Scarlet Ink

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Managing Up

The Easiest Way to Get a Yes at Work
Why most career asks fail (if you even ask) and how making your requests smaller, clearer, and time-bound dramatically increases your odds of getting a…
 • Dave Anderson
Please, for the Love of All That’s Holy in Corporate America, Stop Saying These 8 Things at Work
Doing your work absolutely matters. But you can easily sabotage yourself by saying the wrong thing. These are a few phrases that quietly sabotage your…
 • Dave Anderson
Think Your Skip-Level Is for "Visibility"? That’s Cute. It’s Not.
Levels in an organization garble communication. A skip-level meeting is an opportunity to communicate clearly. Most importantly, it helps low-level…
 • Dave Anderson
From Star Employee to Struggling Leader — A Simple Explanation of Your Manager's Incompetence
No manager wants to be a terrible boss. Yet even with the best of intentions, it's hard to avoid being at least moderately incompetent.
 • Dave Anderson
The Hidden Advantage of Sharp Edges — Why Being Disagreeable is Best
Anyone can be valuable if they have the right motivation, but strangely enough, being disagreeable multiplies that value.
 • Dave Anderson
Work Enemies: Actions You Can Take to Protect Yourself From Bad Relationships
You won't always get along with your co-workers. What can you do to protect yourself?
 • Dave Anderson
How Senior Leaders Evaluate Ideas — And a Story of Amazon's 3-Year Planning Process
Ideas are valuable if they're not simply a desired outcome. A path to an outcome is the core element of a good idea.
 • Dave Anderson
Create Career Success: 11 Key Phrases for Your Workplace
How others perceive your performance and your work is heavily influenced by your communication skills. Influencing others is key to long-term success.
 • Dave Anderson
Managing Up — Stories and Guidelines for Working with Senior Leaders
You could rephrase 'managing up' as how to work with important people so that they want to work with you more, not less. This is a key skill for career…
 • Dave Anderson
Have You Been Ignoring Implicit Feedback, Letting Your Career Pay the Price?
Implicit feedback is the subtle feedback you likely receive regularly. Don't let it escalate to explicit feedback. I spend time translating subtle…
 • Dave Anderson
Here's a Technique to Get Your Manager to Do What You Want.
Your manager isn't lazy, but you need to get things moving! Take control over your career (and your life) by learning how to drive your manager to act.
 • Dave Anderson
You're Not Lazy, But Your Manager Thinks You Are - A Guide to Changing How People Perceive You
Perception is reality. You can rail against the unfairness of how others perceive you, or you can work to change that perception.
 • Dave Anderson
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