Displaying All Posts by Kayla Albert

How to Deal with Criticism

Kayla Albert 3rd December Communication Leave a Comment

Recently I received an email from a coworker, clearly angry in tone, berating my performance on a project I completed. My first reaction was irritation, then defensiveness, then I resorted to blaming everyone that did or didn’t have a hand in the project.

As a perfectionist, I have a tough time taking criticism from anyone – no matter how loving the source. Why allow others to put their two cents in when I’m already dealing with an overly-critical inner self?

But once the defensiveness subsided and I had handled the situation to the best of my ability, I was able to recognize something extremely important – if I were to remove the emotion from the situation and simply see it as neutral bits of information he was trying to convey, I could actually agree with several of the things he was saying.

In trying to protect my ego, I had stopped listening and shut down – a reaction that wasn’t helping him or me.

Here are a few tips I’ve discovered from dealing with criticism in the workplace. Click Here to Read Article …

How to Work Less While Producing More

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” ~ Michael Altshuler

When I was inching my way towards college graduation and anticipating what lies ahead, I wasn’t dreading stepping into the “real world” and getting a full time job, but I was dreading falling into the picture of what society tells us a full time job has to look like.

I didn’t want someone to tell me that I needed to sit in front of a computer between the hours of eight and five, with two fifteen minute breaks and one half and hour break if I’m lucky. I wanted to be productive, in a nontraditional way. Click Here to Read Article …

6 Tips for Writing Effective Email

Kayla Albert 9th October Communication Leave a Comment

Working as a member of the media in a town with only a few reputable publications, I receive a lot of email. And most of the emails are from individuals or organizations that are hoping to receive something in return – space in our publication or at least assistance with spreading the word about something they are invested in.

While the majority of these requests come from people that mean well – and many have very worthy causes – the sheer volume of requests that I receive means I have to be diligent about filtering them.

For this reason I’ve become extremely picky about the way in which an email is constructed. If you’re looking to get your point across via email, here are six tricks of the trade that I’ve gathered from experience. Click Here to Read Article …

5 Pitfalls of Busyness

Kayla Albert 23rd September Productivity Leave a Comment

One of the many ways we measure worth in our society is by busyness. Sharing how busy our lives are with each other boosts the feeling that we are important, in demand, and moving quickly towards success.

But does our ability to fill up hours in a day really mean that we are spending our time effectively? Probably not.

I once had a friend that was always rushing off to the next meeting or appointment, complaining in between that her schedule was jam packed and she was utterly exhausted from it all. Click Here to Read Article …

How to Fit in Exercise with Work

Kayla Albert 11th September Health Leave a Comment

I spent the majority of my early adult life being entirely sedentary, battling with the extreme guilt I felt for not being more athletic and always resorting to using my laptop instead of my legs.

Of course having a job that required I be connected to the internet 30+ hours a week was a great excuse – how could I be active when my livelihood required that I be the opposite?

While I may have accepted this “reality” on the surface, I knew that I would feel better and be more productive if I actually took the time to fit in exercise — maybe not a full hour every day, but a little bit here and there.

Time was something I did have – and yes, most of us do – but the reality was that I had never tried to commit my time to something like exercise. I was content simply talking about how I was too busy to work out, then spending my nights watching TV or browsing the internet.

I finally reached the point where I felt like I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by simply committing to taking small steps towards a more active lifestyle.

Click Here to Read Article …

Layoffs – How to Navigate the Threat of One

Kayla Albert 7th August Your Job Leave a Comment

It’s easy to say that within the past few years, the majority of the population has been affected by mass layoffs in one way or another. Whether you’ve been asked to pack your bags or you’ve seen how losing a job has adversely affected a friend or family member, it’s a tough situation to handle.

A few weeks ago I was in the midst of the layoff pandemonium as I watched coworkers clean off their desks and begin a frantic search for employment elsewhere. While I wasn’t the one laid off, I immediately went into panic mode, revamping my resume and crossing my fingers that I wouldn’t be blindsided sometime in the near future.

Then, after calming down a bit, I found myself hysterical again when another coworker filled me in on gossip she had heard around the office about more cutbacks. For me, and for most people dealing with this situation, it’s an adrenaline-filled roller coaster of emotion.

Click Here to Read Article …

7 Secrets to Dealing with Difficult Customers

Kayla Albert 10th July Business Leave a Comment

Regardless of the industry we work in, most of us, at one point or another, have had experiences dealing with difficult customers or clients.

For me this means fielding countless emails and phone calls from customers with unreasonable requests and constantly handling complaints for things that are entirely out of my control.

Pair the frustration of these things with a client or customer who is rude or overly demanding, and that can be a recipe for disaster – but only if I let it reach that point.

Instead, I’ve learned to follow a few simple rules in order to keep my sanity intact and keep those I’m dealing with feeling heard and satisfied with the results. The following are 7 tips on how to deal with difficult customers. Click Here to Read Article …

How to Incorporate Personal Growth into the Workplace

Kayla Albert 7th June Office Life Leave a Comment

Most people are not overjoyed at the prospect of working in a traditional office setting. In addition to the everyday drudgery that they’ve learned to associate with this lifestyle, they also think about a loss of self.

You’re just another number, another desk filler that keeps the wheels turning while putting any hope of personal growth and satisfaction on the back burner. Right?

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Sometimes placing ourselves smack dab in the middle of what we see as a less than ideal situation offers the greatest chance for growth – personally and professionally. Click Here to Read Article …

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