Monday, September 30, 2013

How a Creative Hobby Can Do Wonders For Your Business

How a Creative Hobby Can Do Wonders For Your Business


A new intern here recently asked me, "What's the one item that you can't work without?"
Can't is too strong a word, but I did get something a few months ago that is helping my work more than I expected: an acoustic grand piano with a robot crammed into it, the Yamaha Disklavier E3.
Am I a musician? No. Do I know how to play the piano? Not exactly. Do I use the Disklavier at the office? No way. So how does it help me work? Well, here's the thing: It's an acoustic grand piano. With a robot crammed into it.
I spend about an hour a day sitting in front of the piano, teaching myself music theory and trying to play the sad theme from the end of the Incredible Hulk '80s TV series. Trying to learn a big new skill, at the age of 41, is exhausting. And astonishingly brain stretching.
The Disklavier presents a completely new axis of learning. You can play, see your mistakes played back, download lessons and videos, play again. You can feel synapses firing and new connections being made. The best part is being completely stymied by a particular segment, giving up in frustration, and then coming back the next day and playing it through on the first try.
When you learn a new skill, you learn new patterns. And then you start seeing these patterns interwoven into the familiar world. The impenetrable becomes less so. Things you always knew, you now know better.
For instance, many musical pieces follow a common structure: a short preamble to set the stage, followed by a tonal phrase or "tonic," then elaboration of a theme, and finally a return to the tonic at the very end. That return makes the piece feel psychologically complete. It provides a satisfying finish.
I never really grokked this until I started fiddling around on the piano. Now I see it everywhere: in speeches, in magazine articles, in successful software design, in compelling presentations, in a well-planned dinner menu. And now that I see it, I can make use of it. A small increase in my musical ability--from nonexistent to imperceptible--has given me a bigger lever with which to try to move the world.
Plus, I feel the effects at the office. I'm smarter than I was a few months ago, with new ways of seeing things, a new mental vocabulary, and greater cognitive dexterity. I feel more creative than ever, and I get more done every day.
For example, one of our products uses audio tones to send information to nearby mobile phones. We thought, If our software is going to make sound, why shouldn't it be musically correct? So, one day, a bunch of Evernote employees sat around the piano to shape the tones into a pleasing melody. It's a tiny improvement, but we wouldn't have thought of it before. And your life's work is built up one tiny improvement at a time.
My parents are both classical musicians, and my father has been tuning and repairing pianos for the past 30 years, so I grew up completely surrounded by pianos (well, mostly piano parts) and music but never learned to play. My parents tried to teach me but gave up when I was 4. They claim it was because I was surprisingly stern and persuasive about how much I hated piano lessons, even at that age. I claim that they shouldn't have been daunted by a 4-year-old. We digress.
I think everyone can benefit from having something simple and elegant and beautiful occasionally lift the mind out of daily routine, massage and stretch it a little, and then put it back. It could be a favorite pen or a nice view or a crossword puzzle or a well-worn set of juggling clubs.




By: Phil Libin


Source:Forbes

Friday, September 27, 2013

Startup Craze In The UK

Startup Craze In The UK


Sources in the UK are claiming that the tech startup scene in that country is in need of personnel to fill several thousand positions. Many eager to jump into those jobs have no experience in startups at all.
Tech startup scene job fair, Silicon Milkroundabout, along with job search engine Adzuna, released figures showing that tech hubs in the UK are advertising for 3,229 open positions, which is a 22% increase over last year, according to a report. The majority of those jobs are in London, followed  by Cambridge.
According to Silicon Milkroundabout, 67% of those polled in a survey said they could easily be persuaded to join a startup, while 49% said they had no prior experience working in a fledgling company. 
What’s even more interesting is that 72% of those polled were fine with the idea of not having a high salary and 97% were most interested in learning opportunities.
These numbers could mean a couple of things. First of all, it’s possible the relentless attention that high profile tech startups have received has inspired a generation of job seekers to jump on board. Startups are sexy and tech is hot; they exist in a fast-moving world where a good idea can save the day and potentially develop into an intense adventure with a lucrative return. It’s a playing field that rewards the innovative and energetic (and ingenious) among us. Who wouldn't want to, for at least a while, be part of that scene?
It’s reassuring that most tech job seekers were willing to forgo high salaries (a fact likely to be exploited by hiring companies) and that the chance to learn topped the list of what’s most important in joining a startup endeavor. This shows that this workforce has its eye on the future rather than scanning for a slightly higher payout snatched as quickly as possible. Foresight, and the understanding that building a career (like building a product) takes time and attention, patience and perseverance; is evidence that those looking to fill the UK’s 3,000+ tech startup spots (over 1,100 of those are for developers) are taking a relatively shrewd approach to entering the game.
That said, it could be that all of these inferences are off and the reality is that the workforce is more driven by desperation and disillusionment than anything else. Perhaps employment prospects are so weak or hazy for many that taking a position at a startup over more established firms seems far more doable, that proving one’s self to a larger, older company would be fruitless, given competition for jobs. It could also be that the few shining mega-success stories of tech startups turned multi-million or billion dollar juggernauts is undeniably compelling and that the market is flooded with more aspiration than actual talent.
If I’m honest, I suspect there’s a little of all of these possibilities at work here. What do you think? Comment below.





By: Kartsen Strauss



Source: Forbes

Monday, September 23, 2013

Three Keys to Business Success: Focus, Focus, Focus

Three Keys to Business Success: Focus, Focus, Focus 


Entrepreneurs can’t resist shiny new things. The allure is intoxicating.
As an entrepreneur, you’re built to dodge and weave. You’ll stop at nothing to make your vision work. Every opportunity looks easy. Every new idea could be Google.
Which brings me to the old movie, “Poltergeist?” Remember the part where the little stout lady said, “Caroline, do not go into the light. Stop where you are. Turn away from it. Don’t even look at it”? You too should heed her counsel. 
Focus on your core. Resist the light of the shiny new thing. Focus is severely underrated and incredibly hard for entrepreneurs to embrace.
Let me tell you a cautionary tale about being Hooked on Chinese.
Before starting my current company, I was the CEO of Hooked on Phonics. It was an incredible brand with a failing business model: old-school infomercials. I was brought in to remodel it into a consumer products and media business and take the product to retail. 
It was a great idea. It worked. We built Hooked on Math. We built Hooked on Kindergarten. Neither was a pivot. These were simple extensions within our wheelhouse.
Then we built Hooked on Baby, Hooked on the Bible, and Hooked on Chinese. We decided we could build our own stores. We even decided to get back into infomercials. Each shiny light looked better than the one before it.  
As a result, before we could really get our legs and prove the core business, we dove into entirely new markets and distribution systems. Chinese was the beginning of a slippery slope that decreased--rather than increased--shareholder value.
And so it was that I learned (the hard way) the importance of keeping your focus.
At 2U, we build online degree- and credit-bearing programs. Our programs are powered by a proprietary system that enables high-quality content delivery, live classes, white glove support, and high-touch training.
There’s no reason we shouldn't try it elsewhere, right? It’s pretty clear K-12 could use our help. What about corporate training?
No way. Too many colleges need our help. There are too many great degree programs to offer. And, frankly, growth isn't a problem.
Two years ago, the U.S. government said, “We’d like you to give us a bid for a 2U system for an agency of ours.” The size of the potential deal gave us pause. My CFO looked like Dr. Evil with his pinky to his mouth.
We said no. It was the right call. Since then, we've created a series of great new businesses within our core.
Focus on delivering innovation within your business every day. Sergey Brin can afford to work on a self-driving car and Elon Musk can focus on the hyperloop -- they built Google and PayPal. First, make your business sustainable; then you can wander.



By: Chip Paucek



Source: Inc.

Friday, September 20, 2013

3 Silent Killers of Successful Businesses

3 Silent Killers of Successful Businesses

I've had the unfortunate experience of walking over the metaphorical ruins of many businesses--previously vibrant, profitable, and growing--which simply expired over time without anyone seeming to know precisely why, or how, it happened.
While every business's story is different, I have noticed three recurring, silent killers that can lure a founder/owner or business leader first into numb complacency, then into eventual demise:

1. Hubris.
Marshall Goldsmith said it all in the title of his excellent book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There,  even the most successful executive (especially the most successful executive) doesn't necessarily have the precise skills today for the challenges of tomorrow.
When was the last time you had a massive change of mind about a fundamental way in which you do business? When was the last time a coach or a mentor so challenged you about your management and leadership skills that you lost sleep? When did you last scrap a much-loved process, or system, or meeting, or process because its time had passed? When was the last occasion when someone told you you were flat-out wrong about something important-- and they were right?
If the answer to any of these is 'So long ago I can't remember', then chances are you're resting on the laurels of past success. Can you hear the water simmer?

2. Laziness.
Business is hard. As my mother used to tell me, "If it was easy, everybody would be doing it." Problem is, success often leads us to forget this fact, and, convinced we've found the 'magic formula', we start to operate on autopilot.
Then, before you know it, an 800-lb gorilla wanders out of left field and all our best-laid plans disappear instantly.
Business is hard, and that means as successful business owners, we need to not just work hard, but to think hard-- about everything. Many of the business owners I've met who had their long-nurtured, successful businesses disappear from under their noses did so simply because they didn't think hard enough, or long enough about what, and where, and by whom their business could be threatened.
If you can hear the water reach a low boil as you read this, try using the PESTLEframework to re-ignite your 'hard thinking'.

3. Absenteeism.
Of all the silent killers, this is the hardest to watch: A business leader reaches a level of success that attracts more and more opportunity for them, to the extent that their activity levels become so high, that instead of doing one thing well, they're now doing multiple things poorly.
It's particularly painful to watch for two reasons: First, it happens from the best of motives. Joanne is an incredibly effective leader, so she gets asked to do many things (speak at conferences, sit on boards, champion projects), and her sense of wanting to give back means it's hard for her to refuse. Secondly, it's hard for the individual concerned to see what happens next - her level of performance drops as she simply cannot be fully present, fully involved, fully focused on all she now has on her plate.
And so, inevitably, the water begins to simmer, then boil, as Joanne loses her edge, drops the ball, misses important facts...
Woody Allen said 95 percent of success is showing up. What he meant, of course (which is apparent if you know anything of his career), is showing up in every sense of the word-- physically, yes, but also mentally and emotionally.
If you've become habitually late for meetings (or habitually have to leave early); if you never have time to read the background data on an important decision; if you constantly find yourself telling people to 'get to the point', then you're not showing up. Not in any sense that matters.
Can you feel the water boiling?





By:  Les Mckeown


Source: Inc.

Monday, September 16, 2013

3 Simple Steps to Banish Negativity

3 Simple Steps to Banish Negativity


Do you ever feel out of control of your world? A client leaves unexpectedly. Your internet goes down when you're on deadline. Your team keeps missing deadlines. Sometimes it feels like you're living in the perfect storm, doesn't it?
But even in the most frustrating of times there is something within your control that can have a huge impact on your life: your attitude. The attitude and energy that you have in any given situation, and toward life in general, is what determines your actions. It also influences how others respond to you and how you feel about yourself.
Our attitude and actions are dictated by our perspective and interpretation of reality. If you have a negative, pessimistic disposition and believe that life is filled with nothing but problems, you will make decisions that draw more difficultly into your life.
An individual with a more positive, open-minded disposition is likely to draw desirable events into his or her life. These folks will try new things, take emotional risks, and learn from and enjoy the outcome. They are more likely to find solutions, shift gears as necessary, and see the upside of most situations. They also get more support from employees, peers, friends, and family.
Which disposition do you generally lean toward?  If your attitude is most often negative, think about how you typically feel, both emotionally and physically. Could your world be better? Could your health be better? How about your stress levels, could they be lower? Yes? Perhaps it's time for a change.
But how quickly can that change occur? And how much work will it take? You may not be able to flip a switch and choose to have a positive attitude toward everything. But you can make a conscious choice to slowly reduce your pessimistic tendencies and opt for a sunnier outlook on life. And just like an exercise program, it will take determination and dedication.
That's right, we have to exercise our minds just like we do our bodies. The more we work toward change, the better our results. It may take a while but you can shift your attitude to create more desirable results in life and business. You can take back control--of yourself.
Here are three simple steps to a better outlook (it's worth the work):
Reframe your thoughts.
When you find yourself thinking things like, that won't work, or I never catch a break, ask yourself: Is that really true and do I believe it with all my heart?The answer is usually "no." Choose a prevalent, negative thought and make a list of reasons why it's not true. You will begin to see that your perspective is not based in reality. Now reframe your thought to the next best option. Instead of, that won't work, try maybe there is a way I can make that work. You'll find things working out much better.
Reframe your comments.
When a negative statement is on the tip of your tongue, change the shape of it. People naturally respond defensively to negativity, even if it's not directed toward them. Instead of telling someone how bad your day is, ask them how their day is going. Or choose one or two things about your day that feel good to you and talk about those. Soon you'll find yourself focusing on the positive aspects of a situation to shift your mind away from the negative. It works wonders.
Reframe your criticism.
Entertaining negative thoughts about yourself or someone else lowers your energy; both physically and emotionally. Instead of looking for things that people (including you) do wrong, look for the good qualities and characteristics in them. This is a fun experiment because people show up in life just as you expect them to. If you generally view someone as uncooperative, for instance, that is the side of them you will see. Look for a more favorable attribute and soon you'll see them in a different light.
Reframing is a simple process that is drawn from Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).  This process, actually "rewires" your brain and "erases" the negative thought patterns you currently have in place. You can teach yourself to think and act differently, and the outcome will be well worth your time and effort.




By: Marla Tabaka



Source: Inc.


Friday, September 13, 2013

Working Abroad? How To Give A Presentation In The Local Language


Working Abroad? How To Give A Presentation In The Local Language



Even if you’ve been working abroad for a while, and you feel comfortable getting around the city and chatting with colleagues, there’s something incredibly intimidating about being invited to give a formal presentation in your second (or third) language.
Take it from me: The first week I landed in Chile as part of a government-backed entrepreneurship program, a professor invited me to a faculty meeting to speak about Silicon Valley and how academics could participate in entrepreneurship through technology transfer programs. Though I grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley, was familiar with the entrepreneurship scene, and spoke fluent Spanish, I wasn’t sure how to start creating a presentation for a totally foreign audience from scratch.
But, I did it, and since then I’ve given dozens of presentations in Spanish as well as coached friends and colleagues as they’ve prepared to speak in formal, cross-cultural situations. If you’re panicking about your international presentation, here are a few pointers based on what’s worked for us.


Before doing anything else, think about the goals of the event. Are you teaching something? Are you inviting everyone to participate in an upcoming program? Are you competing against others for the audience’s backing?
Once you have a strong sense of these goals, ask yourself if your language skills are strong enough to really move them forward. Be honest: If your vocabulary and fluency aren’t up to par, it might be more effective to present in English and team up with a translator. And that’s totally OK.
If your language skills are solid, go for it, but don’t think you can wing it the way you might in your home country. It’s still important to give yourself enough time to plan a well thought out, culturally appropriate presentation and practice far more than you usually would.

Design Your Message to Fit the Local Culture 

As you’re putting together your presentation, remember that the stories, anecdotes, and persuasion techniques that you’ve used in your home country might not always resonate abroad. For example, sports references like “batting average” or “home run” won’t work in a place where baseball isn’t popular. Or, if most people live with their families throughout college, they might not understand anecdotes about dorms or roommates.
Instead, think about what might help you connect with your international audience. If you’re in a place with a strong tradition of family businesses, like most countries in Latin America, and you come from a four-generation legacy in the same industry, be sure to mention this history, because it will establish common ground. You might even want to include family photos if they support your core message. When I spoke about Silicon Valley at the faculty meeting, I started with a picture of myself at age five, playing on our family’s Apple Macintosh II. With this image, I illustrated that technology has always been an important part of my life, and it could play a similar role in the audience members’ lives, too.

When in Doubt, Use Visuals & Examples 

Last week, I attended an event that featured a German manager from a well-known tech company. He’s based in Barcelona and speaks excellent Spanish, and during his presentation he told a story about a taladro. He mentioned this word at least 10 times, and it seemed essential to the point he was trying to make. However, a significant percentage of the international audience did not understand this word and started whispering to neighbors or looking up taladro on their phones.
The situation illustrated an important point: When there’s a language barrier of any kind, photos, charts, graphs, and visuals can be a great way to help get your point across. If the presenter at my event had shown a picture of the object—a drill—he would have been much more successful in holding everyone’s attention and getting his key point across.
This is especially important when you’re introducing a new concept to your audience. For example, say you’re pitching an energy efficiency app to a panel of foreign investors. When explaining this brand-new concept, you might want to show a picture of something they already know and understand: the energy guide sticker that’s typically found on refrigerators, for example. Explain how this information helps users save energy and money, then extend the analogy to your own product.

Refine and Practice!

As you prepare the content for your presentation, write it all in complete sentences. Share your written draft with at least two or three locals, and incorporate their feedback. Then, read it out loud, and record yourself on a webcam. Watch the recording, notice where you stumble or make awkward faces, and edit out any phrases that are tough to say.
When you’ve finalized the presentation, put the entire script on an iPad or notecards. You don’t want to read it word-for-word—it’s more important to engage with the audience than to get everything 100% right—but having the full text on hand can build your confidence day-of.
Then, practice—as much as you possibly can. Practice in front of a mirror. Practice with your language tutor if you have one. Practice in front of at least two or three native speakers. Make a list of the questions your audience might ask, and practice answering them. The more confident you feel with what you’re going to say, the more you’ll be able to relax and connect with your audience—and that’s what’s bound to make a great impression.
Thinking back to that first faculty meeting, it turned out to be smaller and less formal than I’d anticipated. About 12 faculty members and a few students sat around a big table. I shared my presentation about Silicon Valley, learned about their research, and then fielded questions about a forthcoming grant competition. I enjoyed the experience so much that I’ve gone on to give similar speeches all over the country.
That day also taught me that, as an outsider, you’ll stand out from the crowd. But if you prepare, personalize your presentation, and rehearse your message, you’ll be remembered for more than just your foreign face—you’ll be remembered for introducing a new world of possibilities.


By: The Muse



Source: Forbes

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Wait, Who's the Boss Here? You'd Be Surprised

Wait, Who's the Boss Here? You'd Be Surprised 


You're the boss. You set the rules. Your employees are dependent upon you. You are the one taking the financial risk in running this business. Therefore, you can do and say what you want, and make whatever rules you want. Cancer is not an excuse.
You just read that right. Employees at a Rochester, New York store got fed up with a district manager and closed the store in the middle of the day, leaving a nasty note proclaiming the manager's faults. The sign reads:
"Dear Jamie, Since you decided to say ' cancer is not an excuse' and think it's ok to swear at your employes like you do ALL the time...WE QUIT. *THIS is why you can't keep a store manager longer than a year. YOU ABUSE your roll and staff Enjoy the fact that you lost a store manager, co-manager and key holder in the middle of back to school. Think next time you treat people the way you do. We aren't allowing it Any More."
This, you may say, is a small retail store, and the signatories, (Nikki, Jess and TJ) are probably young adults--or even teens. Your employees are adults who need their jobs, and would never do that type of thing to you. Well, it's true that this type of thing doesn't happen all that often, but that doesn't mean you can behave like this district manager and get away with it.
You can treat your employees horribly and then expect that they'll stay with you forever and work hard when they do. And don't think that they don't notice when you nitpick their time cards, play favorites, or intrude into their personal lives. They do, and they hate it.
Many managers and business owners put their best efforts into recruiting the best, but as soon as the employees are on board, somehow forget that they have hired actual humans. Not only humans, but humans with options. Because when you recruit the best, other people want them as well.
And it's not just about not being a jerk. It's about doing the right thing for your employees, which is, coincidentally, the right thing for your business.
Talent acquisition leader Mike Schuler warns managers: "While just about all managers are highly proficient in the function they manage, many don't spend nearly enough time truly engaging and developing their direct reports. An annual performance review is not the answer!"
It's not just about hitting that sales number, or meeting that client deadline. It's about developing your people so that hitting that deadline becomes easier and that the overall skill in your workplace increases. It's worth your time, money, and effort to develop your employees.
Your employees can make or break your business. Employees treated correctly will do whatever it takes. Employees who are treated poorly will only put up with you for as long as they have to. Your employees have a tremendous amount of power, even if it's your signature on the checks.



By: Suzanne Lucas


Source:  Inc.

Friday, September 6, 2013

The Deepest Source of Motivation

The Deepest Source of Motivation 



For decades, bosses have assumed that the best way to motivate workers is by promising financial gain and threatening financial loss. With one hand they dangle a carrot of more pay while brandishing in the other, the stick of "get to work or you're fired."
However, according to a recent article in the New York Times, research in organizational psychology strongly suggests that people are more innovative and more successful when motivated by a desire to help other people.
This is a vast departure from the management theories of the past which have assumed that success in business is "the survival of the fittest." Under this way of thinking, helping others is a waste of time and effort... except insofar as it's self-serving.

What Do You Like Best About Your Job?

Over the past 20 years, I've interviewed hundreds of successful people, mostly top executives and top salespeople. I start nearly every conversation with a simple question: "What do you like best about your job?"
In every case, these highly-successful individuals have responded to that question with some variation of: "I like helping people." When I probe, I usually discover that they're not just talking about customers. They want to help coworkers, too.
When I look at the different types of writing I've done in my life, there's no question that I've been happier, more productive, and more innovative in exact proportion to the likelihood that what I'm writing will help others be more successful.
I'll bet if you honestly review the jobs you've done in the past, and the job you're doing right now, you've accomplished more when you were certain that you were helping others than when you weren't quite sure.
The lesson here is simple: when you focus on helping others rather than helping yourself, you draw upon your deepest sources of motivation. It frees your creativity and energy while developing simultaneously developing both empathy and patience.
It's not a dog-eat-dog world out there. It's a "let's make this happen together" world.

By: Geoffrey James


Source: Inc.


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Top 5 Things You Should Never Do At Work

The Top 5 Things You Should Never Do At Work


I had an 18-year corporate career in publishing and marketing that was highly successful on the outside, but on the inside, it was not.  I rose to the level of Vice President and managed multimillion-dollar budgets and global initiatives, but throughout my career, I faced a number of excruciating experiences of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, work-life balance failures, chronic illness and exhaustion, being sabotaged and betrayed by colleagues, and the continual nagging feeling that I was meant for different work (but simply couldn’t figure out what it was).
And I made a great number of huge mistakes.  I did some important things right too, but my missteps were legendary (at least in my own mind).  When I look back on my 30 years of working, and the careers of the hundreds of folks I train, coach and teach, five blunders stand out from all the rest as the most negative, damaging, and irreversible in your career and professional life.
The 5 things you should never do at work are:

1. Speak, behave or quit out of rage or revenge
Most people spend more hours at work than anywhere else, so it’s normal and expected that we will experience the full gamut of emotions while engaged in our work.  I’m all for bringing our whole selves to work as well, and being as authentic, honest, and transparent as humanly possible at our jobs.  That said, I've watched the inevitable destruction of losing control of your emotions and acting out rashly and impulsively from rage or despair.  
For example, in my early 20’s, I screamed an obscenity at the top of my lungs to my boss who I felt was harassing me, and I did it in front of the entire office.  He had no choice but to fire me. Thankfully, I had another job offer in the wings so the damage was not too serious.  While it felt fantastic (for one split second) to swear at him, what has stayed with me over time is the shock and shame of how out of control I felt during that time. I vowed never to lose it like that and act out of rage or fury again. If you act impulsively and rashly at work, you will likely lose much more than your self-respect.
2. Backstab your colleagues
I’m astounded at how many people today feel completely comfortable ridiculing, disparaging or undermining their colleagues, co-workers and even their friends.  I used to be that kind of person – talking behind someone’s back if I felt they were behaving poorly, meanly, or less than professionally.  I learned later (in my therapy training) that this is called triangulation – telling a third party about something that makes you anxious or upset instead of dealing with it head on with the individual in question.   Why do we do that?  Because we don’t have the courage and fortitude to address the problem directly, or we feel it just won’t work out if we do.  It relieves our anxiety to share the problem, but it does nothing to resolve it.
Other folks may call this “gossip” (gossip, by the way, is another “must not do” in the workplace). But backstabbing your colleagues is a special brand of negative behavior because it aims to hurt.  And when you desire to hurt others, it will be you who suffers.  In one job, I backstabbed a colleague because it seemed that she received all the accolades, promotions and perks because of her beauty and her obsequiousness to our bosses.  All of that might have been true, but trying to take her down behind her back didn't work.  That behavior never will, in the long run.  You’ll only embarrass and humiliate yourself and it will come back around to bite you eventually. 
3. Lie
We tell lies most often when we think that the truth will hurt us somehow, or when we want to avoid facing the consequences of our truth.  The problem with lying is two-fold: 1) When you tell yourself you’re not capable of facing reality or dealing with the consequences, you make yourself right – you’ll grow less powerful, capable, bold, respectable, and trustworthy over time, and 2) the lies you tell must be perpetuated, which is exhausting and drains you from vital energy you need to reach your fullest potential.
If you have told lies at work – about your skills and talents, experience and background, about the status of work you’re overseeing, or about who you are and what you are capable of, I’d highly recommend taking a long, hard look at what you’re afraid of, and instead of keeping up the front, get in the cage with those fears and begin working through them.
4. Proclaim that you’re miserable
Just the other day, I was  talking to a former client who had marched into her boss’s office that week and shared that she was miserable at work and volunteered for a severance package.  I've done that myself – been so unhappy at work that I put my hand up for a package.  I didn't get it, and neither did my client.  After sharing that news and not receiving the package, you’re stuck in a deeply unsettling situation of the employer knowing you’re a terrible fit for your role.  There are a few specific instances where this might be the right move, but in general, sharing that you hate your job is not the way to go. 
But what if it’s the truth? My father used to say that there are 10 different ways to say anything, and I think he’s right.  Phrases like “miserable,” “unhappy,” “fed up,”  “ready to leave,” and “need to go” are not helpful when you’re talking to your colleagues, bosses, or HR staff. 
What is the better way? Talk about what you’re great at and love to do, what you've accomplished, and what you’re ready for.  Share your work highlights and new directions you’re excited and committed to take your career, and discuss your plans and desires for growth and change.  Open the door for new opportunities at your current employer that will expand our skills, your resume and your talents.  Try to find ways at your current job (where you’re already getting paid) to grow, stretch and build yourself.  Explore every option available to you for becoming what you want to without walking out in anger and disgust.  Your employer might very well be able to sponsor and support your growth and change, but it won’t happen if you stomp in and say “I’m miserable and it’s your fault.”
5. Burn bridges
Literally the biggest lesson I've learned in business is that success is all about relationships.  It’s truly about who you know, and how they feel and think about you (and how you make them feel).  I’m not saying that your amazing talent and skill isn't important. Of course it is.  I am saying that we don’t thrive and succeed alone.  We need other people.  And these people are not just our former bosses – they are people who reported to you, teamed with you, shared coffee and drinks with you, took training sessions with you, got yelled at alongside of you, and weathered tough times with you.
Every single one of your relationships is vitally important to you and your future, so craft them with care.  Avoid people you don’t trust or like, but don’t burn bridges.  After 30 years in business I've seen that there are hundreds of people we interact with daily who eventually could become our strongest allies, advocates and fans, if we protect and nurture our relationships as the key, enriching asset they are.


By: Kathy Caprino


Source: Forbes