Posts Tagged: Workplace

Choosing your Battles: Tips to Survive Workplace Conflict  

Conflict is uncomfortable, sometimes unavoidable.  Different personalities could make for a dynamic work environment.  Tension is bound to occur when you spend 40-plus hours a week in the same place. You should self-evaluate before you start a verbal firestorm. Ask yourself how you contributed to the problem and what will you do differently to preventRead… Read more »

Building Your Own Creative Space at Work

While there are many aspects of my detail to The Innovation Lab at the Office of Personnel Management that I enjoy, one of my favorites is access to the Lab’s space in the sub-basement of OPM’s Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building. The space is a dream for those seeking a creative and collaborative work environment. ForRead… Read more »

Are You a Ninja, Jedi or Pirate?

Ninjas are the glue that holds our organizations together. Normally they are folks who have been around for a while, have the institutional knowledge and can point to where all the dead bodies are buried. Ninjas are loyal, often do jobs many us don’t like and can be counted on in the clutch. For theRead… Read more »

The Decline of Workplace Camaraderie – Part 1 of 3

Looking back through almost 25 years of federal employment, I’ve seen a noticeable decline in workplace camaraderie and socializing within my organization. I’m not the only one seeing this; others have noticed this trend as well.   I sent out a survey to a few retirees and long-term co-workers in an attempt to coarsely gage any trends acrossRead… Read more »

4 Steps to Work Better with Your Coworkers (No Matter How Unreasonable They Might Seem)

It seems like an easy enough task, right?  Getting along with your co-workers. But they’ve got a few little teeny, tiny annoying habits. Or maybe, instead, it’s a giant ego.  What can you do when your co-workers drive you crazy? Good working relationships take more than luck While you may have lucked out in yourRead… Read more »

How to Work Well with Millennials

“I am a millennial champion!” proclaimed Lee Caraher, author of Millennials and Management: The Essential Guide to Making it Work at Work, during today’s Next Generation of Government Summit. In a room filled with hundreds of millennials, this assertion got a big cheer. However, Caraher admitted that there are many people in the workforce whoRead… Read more »

Employee Perceptions: Heroes, Villains and Martyrs

In today’s inter-generational work environment, some people in the diverse workforce approach their daily routine differently. For example, some of staffers may show great initiative while others simply wait for assignments to come to them. Still others avoid taking risks maybe out of concern that their ideas may not yield the desired results. Often employees areRead… Read more »

Coping with Conflict at Work

Ever felt like your boss’s expectations were unrealistic? Or your employee wasn’t doing what you asked? Didn’t like a colleague’s approach? If you’ve worked long enough, you’ve probably encountered conflicts like these on the job. Even the slightest conflicts can hurt productivity at work in ways small and large. As the Vice President for LeadershipRead… Read more »