Make sure you and your partner are aligned

Research shows that women are far more likely to achieve their professional ambitions if their partner supports them (or if they stay single). But even for women whose partner is committed to equality, it’s difficult to navigate the challenges of a dual-career life. To make sure both people are aligned on what they want and need, discuss your long-term personal and professional goals early in the relationship. Be clear about what support you need to achieve these goals and where it will come from. To keep the lines of communication open, have regular face-to-face sessions where the two of you sit down and talk about goals and support.

(Adapted from “If You Can’t Find a Spouse Who Supports Your Career, Stay Single,” by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox.)

Find commonalities with co-workers

When working on a global team, it’s easy to focus on the ways that you and your colleagues are different. But rather than thinking about what sets you apart, emphasise what you have in common. This will draw you closer to your colleagues and make you more receptive to — and less frustrated by — cultural differences. For example, a French employee might bond with Japanese co-workers by recognising that both cultures are results-oriented and prone to analysing processes for how they could be improved. When you encounter rules and norms that seem odd to you, think about analogous norms in your culture. You’ll feel warmer towards your colleagues, which will improve collaboration and teamwork.

(Adapted from “How to Successfully Work Across Countries, Languages, and Cultures,” by Tsedal Neeley.)

How to get through to a bad listener

It’s frustrating to work with someone who doesn’t listen. Whether your colleague interrupts you, rambles on, or seems distracted, the impact is the same: You feel ignored, and the chances of misunderstandings increase. But you can encourage your colleague to listen better by emphasising the importance of your message up front. Before starting a conversation, say: “I have to talk to you about something important, and I need your help.” This sends a signal to your colleague that they need to pay attention. As frustrating as it may be, you may also need to make your point multiple times, in multiple ways. Be transparent about what you’re doing. You might say: “I want to repeat this, because I want to make sure it’s understood.” Then follow up with: “Does that make sense?” That way you can know your message has been heard.

(Adapted from “How to Work with a Bad Listener,” by Rebecca Knight.)

Managers, make sure your team takes vacation

It’s important to encourage your employees to take time off. Make it clear to them that this is a business issue — not just a personal one. Use a few minutes in a team meeting to share some of the research on the benefits of vacation, such as higher productivity and less stress. Then keep track of how many vacation days employees have taken, and periodically update the team so that they know this issue matters to you. When people do take time off, tell them that you don’t want them checking email or voicemail, and that you’ll keep a list of things that come up for when they’re back.

(Adapted from “How to Get Your Team to Use Their Vacation Time,” by Liane Davey.)

Ask these questions to foster employees’ sense of purpose

We all want to find meaning in what we do. As a manager, you can help your team members foster this inner sense of purpose by asking them a few simple questions:

— What are you good at? What do you take on because you believe you’re the best person to do it? What have you gotten noticed for throughout your career? The idea here is to help people identify their strengths.

— What do you enjoy? In a typical workweek, what do you look forward to doing? These questions help people find or rediscover what they love about work.

— What feels most useful? Which work outcomes make you proudest? Which of your tasks are most critical to the team or organisation? The answers can highlight the inherent value of certain work.

(Adapted from “5 Questions to Help Your Employees Find Their Inner Purpose,” by Kristi Hedges.)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, February 26th, 2018