Dave's Library

Office politics might seem unpleasant, but the ability to build relationships, access opportunities, and influence others is critical for anyone’s professional development. Unfortunately, research has shown that employees from underrepresented groups are often excluded from the informal mechanisms of office politics, hindering their ability to advance. In this piece, the authors describe how toxic organizational cultures can lead these employees to disengage from the political arena, ultimately harming their career prospects, while inclusive cultures can foster participation in healthy office politics. Based on both an analysis of in-depth interviews with ethnic minority employees in the UK and a broad array of prior research on politics, leadership, and inclusion, the authors offer five strategies to help organizations build healthy cultures, in which all employees are able to engage in and reap the benefits of office politics.

Google VP of Global Partnerships Bonita Stewart says if you want to impress her at the job interview, bring up these six important details.

Research has shown time and time again that employees who have mentors tend to succeed with job promotions, salary growth, and decreased burnout. But in a time of social distancing, it’s become harder to meet new people and form mentor-mentee relationships. Despite the challenges to socializing in person, there are still ways to connect with potential mentors.

Worried about engaging interns and new employees in a hybrid world? Research by Iavor I. Bojinov and Prithwiraj Choudhury shows how "virtual watercooler" sessions can make all the difference.

Command and control-style leadership will not help organisations attract and retain talent anymore. Now, the focus must be on empathetic leadership.

The opportunity to ask questions at the end of a job interview is one you don’t want to waste. It’s both a chance to continue to prove yourself and to find out whether a position is the right fit for you. In this piece, the author lists sample questions recommended by two career experts and divides them up by category: from how to learn more about your potential boss to how to learn more about a company’s culture. Choose the ones that are more relevant to you, your interests, and the specific job ahead of time. Then write them down — either on a piece of paper or on your phone — and glance at them right before your interview so that they’re fresh in your mind. And, of course, be mindful of the interviewer’s time. If you were scheduled to talk for an hour and they turn to you with five minutes left, choose two or three questions that are most important to you. You will always have more time to ask questions once you have the job offer in hand.

Why not doing so is terrible advice Last week, in my weekly newsletter , I wrote about why checking your email first thing in the morning is essential if you are to have a productive day. I know this is contrary to almost all productivity advice. That advice is offered by professors, content crea

Moral injury is experienced as a trauma response to witnessing or participating in workplace behaviors that contradict one’s moral beliefs in high-stakes situations and that have the potential of harming others physically, psychologically, socially, or economically, and it could prompt people to leave a company. It was first studied in veterans who’d witnessed atrocities of war. More recently, this research has been extended to health care, education, social work, and other high-pressure and often under-resourced occupations. The past two years have made it increasingly clear that moral injury can occur in many contexts and populations, including the workplace. As a new world of work unfolds before us and the pact between employee and employer gets rewritten, leaders have to learn and evolve to keep pace. The authors present six things leaders can do to ensure their actions aren’t unintentionally injuring the moral center of those they lead.

As unlikely as it sounds, breakfast cereal can be the ultimate team-builder and way to boost your team’s morale. The executive director of a prominent nonprofit called iMentor Chicago reached out to me the other week.

Resist the temptation to counteroffer.

There are a million ways to conduct one-on-one meetings with direct reports. How you run yours will reflect your personal style. This month’s coaching conversation focuses on specific best practices that will enhance your one-on-ones no matter what your style.

We’re all a little angrier these days. The sustained level of stress and fear you experience every day when you’re under pressure depletes your emotional resources, making you much more likely to get mad, even at minor provocations. While we’re often told that anger is harmful, irrational, and should be suppressed, there are ways to channel it productively. Research shows that getting mad can spark creativity, motivate you to advocate for yourself, and help you perform better in competitive circumstances. The authors offer six strategies to use anger in more positive ways, including acknowledging that a violation took place, identifying the specific needs behind your emotion, and avoiding excessive venting.

My 3 least favorite negotiation sayings. 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿 1. A good deal is one where both sides leave unhappy. 🔹 It leads people to think that unhappiness... 15 comments on LinkedIn

When an employee discloses that they have a mental health condition, it can be hard to know how to handle the conversation— especially if this is the first time you’ve faced this situation. Navigate the conversation carefully. Don’t make a big deal about the disclosure — it’s important to normalize the discussion. Ideally you’ll treat it like you would any other medical issue. Follow the person’s lead in terms of what they want to share and don’t ask a ton of questions or push them to give you more information. You don’t have to have all the answers right away so tell the employee that you’ll reflect on what they told you and get back them. Make clear that you may need to discuss the situation with HR, especially if they are asking for accommodations. But it’s possible that you’ll be able to offer them whatever flexibility they need within your company’s policies. If you’ve had experiences with mental health issues, consider sharing them without making the conversation about you. This type of disclosure, especially if you hold a senior position, can go a long way toward normalizing these topics in your organization and demonstrating that it’s possible to succeed at the highest levels when you have a mental health condition.

Learning the unspoken rules for writing professional emails can improve how competent you appear in the eyes of colleagues. 00:00 Why bother with email etiquette? 01:19 Include CTA in subject line 02:13 One email thread per topic 02:48 Manage recipients 03:27 Start with the main point 04:30 Summarize in your reply 05:10 Hyperlink whenever possible 05:38 Change default setting to "Reply" (not "Reply all") 06:06 Change undo send options In this HBR collaboration with YouTube creator Jeff Su (https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffSu), you'll learn how to better organize your communications and avoid a lot of rookie mistakes that can lead to embarrassment or worse. Follow us: https://hbr.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review/ https://www.facebook.com/HBR/ https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz https://www.instagram.com/harvard_business_review Sign up for Newsletters: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters #HarvardBusinessReview #Email #Etiquette

Pick up the phone.

One factor driving new-job regret: People’s expectations for big salaries and work-life balance have never been higher, recruiters say

The demographics of work and business are shifting rapidly — and the male-dominated model is overdue an overhaul

Former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns says she balanced work and family by "outsourcing the caring for my kids." Here's what that means, and how it panned out for her.

11 Promises from a Manager: a 🧵1. We’ll have a weekly 1:1. I’ll never cancel this meeting, but you can cancel it whenever you like. It’s your time.— Matthew Rechs (@MrEchs) April 18, 2022

When you’re in the middle of a conflict, it’s common to automatically enter a “fight or flight” mentality. But it’s possible to interrupt this response and c...

What the former CEO of Yum! Brands learned about tapping high-potential talent, and the five fundamentals any chief executive can use to build a top-notch C-Suite.

The pandemic changed where many of us work. It should also change when we work.

Here's a simple but powerful way to set goals and then achieve them.

Dave Stachowiak, is the founder and host of Coaching for Leaders. With more than 15 years of leadership at Dale Carnegie and a thriving, global leadership academy, Dave helps leaders discover practical wisdom, build meaningful relationships, and create movement for genuine results.

Easy online tool to help you incorporate the practice of simple calming breathing techniques like box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing into your everyday routine.

People don’t hire you, buy from you or recommend you because you’re indifferently average and well rounded. They do it because you’re exceptional at something. What if you investe…