RBZ_DATABASE： AUDIO : No. 26-50

We all have strengths that simultaneously work for us and against us. For example, you may be detail-oriented in a way that causes you to spend too much time checking others’ work. Or you may ask questions that are important — but so incisive that they intimidate people. In these cases, the answer isn’t to play down the strength or not use it. (If you do, you might lose its benefits.) Instead, build a complementary skill that compensates for the strength’s downside. For example, if you tend to ask incisive questions, you can balance that out by increasing your warmth — maybe by acknowledging the speaker’s insights before asking your questions. Or you could thank the person for bringing the topic to your attention, or add a few words of support. On the flip side, if you’re so friendly and supportive that you don’t sufficiently challenge people’s thinking, push yourself to ask more difficult questions — without losing your natural friendliness.

When you’re asked to share your idea with the C-suite, you have to be ready to prove its worth. The CEO likely hears a lot of smart ideas, so yours has to solve a business problem if it’s going to stand out. Spend the first 25% of your time calling out that problem. Talk about the pain points and build a sense of urgency. Spend the next 25% on the idea itself. Show how your initiative will be funded and how you expect it to grow and affect other parts of the organization. But don’t get bogged down in details. In fact, you should reserve the last 50% of your time for questions. While that seems like an outsize chunk, it can be the most valuable part of your talk. Rapid-fire, blunt questions are a sign that executives are interested in and testing the angles of your idea. The more questions you receive, the better the presentation.

When you’re covering for a coworker who is out of the office, it can be difficult to keep up. To maintain your sanity and stay productive, put the onus on your colleague to do a clear handoff of responsibilities. Ask for a plan with details on the status of projects, next steps, deadlines, and key contacts. Once the colleague leaves, focus on deadlines and what’s critical to accomplish each day; less-urgent tasks will have to wait. But keep an eye on what’s coming up next. You may need to work further ahead than usual, because there’s a greater chance that something unexpected will happen, or that multiple deadlines will be clustered together. And you may be tempted to spend extra time in the office, but don’t overdo it. Putting in long hours can make you resentful and lessen your productivity. There’s only so much you can do each day — and that’s OK.

You need to have three things clear in your mind before giving a speech: your main idea, your audience, and your objective. Start preparing by focusing on your idea: Why are you the right person to deliver this talk? What unique perspective can you offer? Then, consider who will be in your audience and craft your talk with them in mind. For example, if you’re speaking on a small panel, you can frame your remarks in more intimate, personal terms. If you’re at a conference for professionals, you can use technical terms. Speaking the same language as your listeners increases the odds that they will understand and be inspired by you. And finally, make sure you’ve pinpointed your objective. Maybe you want to get the audience to donate to a worthy cause, or spread the word about the importance of your topic. Whatever your goal is, it will inform your preparation and delivery.

Every good manager wants their team to have the skills to succeed. So it makes sense to invest in training, right? Not so fast. Training can be powerful when it addresses an underdeveloped skill or knowledge deficit. But too often managers turn to training or formal learning when it won’t actually solve the problem it’s meant to. When is training worth trying? First, be sure your internal systems support the newly desired behavior. For example, training in proactive decision making won’t help employees if senior leaders make all the decisions in your company. Second, there needs to be a commitment to change. If your team isn’t willing to address a problem’s root cause, training won’t have the intended benefit. Third, the training needs to be connected to strategic priorities. If employees can’t see how what they’re learning relates to where the company is headed, you’ll waste your money — and their time.

Visionary bosses can be fun to work for. But they can also be overwhelming if they seem to have an endless supply of ideas. How can you possibly implement everything they come up with? First of all, don’t assume your boss expects you to do something every time they have a brilliant thought. It’s OK to just listen and respond with a simple, “That’s a great idea” or “I’ll take a look,” and then wait to see if it comes up again. That way you’ll be able to tell whether the idea is actually important to your boss. If your manager does expect you to take action, shape and contain the idea by asking where it fits into the team’s goals and how your boss wants you to prioritize it. By connecting the idea to other, ongoing projects, you can help your boss assess it from a strategic perspective.

When managers delegate too often, their employees feel abandoned and unmotivated. There are a number of warning signs that you over-delegate, from miscommunicating with your team, to hearing about issues at the last minute, to misunderstanding how your employees set priorities. But the solution isn’t to overcorrect and start doing a bunch of low-level tasks. One approach is to signal that you’re reengaging by taking on a project that’s closely tied to your team’s work. Another is to reset expectations with your team. Use an offsite or planning meeting to reconfirm the vision for the department and get everyone on the same page about goals. It’s also a good idea to double down on communicating your vision for the team. Use every opportunity to stress and reinforce the message. You can remind people about the overarching vision at the beginning of a project, during town halls and other forums, or periodically through email.

Every manager would love to have a team of A players, but that’s probably not realistic. You’re almost always going to have a mix of performers on your team, so make sure you’re not ignoring your B players. These employees can be selfless, dedicated employees who fill important roles, but often they don’t get the attention they deserve. Make sure you’re giving them enough support and guidance by learning about their concerns, preferences, and work styles. It’s a good idea to occasionally reassess their job fit to make sure they’re in roles that draw on their strengths. And don’t overlook someone’s talents just because the person is quiet or reserved, or because they don’t fit your idea of what a leader should act like. Some B players aren’t comfortable in the spotlight but thrive when they’re encouraged to complete a project or to contribute for the good of the company. When they have the motivation and the encouragement they need, B players can turn in an A+ performance.

When you’re chronically busy and stressed, it’s easy to react in ways that make the situation worse rather than better. For example, if you have a million tasks on your to-do list, you may not think you have time to stop and prioritize. But simply barreling through everything that feels urgent isn’t an efficient strategy. Step back and rank your tasks based on urgency and importance. Whatever meets both criteria should be done first; everything else can wait. You should also look for simple solutions to problems that eat away at your time. Constantly forget to charge your phone? Keep a power cord at the office. Catch the same mistakes again and again? Ask your team to make a checklist for spotting their common errors. Travel for work a lot? Create a universal packing list so that planning takes less mental effort. Strategies like these will give you more energy, confidence, and time.

We all overcommit ourselves from time to time. And then, because we feel overwhelmed, we cancel or back out at the last minute. It feels like no big deal — everybody does it, right? But not following through on your commitments, whether by constantly rescheduling meetings or by failing to get back to people when you say you will, erodes your trustworthiness. Honoring your commitments begins with saying yes only to things you know you can do. If you’re unsure about a request, ask for time to think things over. And practice saying no so that you’ll be ready to turn someone down when needed. (Think about how you can tactfully but frankly refuse, and then say the words out loud until they feel comfortable.) By thoughtfully — and honestly — assessing the requests that come your way, you can protect both your schedule and your reputation.

When senior executives retire, there is no shortage of activities to occupy them — serving on boards, mentoring others, being with family. In fact, deciding what to do with your time can be a bit overwhelming. To ease the transition into retirement, think through your priorities: Where do you want to focus your time and effort when it comes to business, philanthropy, and family? That way, when opportunities come up, you can assess how they fit your goals. Write down the number of hours per day, and days per year, that you want to work. (Budget a little extra, since having a portfolio of activities can lead to unexpected time requirements.) Be sure to allot time for family and your hobbies so that they don’t get crowded out by work commitments. And don’t be afraid to say “no,” or at least “maybe,” to new opportunities. Take it slow, and see what other offers come your way before committing.

Every job contains some grunt work. If you manage someone who thinks they have more than their fair share, consider ways to change up their responsibilities. You might, for example, impose a time constraint on an unglamorous task: Tell them the previous week’s data needs to be compiled and reported by Monday at 4 PM. Expect some pushback, since the employee is likely to say they can’t complete the work in half the time. But ask them to at least try — a time constraint can turn an unexciting task into an engaging challenge. You should also consider assigning them some new work. Giving them more-exciting projects will compel them to get through their lower-value work more quickly. And share the burden: If employees see you doing grunt work, they’ll be less likely to complain about it.

Sometimes productivity is a team effort. If a colleague is struggling to stay focused and engaged, helping them may not be part of your job description, but it is the kind thing to do. Take time to chat with them at their desk, or invite them to grab a cup of coffee or a drink after work. Let them know that you’ve noticed they’re off their game, and talk openly about the times you’ve struggled with projects or had bad days, to show them they are not alone. But make sure the conversation stays productive; it’s easy for a well-intentioned check-in to turn into a gripe session about what’s wrong with your workplace. Brainstorm small steps they can take to make progress on their most important goals. Of course, be careful that helping your colleague doesn’t drain your energy or hurt your performance. You don’t have to solve their problems — just give them the little push they need to get unstuck.

We all like to consider ourselves smart, but raw intelligence isn’t everything. When we get stuck on a problem, sometimes it’s because we’re overthinking it. Pay attention to when focused thinking isn’t getting you anywhere; perhaps it has turned into obsessing over the same answers or approaches. Consider whether experimenting with a new strategy or talking ideas through with others might be more likely to result in success. Take breaks to let your brain relax and get unstuck. Expand your range of skills for reaching insights and coming up with new ideas; don’t be someone who sees every problem as a nail because your only tool is a hammer. And when you do find yourself ruminating, disrupt it by doing a few minutes of an absorbing activity, such as a puzzle. This can be a surprisingly effective way to break your brain out of a rut.

Even when you love a job, sometimes you recognize that it’s time to move on. Whatever your reason for leaving, don’t give your two weeks’ notice and rush out the door. Take the time to say goodbye to the people and spaces that have been important to you. When you do a certain task, attend the all-hands meeting, or even look out your favorite window for the last time, stop for a moment and acknowledge it. And be sure to have a proper farewell with the coworkers you value most. Remember that you aren’t saying goodbye forever; those connections will continue, and can even develop in new ways. Of course, it’s OK to be sad about what you’re losing, even as you celebrate what’s coming next. Feeling sad might make you wonder if you are making a mistake. But maybe it just means that, for a period of time, you were lucky enough to have a job you really enjoyed.