July 29, 2013 in Blog by Dee

Not a Morning Person? You Can Still Power Up Your Day

By Marla Gottschalk

Do your consider yourself to be a morning person? (Answer honestly.) Don’t feel too concerned about your reply to this question – because not many of us truly are. However, just because you might reach your physical and mental peak later in the day, doesn’t preclude starting your work day headed in the right direction.

Like any workplace strategy, you must identify what works for you, and stick with the program. Ultimately, we may not all be genetically blessed with the prescribed “up at 6 a.m. and happy about it” circadian rhythm – but we can still super-charge our morning routine.

Here are a few ideas to set you on the right course.

Sharpen the pencil. We wouldn’t think of exercising vigorously without an appropriate warm up. So, think of your normal morning routine as a way to “prime the pump” and energize your mind. Some find that listening to a favorite piece of music with their morning coffee is the perfect starter. Others utilize their commute to read about an inspiring or prominent individual in their industry. Find the activity that stimulates your mind, motivates you and provides the needed “first course” to power through your day.

Record ideas. You may characterize yourself as a “non-morning” type, but that may not be an entirely accurate assessment. Some of us wake with ideas flooding our minds, but the thoughts are often fleeting and are lost. If this is your pattern, keep a notebook handy, being sure to record every idea and moment of inspiration. Capture these morning bits of inspiration regularly. After a week or so, review what you have collected.

Avoid the “downers.” Starting your day slogging through countless emails, texts or messages is not always the way to begin a “power” day. Tell yourself that tasks such as these can wait. Add a substitute activity, and spend the first 15 to 30 minutes of each day doing something that will have a far greater payoff. For example, try drafting five meaningful, yet small, goals for your day. If you find yourself in the midst of a job search, identify two interesting job postings, or identify two to three people to add to your job-search network.

Innovate your schedule. Start each morning assessing whether or not you are utilizing your time wisely. First of all realize that you must value your own time (if you don’t, neither will anyone else), then adapt methods such as the one devised by Anthony K. Tjan in a blog post for Harvard Business Review, “Make Time for Time.” Review your schedule for the previous day and evaluate the value of your spent time. Does the time spent align with your work-related strategic priorities? If you find that your time investment doesn’t meet snuff – try not to repeat the activity, if possible. This may help you start the day with the confidence that devoted energy will transact into progress.

Start with a positive gesture. Before your first meeting or call, identify one person who you would like to thank, congratulate or recognize in some manner. Research has shown that these behaviors go a long way in helping us to feel more positive.

Enough sleep? Ultimately, make an honest assessment – are you really getting enough rest? Your brain needs time to renew and recharge. If you manage to squeeze in an extra hour or two of sleep, you may find mornings are much easier to handle.

July 29, 2013 in Blog by Dee

The Exact Words to Use When Negotiating Salary

By Rebecca Thorman

You have the most power to negotiate a salary after you’ve impressed your future employer in interviews, but before you sign an official job offer. Most employees will informally offer you the job before they give you anything to sign, and this is a good time to talk about what you want.

Your new employer wants to hire you, received buy-in from other team members, and has no desire to keep interviewing. More than anything, they’re anxious for you to start work. This is the time; ask for more money.

To determine how much you should ask for, trust that the employer has given you a healthy and fair salary to start with. But don’t undervalue yourself and know that all employers expect you to do some negotiation. Indeed, many employers see candidates that negotiate as high-performers. Figure out the salary you want, and then ask for a bit more to allow room for compromise.

Practice how you’ll lead the conversation, and try something like:

“I’m really excited to work here, and I know that I will bring a lot of value. I appreciate the offer at $58,000, but was really expecting to be in the $65,000 range based on my experience, drive, and performance. Can we look at a salary of $65,000 for this position?”

Employers may balk to start. It’s in their interest not to pay you more of course, and get you to work at the lowest possible salary. So, expect initial rejections, like:

“So glad to hear you’re looking forward to working with us. We’re really looking forward to having you. The salary we offered is what we have budgeted for the position and we feel it’s a fair compensation.”

This may sound like it’s the end of the conversation, but it’s not—don’t back down! The key here is to continue to show your enthusiasm and stay confident in your abilities. Try:

“I understand where you’re coming from, and just want to reiterate my enthusiasm for the position and working with you and the team. I think my skills are perfectly suited for this position, and are worth $65,000.”

Now, don’t say anything else. Let the silence lie. Don’t try to fill it with more words or justifications. Just wait for the employer to reply. When she does, it may sound something like:

“You’ll really be stretching us, but I’ll see what I can do.”

This isn’t the time to feel bad or uncomfortable. Simply reply, “Great, I appreciate that.”

The employer will likely come back to you, and accept your offer or offer something in the middle (“We talked it over, and feel you’re going to exceed our expectations and be a great addition to the team. I’m happy to offer you a salary of $62,500”). If you asked for more than you wanted, you should feel success in accepting either outcome.

The biggest factor in determining whether or not you get a higher salary is based solely on whether you ask. So ask. The vast majority of companies are willing to negotiate salary, but the vast majority of employees never even try.

Research a fair salary, act professionally and with respect, and remember that while you may feel nervous, this will actually be the easiest money you’ve ever made. Go for it!

July 29, 2013 in Blog by Dee

Be the Architect of a Positive Work Environment

By Chrissy Scivicque

We’ve all walked into those workplaces that just feel … off. Negativity fills the air. You can practically cut the tension with a knife. People look miserable. The environment makes you want to turn around and run as far away as possible – and that’s whether you’re a client or an employee.

Clearly, these negative work spaces can have devastating consequences on the people who inhabit them and the business as a whole. The good news is that, no matter what your role, you can help improve the environment where you work. It’s everyone’s responsibility. Every person, at every level, has an impact. So everyday you get to choose if you’re going to contribute to the negativity or create positivity in its place. The latter is obviously preferable, so here are some easy ways to get started.

1. Look for agreement first. We’ve all worked with Negative Nancy. She’s the kind of person who always sees the bad in every situation. When you have an idea, she pokes a million holes in it. Her first inclination is to find all the reasons things won’t work, and she seems to relish in the conflict she creates.

Don’t be a Negative Nancy. Instead, look for opportunities to align with the people around you. Find solutions, not problems. Focus on common goals and areas where you agree. After that, if you have disagreements to discuss, you’ll be building from a place of shared purpose. Approaching workplace discussions from this point-of-view is much more positive and, ultimately, more productive for everyone involved.

2. Be a team cheerleader. Everyone – yes, everyone – likes to feel appreciated and recognized for his or her contributions at work. Receiving positive feedback can do wonders for your motivation and your overall state of mind.

Sadly, today’s workplaces are sorely lacking in this arena. Take it upon yourself to tell others that they’re doing a good job. All too often we wait for this kind of praise to come from the top down. Even if you’re not a manager, you can certainly encourage the people around you – whether subordinates, co-workers or even superiors. As long as the recognition is authentic, it’s appropriate and (usually) very appreciated.

3. Build trust. Trust is an amazing emotion that makes people feel safe. When you help to instill trust among your colleagues, you create a comforting, warm environment for everyone. When trust is missing, people become guarded and fearful, edgy and nervous.

Always start from a place of trusting that your colleagues are capable and competent. Have faith that they will support you as much as you support them. In most cases, people will rise to meet your expectations and trust will continue to blossom naturally.

4. Get (a little) personal. Most of us spend more time with the people we work with than we do our friends and family. So why not get to know them on a (somewhat) personal level? You don’t want to go overboard here, but a little personal interaction goes a long way. Find out what you have in common with your co-workers. Maybe you have kids the same age, or you share a love for your local baseball team or you enjoy the same weekend hobbies. Get to know them as people, not just fellow employees. By doing so, you’ll lighten up the conversation and enjoy being around them more. Heck, you might even look forward to seeing them on Monday mornings.

5. Brighten things up. While the mental and social environment can have a serious impact on the workplace as a whole, the physical environment is just as important. If you work in a dark, drab, chaotic workspace it’s no surprise that it feels like a downer to spend time there.

Open up some windows, bring in some plants and photographs, play some music, switch out those horrible fluorescent light bulbs … essentially, do anything within your control to shift the physical space to something more pleasant. An easy way to fix things up is simply to purge old stuff – paperwork, files, magazines, etc. These items tend to stack up, creating useless, dusty clutter. Clear it out and enjoy a brand new level of clarity.

These simple tips will help turn any space into a more positive and productive place to work. And remember, everyone has an impact on the environment, so ask yourself, “Am I currently contributing in a positive or negative way?” If you’re using your powers for evil rather than good, make a shift today. You (and everyone you work with) will be glad you did.