Category Archives: Features

Preparing For A Meeting With Your Manager

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If you are currently working within an organization, versus being self-employed, you likely have regular meetings set up with your manager or supervisor.  These meetings can sometimes feel intimidating or worrisome.  A positive way to have some control over the discussion is to prepare in advance.

Here’s a checklist of four things to consider:

  • Agenda Preparation:
    • Outline the topics you want to discuss during the meeting. Perhaps this involves a new opportunity or projects you think the department should pursue or perhaps feedback on a current workflow that is difficult or inefficient.  It can also include work progress, challenges you’re facing, goals, feedback, and any questions you have for your manager.
    • Prioritize the agenda items based on their importance and relevance to ensure you first cover the most critical points.
  • Review Your Progress:
    • If your manager has more than one direct report, it is unlikely they are going to have visibility or access to all of your accomplishments.  Take some time to review your recent work successes and challenges. Prepare specific examples or data to illustrate your contributions and improvements.
    • Identify any obstacles you encountered, and think about potential solutions or suggestions to discuss with your manager.
  • Clarify Expectations for Your Role:
    • Make sure you understand your manager’s expectations for your role and any specific projects you’re working on.
    • If there are any ambiguities or uncertainties, jot them down, and seek clarification during the meeting.
  • Technology Check & Timeliness:
    • If you work in a remote environment, verify that your internet connection and video conferencing software is working correctly to avoid any technical issues during the meeting.
    • Have any necessary documents or presentations ready to share virtually, if needed.
    • If you are meeting in person, be on time and prepared.  Punctuality will display to your manager how important you view these meetings and respect the time they are spending to help you advance your career

Remember, remote or in-person one-on-one meetings may have limited time, so being prepared and organized will help you maximize this valuable opportunity to communicate with your manager directly.  These regular touch points are also ways to highlight your progress and growth which will help your manager recall all your accomplishments when it comes time for evaluating you for a raise or promotion! 

How To Prevent AI From Taking Over Your Job

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How to stem your nerves about artificial intelligence and the impact it might have on your career.

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In this technology driven era, change is constant; it is our reaction to that change that defines how it affects us. The hard truth is that artificial intelligence is here and easily available to the masses now whether you like it or not, just like the internet and smartphones and numerous advancements that have fundamentally changed the way we live and work all in the last 40 years.  However, thinking back over the past 100+ years you start to realize that change didn’t just start accelerating, it has been constant and as such, most of you have and will need to pivot and learn new skills over the course of your career lifetime.  So how do you handle this latest interruption known quite generally as “AI” or artificial intelligence?  

  1. Don’t Bury Your Head in the Sand:  Artificial Intelligence isn’t going away so don’t pretend it is by looking the other way.  Instead, seek out reputable resources to learn about this new technology from some of it’s creators like OpenAI,  Google Bard and Microsoft Bing.  
  1. Try it out: By using some of the open source and available AI chat services for free, you can start to see what all the “fuss” is about and why organizations and individuals are so excited about the possibilities.  Similar to the App Store when it was launched by Apple, the excitement around AI is what products and services are going to be built using it, just like the millions of apps available at your fingertips through your iPhone. 
  1. Start to think about how it might apply to your current role or job: There may be a way for you to leverage some of these AI tools now to make your role more efficient.  It will benefit you greatly to come to your management team and identify ways that you have streamlined your job using AI to free yourself up for other projects.  If some of your current responsibilities can be done using AI tools, it will position you in a better light that you discovered it then it was done for you and you are then eliminated. 
  1. Become a subject matter expert in your department:  AI right now is primarily a level playing field for most companies discovering it for the first time and thinking about how they can leverage it in their industry.  Unless you work in an AI based technology group – most of this tech is not only new to you but also to your executive team and your direct managers.  Your company could benefit from the opinions of someone on the inside doing the day to day operations and how AI could help get more work done more efficiently.

Research AI tools in Your Industry:  Not sure where to start and learn?  Start by looking at AI tools for your industry.  You’d be surprised how many services have already been built to help with content creation, data entry, financial, legal services, image and design tools. Much of the software you already use is likely working on integrating some form of AI elements or tools within it.  In doing a search for “AI Tools to Do a Powerpoint Presentation” there are already over 39 million results in Google!

Change is hard and uncomfortable for most of us but you cannot grow and learn new things without change.  I don’t think anyone knows for sure where artificial intelligence will take us but the reality is we are already on this journey.  It’s time for you to join in and explore how AI can potentially help YOU in your next career move.   

My Coworker Is Taking All The Credit For My Work-How Do I Get Noticed?

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Getting noticed at work is crucial for career advancement and growth, however, it can be difficult if a co-worker or colleague is constantly stepping in to take credit for your efforts.  First off, get real with yourself; why doesn’t the management team see how hard you are working?  Are you in a remote environment and working virtually? Are you too shy or timid to speak up in meetings?  Before blaming a co-worker for your lack of advancement – reflect on your own behavior in the workplace to get noticed.  You can grow your career in positive ways by using dedication, hard work and still maintaining some humility.  Follow the steps below to show up at work with your best foot forward.  

  • Perform your job well: Consistently deliver high-quality work that meets or exceeds expectations. Take initiative, be proactive, and meet deadlines. If your manager doesn’t see this directly, ask for a meeting to update them on progress to show off your work.
  • Set performance and career goals: Set clear and measurable goals for yourself and strive to achieve them. Communicate and review them with your manager and reflect on them every few weeks to measure performance against your highest priorities.  This shows your commitment and motivation to excel in your role.
  • Take on additional responsibilities: Look for opportunities within the department or organization where resources or expertise are lacking.  Look to find opportunities to take on extra projects or tasks that align with your skills and interests. Volunteer for challenging assignments or cross-functional teams, demonstrating your willingness to go above and beyond.
  • Build positive relationships: Foster good relationships with the broader team of colleagues, supervisors, and other stakeholders in your organization. Be friendly, supportive, and approachable. If you collaborate and help others, they will return the favor to you.  Others will start to view you as a true team player.  
  • Stay updated and share knowledge: Keep yourself informed about trends in your industry and new technologies. Share relevant insights, articles, and knowledge with your team.  This will consistently demonstrate your expertise and add value.
  • Seek feedback and learn from it: Actively seek feedback from your managers and peers. This is sometimes hard to ask for and hard to hear.  However, if you are open to constructive criticism you can use it as an opportunity to improve your skills and performance.
  • Showcase your achievements: When you achieve significant milestones or complete successful projects, don’t hesitate to share your accomplishments with your manager or team. You can thank them for their support along the way while still allowing for visibility of your accomplishments.
  • Finally, keep a positive attitude: Be a team player, supportive of your colleagues, and maintain a can-do mindset even in challenging situations.  Be the person that people want to work with and have on their team.

By focusing on how you can improve in the workplace, the co-worker who took credit for your earlier work will soon fade into the background as you will continue to shine.  

Help: I Don’t Have A Job Description

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How to know if you are performing well with no job description
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Have you ever been at your job and wondered whether you are actually working on what you are supposed to? Spending time pondering whether your manager thinks you are crushing it?  Without set expectations and a clear job description, employees are often left doing just that…wondering instead of working. While human resources research supports having clear role descriptions, the majority of people are either working without them or are outdated, according to Harvard Business Review.  So what do you do if you are one of these wandering warriors, not sure where or what you should be focused on?  

Most job descriptions are completed by direct people managers.  While there are no federal or state requirements for job descriptions, according to the Society for Human Resources, having a job description is critical for employee success and clear communication of expectations.  Often, managers are not trained to draft clear job descriptions or even to set regular goals with their employees so what’s to stop you from doing it yourself?  That’s right.  Don’t wait to be told what to do, start drafting your own job description that you can present to your manager or HR professional to ensure that everyone is on the same page with what your role entails and how to measure your success.  

How to write your own job description

The key when describing a job description is to keep it in plain language so it very clearly sets out the expectations of employees and managers. 

  1. Start out with your title.  Ideally, your job title accurately reflects what it is that you do on a day-to-day basis.  If not, you could make small suggestions – just don’t give yourself a promotion within this exercise or your manager won’t read much further. 
  1. Briefly summarize the purpose of your role. Why does the company have your position and how do you bring value to the organization?  Write a few sentences on what is the purpose and the priority of your job. 
  1. Outline your duties and responsibilities.  In point form or paragraphs; describe what are the tasks and duties related to your job and how will your success be measured.  Outline which areas of the department you are responsible for. Clearly describe your organizational structure, reporting lines, and team dynamics.

Key Qualifications.  If you were going to hire someone for your role, what do you think the key qualifications might be?  Don’t base this solely on your existing qualifications.  This may be an opportunity to ask for some company-paid training or mentorship opportunities to upskill in your area.

Having clear and stated expectations between you and your manager will set you up for a foundation of success in your role and ultimately promotion.  To continue to grow and develop you must have a yardstick to measure your progress against.  If one has not been provided for you – take the initiative and create it yourself!