Secrets – Reader Question
I recently had a reader ask me how I feel about secrets. I asked him what he meant. He said he didn’t want to go into too much detail, but that it was about an affair between two co-workers were having within the company.
He said that the superior treated the person with whom he was having an affair better than everyone else. A promotion just opened up within the company and he was afraid that it would go to this person because of the relationship.
“What should I do?”
I had trouble answering his question so I thought I’d ask all of you.
What would you do if you knew your boss was having an affair with a co-worker?
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The Greatest Compliment of My Life and Compliments to Give Your Co-workers
My wife and I were discussing the need for people to compliment each other at work. Not enough of us do it. With Thanksgiving coming along in a few days, I’m reminded of the importance of showing gratitude to our co-workers with a simple and honest compliment.
My favorite compliment of all time came from my senior year high school English teacher. My friend and I were leaving school after our last final when we took a quick peek into our English class to say goodbye. She looked up and smiled. We told her thanks for everything.
She looked at both of us then said to me,
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Never Stop Expanding Your Network
You may do your job well, even so well that no one can complain, but you never get ahead. This career trap can cause many problems. The cause of the problem may be that you are one dimensional. You are so good at what you do and you’ve become so comfortable that you’ve stopped sharing thoughts, ideas, and helpful hints.
I’ve seen friends fall into this trap. When they need to expand their network they ignore the signs.
- Co-workers stop coming to them for help.
- They don’t reach out to people below and above them.
- They don’t take advantage of programs that might help them expand their skills.
Your Corporate Network
Many of you may be imagining some old man on the verge of retirement that has trouble adapting to the latest computer programs at work. This happens at every age. I’m relatively young, 32, but a few months ago I felt like I had become complacent at my job and I wasn’t keeping my co-worker network strong.
I decided to start calling people within the organization to just say hi. I always make it short and sweet and keep the conversation on them. They love it. They have been more willing to help me out with a problem instead of pushing me on to someone else.
Customer Network
This same problem happens with your customer base. When we get too comfortable and we stop reaching out to old contacts, we hinder the circular flow of love from our networks that helps us succeed.
You have to communicate to all levels within the organization to stay on the pulse of your company or your business, but you don’t have to push from just one angle. If you sell refrigerators and all you do is talk about how good they are, all day every day, people will tune you out.
Talk to people about what they enjoy most – themselves. Let them remember you for your graciousness and they will return the favor.
What do you do to expand your network?
Related Career Tips and Advice:
- Give It Your All, Not for Your Boss, But for Your Own Work Happiness
- Losing Heart In My Company – Reader’s Question
- Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time
* Buzzoodle Marketing wrote about being one dimensional, which spurred this article.
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Image courtesy of luc legay
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