalready invested time and effort into their current team. The hiring manager doesnt want to lose that.But that doesnt mean you cant stand out and be memorable when it comes to showing passion and enthusiasm. Those are always great personality traits to show.The more excited you seem for the work that needs to be done, the more likely youll get hired.If a hiring manager interviews 20 different people for a job, how are you going stick out in his or her head? Showing high energy is one great way and increases the odds youll hear back sooner and wont have to follow up to get a response after your interview.5. How do you compare to the competition on these things?This is the final step that a hiring manager is looking at, but one of the most important things to look at.Lets say John is thefirst person to interview for a job. One day later, the hiring team meets with a second candidate, Beth.Theyre still going meet other people, but whats the first thing the hiring team is going to discuss after Beth leaves the room?Theyre going to talk about how they thought she compared to John. Thats the first question theyll ask each other.Theyre not deciding who to hire yet (most companies dont make a decision after meeting only 2 people), buttheyre already starting to take note of who stacked up better in which areas.So if you do a great job in the 5 sectionsabove, and the hiring team is already thinking about how your experience seems like itd help you learn this position quickly, or that you seemed like youd get along great with a variety of team members, or that youre very internally-motivated, its going to help you get hired faster, and for better jobs!Helpful Resources Before Your Interview with a Hiring ManagerIf you read the list above, you now know the top 5 things hiring managers look for in an interview.If you want more help preparing for your interview, here are some common questions you should practice:Top 14 interview questions and answers.And here are a couple of the most popular individual questions:Why should we hire you?Why did you leave your last position?Tell me about yourself?

How to Do Attorney Resume Research and Writing

How to Do Attorney Resume Research and WritingAttorney resume research and writing is a great way to generate a quality professional profile. This can greatly benefit you in many ways. It will help get you interviews, it will help with the quality of your clients, and it will also help you raise your standard.When doing attorney resume research and writing you have to start with a good outline. This should be nothing less than a full explanation of your legal career. Include your job title and the year you graduated from law school. You must also list the specific type of attorney you are.Next you need to describe your years of experience which includes any jobs you may have done or past clients you may have dealt with. This should include all of the details, including what your responsibilities were and when you were assigned. The next section of your outline should be your degree of responsibility for each job you were responsible for.Describe each of your years of experience to le ngth. Describe how long you worked on each project, for how long and how many hours per week. Make sure you mention what your clients or duties were in each case. Make a note of when you began your duties, for how long you were there, and how much time you spent on each case.Describe all of your clients. This should cover the type of case you worked on and how many of your clients you handled. It is very important that you state every client to length. Remember it is not necessary to name every client or file or title, but each should be mentioned.Describe the filing or billing department and describe the employees. These employees should be interviewed to determine their years of experience and to get a feel for how they will work with your customers. Try to be as detailed as possible. When you have finished the attorney resume research and writing, do not make a hasty edit.At this point you have not only provided your experience and qualifications, but also the level of responsibi lity you will need. This needs to be carefully thought out. If you plan on moving to another position, you need to be certain that your new job title is a top priority for the company. If the position is a secondary position, you need to be certain that you will be able to keep it if the new attorney is not interested in your abilities.Attorney resume research and writing can make or break your application. When you do your research and write the document carefully, you are more likely to get an interview. This can go a long way towards getting the job that you want. Take your time and do a good job.

Make Sure Youre Helping (Not Hurting) Yourself On Social Media

Make Sure Youre Helping (Not Hurting) Yourself On Social Media Make Sure Youre Helping (Not Hurting) Yourself On Social Media A few years ago, barely a week when by without news of someone getting fired because of something they posted on social media. As awareness grew people have become more careful. That’s a good thing. Particularly if you’re looking for a new job. Today, 70% of employers research candidates on social networking sites and 47% say that they’re unlikely to contact a candidate for an interview if they can’t find them online, according to a 2018 Career Builder survey. What are they looking for? 58% â€"Information that supports the candidate’s qualifications for the job 50%â€"If the candidate has a professional online persona 34%â€"What other people are posting about the candidate 22%â€"A reason not to hire the candidate  What turns employers off? Most, if not all, career professionals will tell you to avoid being negative. Even if your boss is the devil incarnate, it’s not something you should share. Here are some numbers: 25% of survey respondents said a primary reason they didn’t hire a candidate was because they bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee. The top reasons for not moving forward with a candidate were finding: 40%â€"Provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information 36%â€"Information about them drinking or using drugs 31%â€"Discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. 30%â€"Links to criminal behavior 27%â€"Candidate lied qualifications 27%â€"Candidate had poor communication skills What do they like? While some employers are looking for reasons not to hire you, they are also swayed when they find information they like. Top reasons for moving forward with a candidate were finding: 37%â€"Candidates background information supported their professional qualifications for the job 34%â€"Candidate was creative 33%â€"Candidates site conveyed a professional image 31%â€"Candidate was well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests 31%â€"Got a good feel for the candidates personality, could see a good fit within the company culture 28%â€"Candidate had great communications skills Now that you know what impresses employers, use it to your advantage. Here’s how. Candidate’s background information supported job qualifications (37%) How you can make this work for you.  Make sure you have a consistent message across all of your social media channels. While your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t mirror your resume word-for-word, make sure there are no discrepancies. A common mistake is to list different jobs at the same company separately on LinkedIn and then clump these same positions under one title, the most current title, on a resume. Inconsistencies like this may make recruiters and hiring managers wonder what else they may find. Candidate’s site conveyed a professional image (33%) How you can make this work for you. Think carefully about the photos you select as your profile pictures online. No, you don’t need a professional head shot, however, having a LinkedIn profile picture of you in overly casual attire or a photo of you cocktail in hand on Twitter is not going to convey a professional image. If you need to let loose on Facebook at least make sure that your Privacy Settings are on high. Still, when it comes to the Internet there’s no privacy guarantee. While you can’t control everything in the job-search process, you can control what employers will find when they investigate you online. A 2015 CareerBuilder survey found that “research” goes both ways. Savvy job seekers check employers out online too, with 15 percent saying they check hiring managers out on social media, and 38 percent try to directly interact with hiring managers. Candidate’s personality came across as a good fit with the company culture (31%) How you can make this work for you.  Should you fake who you are? No. You shouldn’t try to be someone you are not. But you should be your “best self” online. Hiring managers are put off by constant negativity like snarky comments about your colleagues. They don’t want to see complaints about every, single, restaurant you’ve ever been to either. They’re hoping to find candidates who will get along with their coworkers. What they don’t want is someone who may become a problem. You don’t want to employers to look at your online presence and think “Who would want to work with this person?” Candidate had great communications skills (28%) How you can make this work for you. While you may not think communication skills are that important on social media posts, this survey indicates otherwise. Nearly one third (28%) are favorably impressed by good skills and 27% won’t move forward when the candidate’s skills are lacking. Since having solid communication skills rank high on the plus and minus scales, make sure what you post is well written. Don’t start posting without thinking once you get the job. Nearly half of employers (48%) check current employees on social media and 34% say they have warned or fired an employee based on what they found online. Today, you are who the internet says you are. Make sure you are showing your best self on social networking sites and social media. Employers are watching.

7 Tips on How To Get Your Stagnant Career Moving - CareerAlley

7 Tips on How To Get Your Stagnant Career Moving - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Just like majority of the people in corporate America, you probably want to climb up the corporate ladder as high as you can, dont you? Isnt the feeling of getting promoted the best? Doesnt it feel good to enter your new office, sitting comfortably in your new executive chair while appreciating how FANTABULOUS the view is outside your window? Lets not forget about how GINORMOUS your new office is and the bigger paycheck youre expecting at the end of the month! Friends, if you have all of this going for you, then you probably feel youre pretty much set and youre living a thriving life. I mean who wouldnt right?! But what if youre experiencing the EXACT OPPOSITE? What if youre stuck in your old office where youve been staying for a whopping 10 years and counting? What if your pay is barely paying your bills yet you cant leave the company because your situation doesnt allow you to? You are stuck, frustrated and your career has been stagnant for YEARS! Wouldnt you want to turn your situation around ASAP?! If you answered yes to that, then youre definitely in the right place. Ill share with you some tips to help you increase your chances of getting promoted and seeing some movement in your career. But before I start sharing some killer tips on how you can move-up, I want you to know that Im all ears and am very much interested in what you have to say about the topic. If youre one of the people thats thriving, I urge you to share your suggestions and ideas in the comments section below so we can help more people achieve the kind of career growth that they painstakingly want! Enroll in training or personal development courses I cannot stress to you just how important this tip is. You enrolling in a training course says a lot about who you are and what you want to achieve. It gives a clear message to your companys higher-ups that youre serious about achieving your goals and youre a man of action. Enrolling shows initiative, hunger, and commitment in your part which are qualities that managers are looking for when promoting someone. Once you have this going for you, youve definitely gotten your foot in the door. One way to enrich your training is through an advanced degree. It has never been easier to attain an advanced degree, such as a Masters of Business Administration, since you can take all of the coursework online in your spare time. Once you have this online degree, promotions and new jobs should come naturally because you will be far more qualified than in the past. It takes less than 18-months to get your MBA, but the degree will last a lifetime because of the business knowledge that it includes and confidence that it provides all who complete it. Reach-out and build meaningful connections in your workplace One of the qualities that managers should possess if they are to lead people is the ability to connect with others and build a good relationship. If you dont have this skill and have tons of enemies in your office, you can bet your family jewels that theyll be thinking twice about approving that promotion. In fact, it shows the higher ups that you dont have what it takes to handle a team since you cant even handle yourself accordingly in front of your office mates! Take time to reflect or assess where youre at and what your goals are Simply charging without clearly defining your goals and assessing your current situation can be very dangerous. For all you know, your constant charging might be leading to a path that you arent even interested in having? Take time to think and reflect. I normally do this on our porch while sipping some coffee. Youll be amazed at how enlightened youll feel during your quiet time. The time that you spend reflecting will help you determine your goals and see things as they should be. When you a have a clear understanding of where youre at and where you want to go, youll then have a better action plan of how to make things happen. It is when things are clear to you that you do not zigzag towards your goal. When things are clear, you are able to go straight to it and start realizing your goals! Clarity will do you wonders! Exercise Youre probably not expecting this but trust me, it is important! Its so important that I had to include this even if I know that youre expecting some corporate ninja techniques to get you promoted. So why exercise? Think about it No matter how good and skilled you are, if you arent in your office because youre sick, you wont matter a single cent to your company! Might I remind you that attendance is a key metric that even large companies take into account (especially large companies)! The more you exercise, the healthier you become. The healthier you become, the more productive and less sickly you are. Do you really think youll get promoted if youre always tardy? Study sales Youre probably thinking Im not a salesman. Im a supervisor who wants to become a manager in our department. You probably dont know it but trust me, YOU ARE A SALESMAN! Sales isnt all about having a product and getting money in exchange for it. Sales to some people (just like me) is the power to convince/persuade people. The better you are at persuading, the easier you can answer those interview questions. More importantly, through studying sales, youll be able to influence your peers or the upper management by using the sales techniques that youve learned. You can sell to them an idea (like promoting you) and have them say yes to it because youre so persuasive and youre pushing the right buttons when talking to them! Take time to have some R and R Does this sound familiar..? If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, Id spend six sharpening my axe. Abraham Lincoln. Now that makes total sense! Sometimes, youve got to stop working and start sharpening your axe. Youve got to rest or de-stress so you wont get burned out. The more relaxed and well conditioned you are, the better youll be able to handle the days challenges right? Staying sharp is one of your main priorities if you want to be more productive in your office. Staying sharp is a leader-like quality that most aspiring leaders do not have. Many people are in the wrong habit of being in the work even if I have to die mode! Youre being frustrated and tired while working will surely lead to more errors and more corrections. Thats just way too counter productive! Increase your productivity by innovating Now Im not sure as to what exactly your job role is, you maybe a bank clerk, virtual assistant, writer, etc. I dont really know! But what I do know is, if you take time to innovate, youll become more productive in what youre doing. Think about your work process. Is there something that you can do to add or remove to make things a lot simpler? Are there things that you can outsource or perhaps automate by using a software? Think about these things and see how you might be able to incorporate these in your workload. If youre able to find ways to make your job (and the others for that matter) easier and more efficient, not only will you be able to save time but your managers will see how ingenious your actions are. Acts like that can lead to instant promotion! I hope youve learned a lot from reading this article. As an added note, I just want to emphasize that although learning is important, applying what youve learned is equally as important as well. If what youve learned remains in your head and not put into action, youd be better off not reading this article in the first place. Its when you start putting these things into action when golden doors of opportunities will start opening for you! Dont forget to share your ideas in the comments section below! I hope to hear from you soon! Aileen Galsim is a business blogger from http://www.comss.org . Comss is a software company with a difference their products are designed by business people to be used by business people. They offer Lean software applications for construction, distribution, retail and project-driven businesses.This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif //