Frances Horibe's

Being Quiet Can Do You In As discussed in the last post, being extroverted rather than introverted is more likely to reap the rewards companies have to offer. Even if you are not interested in money or promotions, being too quiet can still cause you problems. YOU are in a meeting with your boss, Jeff, and a colleague, Narita. A limited amount of extra research money has become available and Jeff will decide whether YOUR project or Narita’s gets it. You know that your research is more important than hers, and therefore it’s only rational you should get the money. Why is Jeff bothering with the meeting? Narita: Hi, Jeff, how are the kids? Jeff: Great, thanks. Kaitlain’s team just won the regional finals. You: [silence] Jeff: Guys, I don’t have a lot of extra money and it won’t have much impact if I split it between you two, so I’m giving it to only one. Narita: Great, I’ve done the analysis, Jeff, and I can deliver three months earlier with the infusion of new money. You: Can I see the analysis? Narita: Sure, I’ll send it to you. Three months gives us a jump on production. We might be…

Can You Be Successful if You’re Shy? Business is the land of the extrovert, not for the shy. It is estimated that 75% of the work population are extroverts. I have some trouble with this stat. Seventy-five percent of the people I know aren’t extroverts. But I can round this square if I amend the statement slightly to say that 75% of the people act extroverted in the work place. Why would a reserved person fake extroversion at work? Because research shows that extroverts have more money-earning capacity and more promotions. Meanwhile, the hard-working quiet ones who do all the heavy lifting don’t necessarily reap the rewards they should from their efforts. So, can you be successful at work if you are an introvert? That’s what we’re going to explore, but first: What does being shy or introverted mean? Psychology Today has a good definition. Generally I think an easy way to recognize it in yourself is whether you draw energy from being on your own, or in the company of others. It’s not all or nothing, of course. You might enjoy the TGIF with the guys or the pick-up hockey games on the weekends and still need time on…

Are You Invisible in Your Job? In previous posts, you actually had it good when your boss valued you too much to let you go. You get the same outcome but none of the kudos if you’re invisible even if you do your job well. In previous posts, you actually had it good when your boss valued you too much to let you go. You get the same outcome but none of the kudos if you’re invisible even if you do your job well. Some jobs are mostly invisible to the rest of the company. Examples might be the organization of a big meeting or convention, production of a regular report, or delivery of a well-established program. Here, fighting fires is considered failure. Other jobs seem to consist largely of putting out fires. People in them are more likely to be hailed as company heroes but frankly, even a job like that can fall into this category if the incumbent tries hard enough. How do you know if you’re invisible? It’s mostly a feeling but here are some cues: A proposal impacts your area but nobody consults on whether it will cause you glitches. Your work problems are considered trivial…

Talking to Your Boss about Being Stalled in Your Job We’ve discussed when being too good at your job can impede your career. This can occur when your boss has a dog-in-the-manger view of good staff; he wants to keep them even if they don’t want to be kept. It can result in being stalled in your career. Whether to talk to your boss about feeling stalled It’s an option. With some real benefits. If he truly didn’t realize you were unhappy, you two could discuss a path which suits you both. However, and this is a big however, your boss may know what he’s doing and will respond defensively when it is raised. Look at your boss in other situations. When things go wrong, does he look for a scapegoat? In meetings, does he let others talk or lay down the law? Do you know to watch your ps and qs with him to avoid offending? Things like this should make you think twice. Let your gut be your guide. The conversation You’ve decided that, for all his bluster, your boss is a good enough guy you think he’ll listen. I’ll run through a possible conversation, with commentary on…

Avoiding the Dangers of Being Too Good at Your Job You fear your boss is holding you back because you’re too good at your job. The answer is not, of course, to start being bad at it. That really is cutting your nose off to spite your face. And I am assuming you are keeping your eye on the job ads. While you are doing that, there are other options to try to avoid the dangers. Is talking to your boss one of the dangers? This is where the assessment of jerkiness comes in. If you can see that your boss is demanding but fair; doesn`t suffer fools gladly but gives praise when merited; yells in anger but also in excitement—this might be a boss you can talk to. However, if he is kind of mean-spirited or petty or if he is a follow-the-rules-no-matter-what type, you might not want to. It`s a judgment call. If you`re doubtful, I would tend not to. Because I want to cover the other two points, I will do a separate post on how to have the discussion with your boss on this if you think it might be productive. Train others You probably get…