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

With all the talk of economic instability, it may seem untoward to be thinking about how to ask for a raise but if you have demonstrated the value you bring to your company, it very well may be feasible.  In fact, smart companies are more likely to want to keep their top talent satisfied in challenging times.

The May/June issue of Pink Magazine (cited here before) included 2007 survey results which indicated that 51% of women had asked for a raise, perk or promotion (down from 54% in 2006).  And it paid to ask - of those who did, 79% heard “yes”.

When you get ready to broach the subject, start by benchmarking what you should be paid.  Penelope Trunk (The Brazen Careerist) mentioned a few online sources she recommends in a recent post. This step is critical for women who get much better outcomes when they negotiate for themselves armed with good information. 

TAGS: Economy, income, income disparity, negotiating pay, Negotiation, negotiation skills, Penelope Trunk, recession, strategies for success, Women and Money, women's equality

I have to admit it.  I’m a Scrabbleholic.  I crave words.  I take my handheld game with me everywhere.  Long waits in doctor’s offices are made more tolerable when I try to beat my best score.  Television commercials are wasted on me as I pick up my handheld and get in a game between shows. I play while waiting for the car at the car wash.  But I’ve come to realize it’s not such a bad thing.  Scrabble can teach you just about everything you need to know to be successful in life and work.  If you think I’m kidding, consider these valuable lessons:

1.  Look to your opponent to teach you something that might one day come in handy.   When that pesky little computer opponent comes up with a word like qoph (a Hebrew letter) or jato (a takeoff aided by jet propulsion) I am compelled to immediately look it up to learn its meaning.  Then, at the perfect opportunity, I turn the tables and use one of those words to win the game. 

2.  When you’re winning, take more risks.  If I’m ahead by 100 or 150 points, that’s the time when I lay down a word that may or may not be in the official Scrabble dictionary or use spaces dangerously close to the coveted triple word score hoping it will still be available on my next turn. You’d be surprised at how many letters you can string together that form real words that you may have never heard of – like orra (an adjective meaning occasional) or yare (nimble).

3.  Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.  Sometimes I’ll be staring at my letters, searching for just one word that will allow me to use them all, empty my electronic tray, and reward me with those 50 extra points.  But nothing appears.  Then I start putting letters on the board, shifting them around, playing with words like they were putty in my hands and suddenly they form a word I couldn’t see before I took such bold action.  It’s a reminder that sometimes you just have to make a move that gets you out of your head and into the game.   

4.  Plan ahead and think strategically.  The nights when I’m dog-tired and play the game as an excuse to not have to think much more for the day, are the same times when I’m doomed to mediocrity.  I may win a game here or there, but I don’t reach my personal best.  As in life, in Scrabble you can’t just act for the moment and expect to get ahead in the long-term.  You’ve always got to be thinking about your next move and sometimes the one after that. 

5.  Take the small wins.  Not every move you make is going to allow you to win the jackpot. As much as I loathe having to hit the “done” button knowing a word that will bring me less than 20 points, I also know every point makes a difference. The trick is to pocket the big wins, prepare for the small ones, and at times be grateful you could make any word at all.  You win some, you lose some, but you suit up for them all.

TAGS: playing the game, Scrabble, strategies for success