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The Win-Win Benefit of Expressing Appreciation People are less likely to express thanks or appreciation at work than anyplace else. But studies suggest that employees who feel appreciated are more productive and loyal, so it's worth making an effort. The intriguing bit? It's a win-win experience—when you appreciate someone, you feel good, too. |
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What Are You Measuring? Many teams do single-point measurements in their projects. But that doesn't give you a good long-term picture. When you look at multiple-dimension measurements—especially trends over time—you learn more. You can take those trends into a retrospective to investigate how your team could work better. |
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What's Your Story? How Testers Add Value Testers have a story. It involves the kind of information we gather, the way we gather it, whom we tell, and what decisions are impacted by it. Management has their own story, but sometimes the goals are different. Find out the story your executives have for testing, and see what value it brings. |
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Should Leaders Be Likable? It's not the job of a leader to be likable. Still, for most leaders, there's little to be gained—and possibly much to lose—by being unlikable. But what makes someone likable isn't obvious. What traits and actions should a leader exhibit if he or she wants to be effective as well as likable? |
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A Novel Approach to Saying No to Your Manager People say you shouldn't manage your manager. But when you reach a point when you are overwhelmed with work, it’s time to fend for yourself and say no. However, you don't have to use threats or ultimatums. Read on to learn how you can stand up to your manager without sacrificing tact—or your job. |
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A Win-Win versus a Win-Lose Approach to Conflict Too often when people address a conflict, they take an I-win-you-lose approach. That distracts from focusing on opportunities for agreement and can make ongoing relationships difficult. When people have to work together, the wise approach is one that serves the best interests of both parties. |
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How Challenging Your Beliefs Can Improve Your Work The psychological term "confirmation bias" means that once you have a certain belief, you tend to see evidence that supports that belief and to ignore, belittle, or miss evidence that refutes it. This can make you narrow-minded. Instead, try to seek evidence that challenges or refutes your beliefs. |
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Agile and Fear Come Hand in Hand If you’re looking to make the whole organization agile—through iterative work cycles, continuous improvement, and direct feedback from customers—fear has to be involved to some degree. But in order to foster a culture of honesty and trust, this uneasiness will have to be overcome. |