Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you work with turkeys”?

I’ve been hearing stories for an aspiring eaglet about one such turkey for a couple of months now.  Her boss is a micromanager whose skills are limited, making it very difficult to work with her.  What to do?

 Some tips to keep in mind:

1. She’s the boss.
   She is in the power position; it’s your job to make her look good.  As difficult as it may be to accept, you simply must do so while you work for her.  If you think you can hide your resentment or annoyance, think again - emotions like these tend to manifest themselves making an already bad situation even worse.
2. Make lemons out of lemonade.
   It may be a challenge but if you try hard, you can uncover at least one thing you can learn from her.  In the most extreme situations, much of what you can learn will fall into the category of “what NOT to do” but don’t give up until you find the thing(s) she does well too.
3. Keep your feelings to yourself.
   Resist the temptation to loudly broadcast your boss’s failings to anyone at the office who’ll listen. It’s unprofessional and it will come back to haunt you. Tell a friend instead, feel free to vent with no risk to your career.

These tips are useful while you are struggling to deal with the situation but the bigger picture question is, “Is your boss coachable?”  If so, you can negotiate ways to work with her that will enable you to do your best work - and to get the credit you deserve for doing it.  If not, then it’s time to change your situation.

TAGS: Being a team player, career cache, career derailments, coping skills, strategies for success

I had dinner recently with a cousin; she mentioned how difficult it is for her to manage all the demands on her time.  I shared this matrix (inspired by Steven Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) with her:

Here’s how you can use this tool to keep your focus and accomplish the things that are important to do: (more…)

TAGS: career cache, focus, Stephen Covey, time, ways to work healthy, Women at Work

Consider the cost of volunteering for low-profile tasks.  They rarely add to your career cache. 

TAGS: career cache, Volunteering at work