My Crazy Office

My Crazy Office is a weekly workplace podcast dedicated to helping listeners navigate their careers. Executive coach Kathi Elster and career therapist Katherine Crowley combine their expertise to solve both serious and silly situations at work. Join Kathi and Katherine as they answer real workplace questions with solid advice and a side of humor. Do you have someone or something at work that’s driving your crazy? Send your questions to info@mycrazyoffice.co. (All submissions kept confidential.)

What’s the Plan?

At the start of a new year, it’s common for individuals to set new intentions, make resolutions and map out new goals. But what if you aren’t sure what you want to accomplish this year? How do you make a plan?

Sometimes, the best way to begin planning is by remembering what matters to you. In our case, we are passionate about helping people take responsibility for their work lives and create fulfilling careers. Our plan should incorporate activities that allow us to profitably assist individuals as they navigate their most challenging workplace relationships and pursue their most heartfelt career goals. To that end, we can focus on producing, marketing and distributing goods and services that achieve those desired results.

How about you? What matters most in your world? Do you care about health, information, art, technology? Do you want to influence others, lead a team, or blaze your own trail? Are you passionate about politics, the environment, travel? Once you tap into what matters most, try crafting a plan for 2013 that allows you to pursue it. You’ll enjoy the journey — I promise.

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Making the Holidays Yours

It’s everywhere — music, decorations, jingles, wrapped gifts, advertisements to buy, buy, buy. “Ho Ho Ho!” But what if you feel, “No, No, No!” this holiday season.

Honestly, it is obnoxious to expect people to be happy just because a holiday declares you should be. As a result, this time of year fills many people with anxiety, anger, and despair.

When it comes to this time of year, we all have a decision to make: Either find what you like about this season and make it yours, or stew in resentment until it’s over.

Personally, I like the lights (in dark days) and sending out cards to offer thanks and good wishes. You?

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When Talking Beats Texting at Work

The digital age is amazing. We can deliver all kinds of messages and solve all kinds of problems. Here’s the trick — electronic communication (email, texts, tweets) when addressing an emotionally charged situation is always open to misinterpretation. When in doubt, say it to the other person’s face. Old fashioned? Maybe. But sensitive material deserves personal delivery.

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The 6 Rules Of Managing Up

  1. Train Your Boss to meet with you regularly
  2. Come to every meeting with a Detailed Agenda
  3. Keep a pulse on your bosses Changing Priorities
  4. Take the time to See Your Boss’s Side of things
  5. Anticipate Problems and offer solutions
  6. Always be prepared to give a Status Report on your projects
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Bestselling authors Katherine and Kathi use humor and a slue of engaging techniques to mediate solutions for individuals at every level of employment — from executives to managers to frontline employees.

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