When You're Stressed to the Max: Should You Quit Without Another Job Lined Up?

When You're Stressed to the Max: Should You Quit Without Another Job Lined Up?

The stress of an existing job can sometimes feel unbearable, leading many to question, "Should I quit my job even if I don't have another one lined up?" It's important to note that there's no one-size-fits-all answer to this query. However, addressing a few key questions can help you make an informed and strategic decision. This post explores the various considerations necessary to decide whether to quit your job without another lined up.

Read More

You Don't Have to Feel Overwhelmed at Work. Try These 5 Strategies Today.

You Don't Have to Feel Overwhelmed at Work. Try These 5 Strategies Today.

Feeling overwhelmed at work is common and can stem from a multitude of factors. A NIOSH study found 40 percent of workers said their job was very or extremely stressful; it’s no doubt that people feel overwhelmed by their work. This post explores what it means to be overwhelmed at work, what people who are overwhelmed might be experiencing, what their behaviors may look like, and five strategies for reducing feelings of overwhelm that can be implemented immediately.

Read More

How to Use Your Influencing Strengths Without Being a Dick About It

How to Use Your Influencing Strengths Without Being a Dick About It

Influence. It’s kind of a big thing. Folks who can influence know how to take charge, speak up, and make sure their voices are heard. And don’t we all want to have this power at work? Like all aspects of power, wielding influence can either be an effective tool or an awful weapon if you're not careful. The potential to do both great good and great harm (and perhaps both simultaneously) is always on the table. Great leaders are intently aware of this—they’re able to confidently check themselves, are willing to be checked by others, and are aware of the need to constantly balance their influence with humility. So, how do you cultivate your influencing strengths? And how do you use them for good?

Read More

How to Prepare for the CliftonStrengths Assessment to Get Your Best Results

How to Prepare for the CliftonStrengths Assessment to Get Your Best Results

The CliftonStrengths Assessment an online talent assessment, like a Myers-Briggs personality test in which you’ll see a bunch of questions about how you relate to and interact with others, how you approach problems, how you prefer to work, how you prefer to think, etc. It reveals your top talents. Then, the results in your report feature definitions of each of those talents that are specific to you. The test measures the intensity of your talents in each of the 34 CliftonStrengths themes that fall under 4 domains: thinking strategically, building relationships, influencing others, and executing tasks. This post explores the CliftonStrengths Assessment, what to expect when talking the CliftonStrengths Assessment, and how to interpret your CliftonStrengths Assessment results.

Read More

No, You Shouldn't Tell Your Boss to F#ck Off: 5 Better Ways to Say No to More Work

No, You Shouldn't Tell Your Boss to F#ck Off: 5 Better Ways to Say No to More Work

There’s your job description. And then there are all the other things you end up doing in addition to your prescribed work. Sometimes it’s by choice. Sometimes it’s out of guilt or obligation to “be a team player.” Sometimes you just don’t know how to damn well say no. This post explores how to say no at work, how to say no at work without feeling guilty, how to say no to your boss for extra work, how to say no professionally, and how to say no to unwanted projects.

Read More

Productivity Down and Burnout Up? You Might Have a Collaboration Problem.

Productivity Down and Burnout Up? You Might Have a Collaboration Problem.

In this day and age, collaboration is essential. But it also can be utterly draining. The amount of email chains with 15+ participants, video call after video call, and instant messages pinging non-stop throughout the day (and night) is too much. With pandemic work necessitating more collaboration while also exacerbating its strain, it’s fair to say we are all past a breaking point. This post explores the present-day culture of collaboration, how the dominant strategies for collaboration promote employee burnout and decreasing productivity, and how organizations can rethink constructive collaboration.

Read More

How to Take a Leave of Absence from Work When You’re Burnt Out

How to Take a Leave of Absence from Work When You’re Burnt Out

There’s stress, and then there’s the STRESS™ that comes with burnout. This post explores alleviating burnout by taking a leave of absence from work, including the concept of stress leave, how to take a leave of absence from work due to stress, the various ways you might be able to access paid time off for stress leave, the medical professionals to engage, and how to make the request.

Read More

What to Do When You’re Burnt Out or Overwhelmed, Part 2: Time Management

What to Do When You’re Burnt Out or Overwhelmed, Part 2: Time Management

At the time I’m writing this, we’re nearly one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of us are working in vastly different ways than we were before. Our workspaces, hours, responsibilities, and protocols have changed or blurred… and it’s probably a lot more to juggle. Dealing with work, home and family demands, personal lives, finances, community, and the news in an era of a global pandemic has been hard to handle across the board and many of us are absolutely overwhelmed as a result. This post explores how to use time management skills and time management strategies to deal with overwhelm and avoid burnout whenever possible.

Read More

What to Do When You’re Burnt Out or Overwhelmed, Part 1: Prioritization

What to Do When You’re Burnt Out or Overwhelmed, Part 1: Prioritization

Sometimes, the feeling of overwhelm and burnout might seem unavoidable or even inevitable. When we feel this way, it’s often because we have too many different stimuli coming at us—maybe from home and family demands, work, other aspects of our personal lives, finances, community, or external events. This post explores the how to define burnout, the impact of burnout, and how to use prioritization to deal with feelings of overwhelm and to help you avoid burnout.

Read More

Help! I Love My Job but My Boss is Terrible. Now What?

Help! I Love My Job but My Boss is Terrible. Now What?

Sometimes everything at a job can be great…where you’re working, what you’re doing, and who you work with…except your boss sucks. You might love your job but when your boss makes things difficult because they’re toxic, incompetent, hostile, *insert bad trait here,* or you just don’t vibe, you might start questioning your future at the organization. This post explores the signs of a toxic boss, how to deal with a difficult boss, and what to do if your boss is a bully.

Read More

6 Obstacles Getting in the Way of the Career You Want

6 Obstacles Getting in the Way of the Career You Want

Through coaching individuals across industries and points in their careers—from emerging professionals to mid-career folks to senior leaders—I have seen various obstacles that keep people from achieving satisfaction at work. This post explores some reasons why you might feel stuck at work, and how to move forward in your career when you feel stuck.

Read More

Feeling Stuck at Work? Consider These 3 Reasons Why.

Feeling Stuck at Work? Consider These 3 Reasons Why.

Do you ever feel like you’re just at a standstill when it comes to your job or career? Like you’re stuck? Or you have hang ups that get in the way of feeling fulfilled and achieving what you want? This post explores 3 reasons you might be feeling stuck at work, and 15 strategies to address the fear that you might be stuck in this job forever, and help you when you are feeling stuck in a job with no progression.

Read More

3 Reasons Why You're Not Feeling Confident at Work

3 Reasons Why You're Not Feeling Confident at Work

Confidence is essential to moving forward in your career. Projecting confidence helps you excel in your role, gain credibility, make strong first impressions, develop meaningful and beneficial professional relationships, deal with pressure, and tackle challenges. However, projecting confidence isn’t always as easy as it sounds. In this post , I’ll help you understand what goes into having confidence and obstacles that might shake your confidence at work.

Read More