Career & Office

How to Give a Powerful Compliment

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When done well, a compliment is one of the most powerful ways to let someone know that you value and appreciate them. Yet, these seemingly positive interactions can be surprisingly tricky to navigate — no one wants to come across as a kiss-up. Here’s how to give a powerful compliment the next time you want to recognize someone for their work:

Be authentic. Ask yourself, “Why am I recognizing this person?” Don’t compliment someone because you feel you should; compliment them because you feel compelled to let them know how they impact you or others.

Be specific. Ask yourself, “What exactly did I experience or observe?” Give details and examples to give the recipient the context behind your admiration.

Focus on the process, not just the results. In other words, comment on how this colleague did what they did — not just what they produced.

Share the impact. Tell your colleague what their actions meant to you and the rest of the team.

Are You Headed Toward Burnout?

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If you’re feeling exhausted, how can you assess whether you’re heading toward burnout? You can track your burnout status with a simple, quick activity: 

The two-minute burnout checkup. 

Start by writing down how much stress, on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being negligible, 10 being extreme), you experience from each of the six factors of burnout: workload, values (how you connect with your work on a deeper level), reward (both financial and social), control (the degree of autonomy you feel at work), fairness, and community. 

For example, if you’re finding it tough to connect with colleagues after working from home, you might score community an 8. Conversely, you might rank workload a 2 if you have a good amount to do but find the number of tasks manageable. Your overall score will give you a big-picture sense of how well you’re doing at that moment. While the total number of points (out of 60) is essential, what’s more, useful are your scores in each of the six categories. You’ll likely find that you’re healthy in some dimensions and unhealthy in others. 

Once you identify your pain points, you can devise strategic interventions to target them.

What to Say When Someone Is Rude to You at Work…

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When someone is rude to you at work, whether it’s a customer, colleague, or even your boss, it can be hard to know if—and how—to respond. In some cases, it might feel too risky to speak up. Other times, it might feel too risky not to. Whether or not to respond is your decision. If you’ve decided that you should, here are three diplomatic ways to do it.


Use “I” statements. For example, I felt dismissed by your comment; while that may not have been your intention, that’s how it landed with me. I’m hurt by what you just said. I imagine it wasn’t your intent, but that made me uncomfortable. I understand why you’re frustrated.

Use “It/That” statements. For example:
It’s disrespectful to tell people their ideas don’t have merit. That comment isn’t helpful to either of us.It would be easier for me to help you if we took the heat down in this conversation.

Ask strategic questions. For example:
Did I hear you correctly? I think you said…Can we take a step back for a moment?I know we both care about getting this done. Can we do that together? I have some ideas

How to Answer One of the Hardest Job Interview Questions

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The job interview question, “Tell me about yourself,” can be the most challenging to answer. It requires careful consideration to provide an effective response. Rather than sharing your life story or job history, focus on what the company needs from the role you are applying for.

Begin by reviewing the job description and identifying key requirements and desired skills. Look for phrases like “required,” “must have,” and “highly desired.” Then, research the company’s corporate culture and core values. Visit their website’s “About Us” section to understand what they stand for and what they’re looking for in a candidate.

Consider how you can connect your background and interests to what the company is seeking. Practice your response so that you can confidently deliver it during the interview. You want to sound like your career has been building towards this role and that you are the best candidate to fill it. Remember, the interviewer is not looking for a monologue of your professional and personal life, but rather a clear and concise statement of your qualifications and relevance to the role.

Effective Soft Skills in Any Job…

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Even if you’re working in a job that feels temporary, dead-end, or just isn’t the one, you’re not wasting your time. You can use this opportunity to develop some invaluable soft skills that will serve you in any career you might pursue down the road.

  • Problem-solving. Every job has challenges, some more complex than others. Being adept at problem-solving—which includes understanding the problem and root cause, then brainstorming solutions and alternatives—shows structured thinking with logic-based reasoning.
  • Effective communication. Being able to translate complex ideas for any audience (customers, clients, coworkers) is a critical capability in every field. Think of your job as an opportunity to practice adjusting your communication with each person you interact with.
  • Teamwork. Every job, on some level, requires some degree of collaboration. Practice new ways to resolve conflicts, align stakeholders, and partner with colleagues to advance your team’s goals.
  • Leading and influencing (even without authority). You’re more than just a cog in a machine. Look for opportunities to voice your opinions and ideas, mentor others, and contribute to your workplace culture.

Long hours == Success

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Long hours == Success is a fallacy. Moreover, it often leads to burnout. If the priority is right you can become successful both professionally and personally. Here’s how to prioritize your personal well-being without compromising your professional growth:

Find time to do nothing. One way to build in a moment of genuine disconnection from work is to take some time at the beginning or end of each day to journal or doodle your thoughts. Think of this as a daily reflection or brain dump to release the pressure of your work life.

Become more intentional about space. Dedicate specific places to your work and reserve others for relaxation and relationships. Drawing clear lines between your professional and personal lives will help you thrive in both.

Learn to say no. To get better at declining requests without feeling guilty, reframe saying no as setting boundaries. Ask yourself: Who am I willing (or not willing) to give time to? What do I want (or not want) to do or achieve? When do I need to protect time, and when do I want to make myself available? What kind of work will help me achieve my long-term goals?

Don’t Hire a Friend?

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Try and avoid hiring a friend into your company: Can a personal relationship coexist alongside a professional one? If you approach the situation carefully, it’s possible to work with each other while preserving the friendship. 

First, set their expectations about whether they’re likely to get the job. Say something like, “I want to explore the possibility of our working together — but I want to be clear that it might not be a good idea.” 

Next, make sure you’re comfortable saying no to the person. If you do become your friend’s boss, you’ll need to have confidence that their emotional maturity can make the dynamic work. 

Last, think together about how you’d deal with difficult situations that may arise on the job. This will help both of you set the psychological boundaries you’ll need if you’re going to be coworkers in addition to friends.

I have a Negative Relationship with My Boss…

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Everyone wants to feel respected by their manager, but over half of the employees say they don’t. What to do if you’re in that unfortunate majority? Try these three things:

Manage your energy. 

Sleep, exercise, good nutrition, and stress management can help to ward off the harmful effects of being disrespected by your boss.

Thrive outside work. 

If you’re happy in your non-work life, you’re more likely to thrive at the office, no matter what your boss thinks of you. This is because enjoying outside work increases your emotional reserves and gives you a sense of growth and learning. Think about what will make you happier outside the office, and start doing it.

Seek positive relationships. 

Negative, draining relationships affect your sense of thriving which is four to seven times the effect of energizing, positive ones. To offset the drain of people who pull you down, surround yourself with a small group of energizers — the people in your life who make you smile and laugh and lift your spirit.

Help Out Introvert(s) on Your Team…

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Chances are, more than a few of your employees are introvert(s) and sometimes feel out of place—regardless of how competent they are. They are part of your team and they high performing employees. But sometimes being introverted comes their way to perform. As a manager, how can you help them?

Watch for red flags. 

Unsustainable work habits, such as constantly working long hours, can be a telltale sign. To prove themselves, introverts will work long hours, as they feel they’re not contributing enough. So can disengage work habits, such as withdrawal from a social group, and hesitancy to ask questions or speak up. In either case, start an honest dialogue with your employee early. Proactively ask if a sense of self-doubt might be underlying their behavior.

Focus on their work. 

Acknowledge high-quality work and signs of development. Positive feedback builds confidence and helps dissipate insecurity which is sometimes the cause of being introverted. If they make mistakes, emphasize that this is an integral part of learning.

Be vulnerable. 

Share some of your own professional or personal insecurities and failures, particularly those failures that you overcame in a meaningful way. This will remind them that what they’re feeling is normal—and that they can overcome it.

Be an Active Listener to be a Good Manager…

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If you are managing a team, the ability to listen, effectively break down, and analyze an issue in order to find a solution — will be core to your success. Whether it is an internal team issue, a technical issue, or an external dependency. 

Being an active listener and ability to formulate effective questions to get others to open up is crucial. Here are a few ways to boost your ability to do this.

Hold your hypotheses loosely, Don’t be defensive.

Approach any problem with an open mind, and hold any of your hypotheses. Asking good questions can lead you to fundamentally reconsider your assumptions — but you have to be willing to do so without defensiveness.

Listen more than you talk. 

Active listening allows you to fully grasp another point of view, making it easier to question your own assumptions and biases.

Leave your queries open-ended. 

Avoid asking yes-or-no questions. Instead, try to get the respondent to open up at length.

Consider the counterintuitive. 

Every group has someone who’s unafraid to challenge the status quo, sometimes he/she is the right person to discuss any approach or any conclusion you are formulating.

Sleep on it. 

A good night’s rest can actually help your brain see a problem more clearly, be more attentive to others, and hence be able to resolve any issue faster.