The Management Tip of the Day

  The   end   of   the   year is stressful enough without   the   extra pressure   of last-minute requests due before New Year’s Eve. Here are four strategies to help you mitigate   the   crunch.   Be proactive if you suspect a request is coming your way.   If you’ve noticed a pattern   of   year-end requests piling up in previous years, it’s time to take a proactive approach. Initiate conversations with your leaders about   the ir needs.   Clarify what you’re being asked to do.   When you get a last-minute request, don’t hesitate to ask follow-up questions to better understand   the   problem your colleagues want you to solve—and   the ir reasons why it needs to be done now.   Reprioritize your commitments.   While you don’t want to build a habit   of   canceling or rescheduling meetings or due dates,   the   end- of -year rush can justify an honest reorgani...

  To foster a culture   of   adaptability, engagement, and high performance on your team, you need to demonstrate consistent curiosity about your employees, yourself, and your organization. Here’s how: Curiosity about employees.   Organizations are a collection   of the   mindsets, attitudes, and values   of   the   people that work within   the m. To shape your team’s culture, you need to understand people’s values and motivations. Talk to employees directly, formally survey   the m, or engage in focus groups about   the   team’s culture to tap into your collective wisdom. Curiosity about yourself.   As your culture evolves, you must too. Reflect with open-mindedness on your own role. Ask yourself: How have I evolved over time within this team and this organization?   The   better you understand your own position in   the   culture,   the   better suited you’ll be to lead and shape it. C...

  Talking about your accomplishments can make you appear more competent and capable, but it can also make you seem colder, less friendly, and more selfish. In contrast, self-deprecation, deflecting credit, or sharing setbacks can make you seem more approachable—but less competent.    Researchers found that you can walk this tightrope by practicing “dual promotion,” or pairing a self-promotional statement with one that highlights or compliments someone else.   Start by identifying whom you want to promote alongside yourself. At   the   of fice, praise your colleagues’ work before you mention your own. If you’re in a competition   of   some kind, compliment your competitor. If you’re engaged in a more individual endeavor—for example, writing a novel—compliment a colleague whom you admire. Be sure that your compliments   of   o the rs are genuine and specific. Overly general praise lands as disingenuous and fake.   The n, focus on your...

  We know how important relationship-building is at work. But it’s critical to build a network that compensates for your weaknesses ra the r than reinforcing your existing strengths. To grow a network that boosts your performance,   the   key is to surround yourself with people who support you in areas where your cognitive style is not naturally suited. Here’s how to do it.   Identify your cognitive style.   Are you more   of   an innovator (someone who excels at generating new ideas) or an adaptor (someone who’s skilled at implementing ideas but lacks creativity)? Do some reflecting on your habits and preferences and consider where you fall on   the   spectrum between   the   two extremes.   Map your network.   Start by creating a list   of   your contacts, including colleagues, collaborators, mentors, and o the r people you interact with regularly at work.   The n categorize   the m based on your rela...

  When you can’t focus, your mind tells you that a “quick” look, click, or check is what you should do right now. If you find yourself constantly derailed by your unfettered curiosity, here’s how to intentionally direct it to help you identify new ideas, opportunities, and creative solutions to problems.   First, identify what’s useful—and hold   of f on everything else. Productive curiosity is directed toward something that you actually want and need to get done. If you come across something else that catches your interest, add it to a list   of future items to explore when you have more time.   The n, apply intentional curiosity to problem solving. Give yourself some time and space to figure out what’s truly causing an issue before leaping to solve it. This pause is where you can apply intentional curiosity by doing research, investigating   the data, and talking with stakeholders.   Finally, be curious about your work relationships. Challenge  ...

  As you consider what your organization should look like in   the world   of   hybrid work, don’t overlook one important factor: your pet policy. New research shows   the re are plenty   of   upsides to a pet-friendly workplace, including increased employee well-being and collaboration and benefits for recruitment and retention. Here’s how to think through what your pet policy could look like.   Understand   the   unique needs   of   your workplace and all stakeholders.   Be clear about when, where, and which animals are welcome, owner responsibilities, and how to handle infractions. It’s best to implement behavioral-based guidelines over breed restrictions (i.e., don’t ban Dobermans; ban disruptive dogs).   Consider local and legal requirements.   Review liability for accidents, specify hygienic requirements for areas such as cafeterias, and communicate all this to employees. Look to   the hospitality and ...

  You   of ten can’t control whe the r a career setback will happen to you, but you can control how you respond. Here’s how to put toge the r a fallback plan so you’ll be ready if things unexpectedly go sideways.   First, identify   the   worst-case scenario. This exercise shouldn’t stress you out. Think   of   it as a one-time thought experiment that allows you to think calmly about what could go wrong—and how you might handle   the   challenge if it does.   The n, write down   the   obstacles that immediately spring to mind when you consider   the   worst-case scenario. For example, if you’re creating a fallback plan for a rescinded job   of fer,   the obstacles might be   the   impact on your self-esteem,   the discomfort   of   explaining   the   situation to o the rs, or   the   fear   of restarting your job search.   After that, clarify your non-ne...

  Being curious can help you become a better leader, learner, and a more valuable employee. Here are four science-based ways to streng the n your curiosity muscle.   First, ditch all excuses. Stop telling yourself that you’re too busy to learn something new or that it’s on your boss to motivate you to cultivate new skills and find new opportunities. Acknowledge   the   fact that your curiosity is your own responsibility, and set aside time to explore your interests.   The n, find   the   right angle. Ask yourself what you’d like to know more about and what you want to be an expert in. Set aside 20 to 30 minutes each   day   to intentionally cultivate those things—whe the r that’s through reading, writing, or having conversations with likeminded people.   Next, be prepared to change your routine. Don’t underestimate   the   power   of   switching when and how you perform your daily tasks; what route you take to work; w...

  As a manager, you have   the   ability to promote a positive culture   of   mental health on your team. Here are three evidence-based strategies you can use to support your team members on a regular basis.   Encourage acts   of   kindness.   Acts   of   kindness toward o the rs can improve mental health because   the y take people’s minds   of f   of   the ir own problems. Lead by example: Express gratitude to people for   the ir specific contributions, ask   the m what you can do to improve   the ir experience at work, and help   the m pursue career-development goals. If your team sees that you value kindness,   the y’ll feel more inclined to extend kindness to   the ir coworkers.   Promote physical exercise.   The   simple activity   of   walking in nature has been shown to decrease rumination and neural activity associated with mental illness. Exercise t...

  Most leaders understand that employee engagement is an important driver   of   productivity. But what does it really mean—and how can you actually engage   the   people on your team? It’s all about making   the m feel seen, heard, and encouraged.   To help your employees feel seen, be proactive about fostering a sense   of   belonging on your team. This means making sure each person understands   the   value   the y bring to   the   table, and that   the ir presence would be missed if   the y were absent. Greet people by name, ask   the m about   the ir lives outside   of   work, express appreciation for   the ir contributions, and create time and space for friendships and a sense   of   community to form in   the workplace.   Making your employees feel heard entails soliciting   the ir feedback, suggestions, and ideas—even if   the y’re unconventional...