Personal Development

Surround yourself with geniuses

When Gina Amaro Rudan quit her job to start her own business, she realized that she needed other risk-takers in her life. So she made a “genius wish list” of 25 people whose stories intrigued her. Then she asked each of them for a conversation. Each successful conversation built her confidence.

1-Minute Strategies: Feb. '12

Stop monopolizing a conversation. Every time someone asks you a question, ask one in return ... Resist the urge to do several things at once ... Avoid sending an email to the wrong person, with this tip from Patricia Robb, author of the “Laughing All the Way to Work” blog ...

What makes an unsuccessful employee?

What don’t managers want from em­­ployees? Check out this list of flaws that describe unsuccessful em­­ployees, according to their bosses. The list was compiled by John Feather­­stone, author of Start Hiring Winners:

Keep a bad mood from setting you back

You wake up late, quarrel with your spouse, and a car cuts you off during your commute. When you get to work, you’re in a foul mood. Researchers have found a link be­­tween that morning mood and your performance during the workday. Stop a bad mood from hurting office productivity:

Make your New Year's resolutions stick

Rosalene Glickman, president of the World Academy for Personal Development, often asks her clients if they made a New Year’s resolution and stuck with it. Out of the more than 3,000 people, only 6% said yes. Advice from the experts in making this year’s resolutions stick:

Get healthier or expect to pay more

Veridian Credit Union issued this ultimatum to workers: Quit smoking, curb obesity, or you’ll pay more for health care in 2013. That workplace trend is on the rise, giving us one more reason to make “get healthier” a resolution for 2012.

Speak up without losing your job

Stupidity isn’t what stops good teams from being successful. More often, what happens is that people see a problem but choose not to speak up about it because raising the issue could be taboo. How to speak the truth without losing your job:

Making progress toward meaningful work

According to a recent poll, Americans are unsatisfied with their work and their lives. People of all ages, and across income levels, are unhappy with their supervisors and not engaged with what they do. What, if anything, can you do about this dismal state of affairs?

Clear out your life plaque

Your desk isn’t the only thing that needs occasional decluttering. Our lives could use some decluttering, too, says Gail Blanke, author of Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life. Blanke calls the extra physical and emotional debris “life plaque.”

Talking too much can kill your career

If you have the gift of gab, it can limit your opportunities to move ahead. Communications pro Barbara Pachter offers these tips to rein in loquaciousness:

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