My Crazy Office | K Squared Enterprises

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 one thing you can complete today?

June 13, 2012

In this age of multi-tasking, multi-texting, multi-platforms and constant responding, it can be very difficult to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a work day.

Each day may require that you attend several meetings, respond to hundreds of emails, juggle many projects.

One way to help yourself get organized is to simply decide on ONE THING that you need to accomplish each day. Pick one thing — it could be a sales pitch you need to finish or an important email that you want to send. It could be a call you’ve been meaning to make, or a design you want to refine.

Focus on and complete one thing — It will help the rest of your day fall into place. And it will satisfy that part of your mind that needs to see results.

Try it. Pick one thing. Complete it. Check it off the list. Then see how you feel.

12 Questions To Ask Yourself When Hiring A New Employee

June 12, 2012

The 12 questions to ask yourself when hiring a new employee

Is this person capable of multitasking and learning at the level we need?
Does this person take negative or constructive feedback from management well?
Does this person have the time management skills required for this job?
Has this person demonstrated that he/she comprehends this position fully?
Can this person take direction? Or is this person a bad listener?
Does this person ask the right questions? Or does this person ask the same questions too often?
Does this person show initiative?
Has this person proved to me that they have a desire to learn the job they are being hired to do?
Does this person have enthusiasm for the work we do?
Does this person have the skills that is required to do this job?
Does this person communicate clearly?
Does this person fit our culture?

5 Tips On How to Improve or Maintain Company Morale

June 11, 2012

Communication is key – keep your staff well informed about job security and the businesses financial health.
Show appreciation – Awards, public thank you, small gifts – wine, food, gasoline etc.
Plan fun company events – picnics, bowling, pot-luck lunch.
Remember birthdays, anniversaries, celebrate each other with a small gift of recognition.
Have managers take the time to meet with staff and check in to see how people are doing, when there is no salary increase, sometimes caring can go along way.

Responding to negative feedback

June 11, 2012

How do you feel when someone offers negative feedback to you? Do you appreciate it? Do you wish the person would go away? Do you bristle or blush or get steaming mad?

Receiving, processing and responding to feedback that isn’t positive can be a challenging exercise for many people. If you’re someone who cares deeply about your work, if you’re determined to produce excellent results, negative feedback can be humbling — even painful.

But it’s also extremely rich. If you can take the message and use it for learning purposes, (instead of a whipping post) negative feedback always helps you grow.

Today, if someone criticizes your way of performing a task, or corrects your presentation, or re-writes your copy or critiques your design, see if you can take the information in without feeling bad about yourself or despising the messenger.

Say “I’m willing to find the good in this moment.” Take a breath, thank the person who delivers it, and take a little time to cool off. Then use the feedback to improve your professional self.

3 Actions to Take When Dealing with a Difficult Boss

June 8, 2012

The best ways to deal with a difficult boss, is to take care of yourself by:

Detaching – easier said then done, but by making sure that you are exercising – to release the negative energy of dealing with a difficult personality. A boss who is a grandiose or a control freak will exhaust you so finding ways to restore your energy are important.
When dealing with a boss who lies, or is spine-less, take actions to repair you’re emotional state like seeking short-term counseling. Don’t isolate reach out and connect with friends to get a reality check, you are not crazy.
It’s also important to rebuild your confidence. Difficult bosses like a angry yelling boss or a dismissive undermining boss have a way of eroding one’s self confidence, so please be sure to spend time with people who believe in you like a mentor or a past boss who will help you remember who you are.

Once you feel whole again you will be able to see that the issue is not you. At that time remember to document your boss’s actions and take them to HR.