Back To Career News

PayScale’s VIP Blog Roundup: Can I Speak Up About Super-Long Meetings?

Topics:

If you complained every time something got on your nerves at work, you’d be at the top of the annoyance list for most of your co-workers. But, what about when the irritation is a genuine productivity-suck, like long meetings? Sometimes, then, you can speak up – but not all the time. This week’s roundup includes advice on knowing when to say something and when to stay quiet, plus how to get more followers on your blog, and how to prevent excuses from derailing your career.

time spiral 

(Photo Credit: Cea./Flickr)

Alison Green at Ask a Manager: Can I Speak Up About How Our Meetings Always Run Way Past the Allotted Time?

Do You Know What You're Worth?

Hate super-long meetings? The latest Q&A on Ask a Manager will be near and dear to your heart. A reader asks Green:

Meetings that end on time make my heart sing. I’m the manager of a department with about a dozen people, and my staff knows that I am uncompromising about ending meetings on time.

Alas, our entire division (about 50 people) has a monthly meeting that invariably runs over the allotted hour. …Can I say something to my director about this, or do I need to just suck it up and plan to be at these meetings for half the morning? I recognize that I have a particularly strong aversion to meetings, and she is perfectly aware that these meetings run over and has elected not to do anything about it, so I’m concerned about coming across as an unsupportive coworker.

Green’s reply emphasizes the importance of picking and choosing your battles when it comes to conflict in the workplace. In short, whether or not this – or any – manager should speak up has a lot to do with whether or not she’ll need that social capital for something more important later on.

Terri Webster Schrandt: How to Get to 500+ Followers: 3 Reasons to Use Images on Your Blog

Everyone’s heard the old expression “a picture’s worth a thousand words.” But, if you’re trying to build an online presence, what’s more important is that a picture will help you gain hundreds of followers. Schrandt writes:

There is nothing like a compelling image on your blog post to attract readers. Many bloggers might argue that good quality content is all one needs for a successful post and for many, this may be true.

However, we are visual people and including a great image in your post attracts readers. Stats do not lie. If you blog on WordPress, take a look at the Reader. Count how many posts include a featured image. Do you tend to click on the posts with an interesting image, especially if that image underpins the subject of the post? I sure do!

Her other tips – which include how to avoid winding up with a $1,000 lawsuit over misused photos – are definitely worth your time.

Anita Bruzzese at 45 Things: Are Excuses Derailing Your Career?

In a new book, “Triggers,” author and leadership guru Marshall Goldsmith says that these “excuses” you make to yourself are really much more. They are inner beliefs that trigger failure before it happens, sabotaging change before it even has a chance to take root. We use these beliefs to justify not taking action, he says, and tell ourselves that if we change we’re not being authentic.

Or, we give up making changes because we find it exhausting or think it has to be perfect or it’s not worth it. (Think of how many times you’ve searched for the “perfect” job or the “perfect” boss or career.)

How can you tell if you’re your own worst enemy, when it comes to getting ahead? Bruzzese offers some tough questions to ask yourself, here.

Tell Us What You Think

What’s the best career advice you’ve read this week? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt
Read more from Jen

Leave a Reply

avatar
  Subscribe  
Notify of
What Am I Worth?

What your skills are worth in the job market is constantly changing.