Be a Great Colleague

There’s no doubt, it’s always nicer to work in an environment where the people around you are positive and cheerful.  In fact positivity is downright contagious.  Unfortunately so is negativity, which is why it’s not a trait appreciated by co-workers or bosses. Negativity can spread like a wild fire, which is the last thing any company needs. So if you find that you tend to be a bit of an Eeyore at your work, you may want to mend your ways.

If you’re dour and rarely dole out praise, the Globe & Mail suggests that you can change the perception of others by praising more often and more enthusiastically. And if you have a habit of complaining frequently, and blaming others when mistakes are made, stop. Instead roll with the punches and find the good even during the bad times. After all, if there is one quality appreciated more than any other, it’s optimism.

Be Indispensable

Do you ever feel that you’re overlooked by your boss?  Maybe you think it’s about time for your company to take you seriously.  Hmmm, well, probably the best place to start is taking yourself seriously says the Globe and Mail.  How?  Well begin by clarifying your goals and what you hope to achieve within your company.  Then look around and see where your goals match up with the company’s needs. Then get cracking.

Start taking courses, workshops and training that will help land the position you want or make the most of the job you have. It’ll keep you top of mind with management for when they do have new positions or new projects. But don’t stop there; make sure you offer your insight and skills you’ve gathered to others at work through presentations or in meetings.  Before you know it, you’ll be the go-to person in your organization and be seen by management as indispensable, rather than over-looked.

Stop Getting Side Tracked at Work

So, you come to your job every day with a positive attitude and a great work ethic.  So why do you continually get passed up on promotions? It’s a question that you might want to ask yourself if advancement seems to evade you says the book Change Anything.  Thing is, you might be surprised at the answer.  It might be that you get caught up in smaller tasks that really don’t do a lot for a company’s success.

In other words, you get side-tracked with little jobs that keep you off your primary role at work.  It might be simply because you have trouble saying no when a colleague asks you to help out with some lesser tasks.  So here’s a thought.  If you have trouble saying an outright no, promise yourself that you’ll respond to the request in 24 hours. That gives you time to reassess your priorities instead of jumping in with a yes and getting side tracked once again.

Remember That Name

So, you got yourself a break and were introduced to someone who could help you in your career.  Problem is, the moment after you met, the name slipped your mind.  It happens to all of us, but there are ways to improve our name memories says Psychology Today. Try focusing on a person’s eyes, because that is one part of the face that doesn’t really change, so even after seeing someone years later you may remember who they are when you look in their eyes.  (22)

Or try associating someone’s name with something or someone they remind you of. Planning ahead by reading a guest list, or name of a job interviewer, or new boss will help you kindle your memory.  Finally, practice makes perfect, so when watching movies or TV shows enhance your memory skills by recalling the names of celebrities. A little game of name that face can do wonders to improve your recall ability.

Hard Wired for Stress

Do you get easily stressed out at life’s little annoyances? Well, it may have more to do with your childhood than the stress at hand.  Studies now show that those who easily boil over likely grew up with parental conflict, instability or were raised by anxious, over-bearing parents. In turn they developed a hyper-sensitivity to threats and hazards. So, if you’re a person who easily gets stressed out, here are some tips from the Globe & Mail.
First, recognize when you feel anxious, and tell those anxious thoughts to stop, even saying ‘stop’ out loud. Then breathe deeply, and replace those anxious thoughts with positive ones.  Of course, avoiding stress in the first place help, like changing your route to work to avoid those nasty traffic jams. And if all else fails, let nature step in.  Even a short walk in nature does wonders to soothe our inner savage beasts.

Stop Being Picky

So that annoying boss of yours criticized your work again.  Sure she was only pointing out a few spelling and grammatical errors, but really. Who does she think she is?  If you find that a little criticism makes you a little prickly you may have a personality trait you’ll want to address, for career’s sake.  After all being easily offended can make co-workers and bosses uncomfortable at the very least, and it can shut down constructive conversation.  So what to do? Well, according to the Globe and Mail, if you have a thin skin and are easily offended, take a deep breath, hear out the complaint and wait a moment before responding.  Ask yourself what are they are trying to tell you, and then try to use that information to improve your work. In other words, see your critic as someone who is playing for your team and in the long run, maybe they’ll help you stay in the game.

Get a Mentor

When it comes to reaching the top, forget the corporate ladder.  Instead, you’re best to get that ‘foot up’ with a mentor, but thinking that a mentor in our careers will automatically show up like a fairy godmother is a fallacy says Psychology Today.  Generally we have to seek them out, and we need more than one; after all if you have a one and only, what do you do if they move away or get fired?  So who makes the best mentors? Try people with clout because we all need someone with influence to help boost our careers.  And when you do have a mentor who passes on your resume, or advocates for you, remember to show gratitude.  While you may not be able to help them at this point in your career, a thank you card can go far. Finally, while a mentor may give you a helping hand, they aren’t your therapist, so when you feel insecure or whiny, share with your pals and leave your mentor out of it.

Write It Out

When was the last time your wrote, really wrote a letter to someone by putting a real pen to a real piece of paper? Can’t remember?  Well, you’re not alone.  Handwriting is a dying art.  But according to recent research, handwriting offers more benefits than we could ever imagine.  Handwriting, it seems, is good for our brains. According to Psychology Today, children who print or wrote out letters showed more activity in the visual part of the brain than the children who just practiced letter recognition alone.

According to researchers it’s the non-uniform letters produced by hand writing that enhances letter recognition, in turn making us better readers and gives our brains a work out.  So, next time you need to write a letter or email…try writing it out first by hand. It’ll not only help keep your brain in shape, but you’ll be helping to keep a dying art alive!

Office Pranks

Well, it’s April Fools, and that means nothing is off limits when it comes to office pranks and jokes, right?  Well, maybe not. Humour at work can be really powerful at easing tension, fostering camaraderie and even sparking creativity.  And those with a good sense of humour often find themselves in line for promotions.  But humour can also backfire.  A prank that causes someone harm or hurt feelings isn’t really funny.  It’s just plain mean. In fact, there’s a fine line between jokes and plain old bullying.

Telling racist, sexist, religious or ethnic jokes could lead to dismissal. The Globe and Mail says your best bet is to use safe humour like self-deprecating jokes, as long as you don’t continually undermine yourself to get a laugh.  Overall, the key is make jokes about situations, not people. That way you won’t look like April’s fool.

Moving on After Failure

Okay, I’ve got good news and bad news.  First the bad – we will all be fired or suffer some type of career failure.  The good news – we can get over it.  When we suffer from a work crisis, our self-confidence can take a real beating. . Men sometime lash out in anger, women often berate themselves, and young people can take it to heart because they haven’t had enough good feedback to counteract the bad.

According to the Globe & Mail, career consultant Barbara Moses says we all need to recognize this isn’t the end of the world.  So stop berating yourself – it’ll just take longer to feel better.  Instead write out a list of positive feedback you’re received over the years. Don’t let this crisis define who you are. Do something good for yourself, like enjoying a hobby or sport. And get support from others including family, friends and even professionals to help clear the air so you can move forward.