Displaying All Posts by Peter

Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission

“Ask forgiveness, not permission.”

Have you heard this around your workplace? It’s basically a pithy way of saying “I’d rather you go too far than do too little.” Instead of getting bogged down in the bureaucracy, they’re telling you to move forward with your work – even if you have to bend a few rules.

Whoever says this to you clearly trusts your judgment and approves of your past work. The phrase may sound a little strange, but consider it a compliment and a testament to your reliability. You’re getting permission to bulldoze through the roadblocks instead of stopping the whole operation – you get to keep the “flow” going for both you and your organization.

Just don’t take it too far.

Have you ever worked for an organization that endorses this philosophy?  Punishes those who follow it? Let us know in the comments. Click Here to Read Article …

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Paying Your Dues As An Entry-Level Employee

“Entry-level” work often consists of the mundane, tedious tasks that managers and veterans just won’t do anymore. The term itself makes it quite clear that entry-level positions are at the bottom of the office rankings. Being the “new guy” or the “rookie” at work can seem like a raw deal, but the right outlook can help you pay your dues as painlessly as possible. It’s a rite of passage that almost every one of your co-workers survived at the start of their career. If you do your entry-level work right the first time, you’ll never have to revisit the bottom of the totem pole. But, if you approach it with a poor attitude and a shaky work ethic, you might find yourself a permanent position in entry-level limbo. Click Here to Read Article …

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To Thrive or Survive – Working Under Pressure

Have you ever heard someone say that they “work best under pressure”? It sounds like such a positive thing to say about your work habits. But, what if instead of “working best under pressure” they mean that they work only when under pressure, or that they even require pressure to get any work done at all?

Suddenly, it doesn’t sound like such a great way to describe yourself. Do you want people to get the impression that they need to pressure you in order to get you to increase your productivity? If so, get ready for an unnecessarily stressful work experience.

Instead of claiming to “work best under pressure”, consider the opposite: Present yourself as a “self-starter” who needs no pressure, prodding, babysitting, or queuing of any kind to get their work done. The term “self-starter” is just as clichéd, but at least it’s not suggesting to your peers that they have to nag you nonstop to get your best efforts.

Now if you truly do thrive under pressure, then by all means seek it out. But if not, do yourself a favor and find a tactful way to say, “I can handle pressure, but I don’t require it to excel.” Click Here to Read Article …

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Dealing With “The Impossible” At Work

The novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is a “satirical critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning.” The book is famous, unique and hilarious, but the term “Catch-22″ itself has become more popular than the book it came from. The phrase may seem old and obscure, but it’s still part of the English lexicon, and it’s been used most recently in popular TV shows like Lost and The Office. Click Here to Read Article …

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Why Being A “Jack Of All Trades” Works

In the workplace of yesterday, most jobs existed as a fixed set of clear-cut, unchanging duties. Rarely did the nature of the work vary, and in many cases a worker’s ability to repeat the same exact process and produce identical results was commended. Just ask an assembly-line worker or a railroad builder if “outside-the-box thinking,” or “creative innovating” was welcome in their workplace. They’d probably tell you that “thinking outside the box” is more likely to result in a factory-wide meltdown or a train wreck than a pat on the back or a promotion. Click Here to Read Article …

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