Another day, another dollar! We know you’ve been busy with the hustle and bustle of work, don’t worry. In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are the top business, leadership, and workplace musings that had us talking this week—all focused on being a better manager and not looking like an idiot at work!
Yikes! Three Ways mangers Start on the Wrong Foot
It’s difficult to undo a bad first impression. This week, Heidi Grant Halvorson wrote an article in Harvard Business Review about how managers start on the wrong foot. It’s a great article filled with fabulous advice.
Here are a few tips on how to bounce back if you start on the wrong foot.
- Act like you know everything. Overconfident people tend to rub people the wrong way. Your enthusiasm about leading a new team could come off a little too strong. Don’t act like you know everything; check yourself to ensure your enthusiasm and opinions are well received.
- Acting too professional. This may seem counterintuitive, but acting too professional can make you look unapproachable. According to the article, to be successful, your team needs to trust you, “And to figure out if you are trustworthy, people will tune in to two particular aspects of your character, right from the get-go – your warmth and your competence.
- Hide the crazy. There’s a difference between being authentic and being crazy. Showing your crazy tendencies makes you look like you lack self-control and, as a result, makes you appear less trustworthy.
75 incorrect words used that make you look… dumb!
No one wants to look like an idiot, but English can be tricky! There are always those words you struggle to get right. Jeff Haden on Inc. compiled a foolproof list of the 75 words you might not use correctly.
Here are a few from the list:
- Adverse and averse
- Between and among
- Elicit and illicit
- Insure and ensure
- Peak and peek (this one gets super tricky when you want to write “sneak peek”)
- Sympathy and empathy
When it’s necessary to be a jerk at work
This week, Lydia Dishman, a FastCompany contributor, interviewed Andrea Cutright, chief operating officer of Ask. Fm, about how sometimes you must be assertive and ruffle a few feathers to achieve your work goals. In the article, Cutright clarifies what she means by a jerk. Jerks aren’t micromanagers, narcissists, or bullies. Being a jerk means that you’re confident in what you want and willing to stand up and fight for it.
A few of the key takeaways include:
- Forget compromise and focus
- Know the right time to be a jerk
- There’s a difference between like and respect
- Know when to back down
One of my favorite quotes from the article is:
“It is easier to act like a jerk when it comes from a place of passion, and when you want it to lead to a very specific action,” she says. “Being unyielding can demonstrate power in a way that knowing facts or being smart or being charming cannot,” she adds.