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The Challenge of Saying “I Don’t Know” There’s a certain power in saying “I don’t know,” simply because it’s the truth. It can also be an opportunity to learn something new. But if the question is one you should have an answer to, those three words alone may not be enough. Naomi Karten gives some helpful alternatives to just saying "I don't know." |
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Making Time for Reflection How often do you reflect on your career or life? It can be difficult to examine how you work and live to confirm that you are where you want to be. But using some of the same questions and techniques employed in agile retrospectives can help you evaluate your personal choices, too—and brainstorm ideas. |
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No Joke: You Should Be Laughing More How often do you truly laugh? Probably not nearly enough. Laughter relaxes the whole body, boosts the immune system, and relieves stress. It also lowers blood pressure, exercises several muscles, and increases the response of disease-killing cells. That’s a pretty good case for laughing as often as possible. |
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Make Your Customers Feel the Wait Was Worth It Sometimes the only way you can give customers adequate attention is to make other customers wait. In this age of impatience, some people won't like to hear that. But the way you treat those who have had to wait can make a big difference in how satisfied they are with your services. Read on for some advice. |
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How to Listen Actively (or At Least Seem Like You Are) Let's be honest; some people are boring to listen to. Still, when you give someone the impression that you're not listening, to that person, you're not listening. Here are some tips that can help you—both in actual listening, and in just conveying that impression (even if you’re not hanging onto every word). |
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Do You Understand the Risk of Yes/No Questions? Language is ambiguous in the best of cases, but the risk of miscommunication soars if someone answers a question with only "yes" or "no." However, it can be awkward to ask “Can you repeat what I said?” or “Are you sure you understand?” Naomi Karten has some suggestions for communicating beyond. |
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Self-Improvement, or How to Work Up to Your Potential Have you ever been told you have “a lot of potential”? It's meant as a compliment, but it can be a little insulting if you feel you're already working up to your potential. Johanna Rothman shares the steps she took to gather data, assess her work, and discover whether she's working up to her full potential. |
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A Perspective on Other People’s Perspectives Whenever someone behaves in a way that seems inappropriate or counterproductive, it seems useful to wonder what might be going on to trigger that behavior. In the workplace, this matter of perspective requires only that you accept that your colleagues and coworkers face challenges similar to your own. |
