The best work advice you ever got

[SunsetBeauregarde]

I’ve just come through a tricky couple of days at work, but got through it due to a mumsnet thread and some golden nuggets of advice I got from a brilliant manager in the past. I thought I’d pay forward the kindness I got on my thread and start a new one for the best advice you ever got at work:

Never begin a difficult conversation on the same day you realised the need for one.

Never enter a negotiation without a clear idea of the outcome you want.

Never ‘meet them half way’ - reduce your offer in gradually reducing increments, never more than 10% at a time.

Never make yourself a threat. Work with your opponent never against them. ‘Us’ is much easier to sell than ‘me vs you’

Make your opponent feel ahead of a problem, not behind it. They are more likely to offer a resolution if they feel like they’re creating a ‘near miss’. ‘Let’s work out how to stop this becoming a problem’ is much more motivating to come to the table than ‘this is a problem, what are you going to do about it?’

You can't make people care as much as you do.

Decide the outcome you want from a meeting/conversation and organise your strategy accordingly

Don't make yourself indispensable, if you do you won't get promoted. Instead share your knowledge and train others so your role can be filled when you move up.

“Don’t be caught holding the ball.” As in, don’t keep anyone waiting for you to do your bit. Get your work done, don’t hold others up.

No one ever thinks to themselves in their deathbed "I wish I had worked a bit harder"

Love this!

@loafintheoven this is known as the shit sandwich in my neck of the woods and I hate it - its such a cliche and we know it is, and whats coming

Be careful what you say and who you say it to.

Unfortunately this one is easier said than done. I have been stung many a time thinking I was in a safe space only to find that someone overheard me and took my words completely out of context.

If you are a manager, prioritise your team's personal needs. Sign off their leave applications straight away, spend at least half an hour a week in a 1-2-1 every week, make them feel heard and valued every day and be generous in praise. They will repay you in spades.

When you are talking you are saying something you already know. When you stop talking you learn something new.

No job is worth your health

@AutumnLeaves5 @Lifeisapeach @WeWereInParis @trisfreya I've always had really good results from my "shit sandwiches" - maybe the bread of mine had more sincerity and relevance than the ones you've been served ...
Lots of better suggestions here anyway.

Own up to your mistakes and apologise if you need to. Everyone fucks up but if you hold your hands up, tell people what's happened and what you're going to do to try to fix it then it's hard for people to be too angry. The worst thing you can do is lie or try to cover up your mistake.

From C de Gaulle ‘The cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men’ (sic).

So true!!

Take the redundancy package.

@SunsetBeauregarde

Never begin a difficult conversation on the same day you realised the need for one.

Never enter a negotiation without a clear idea of the outcome you want.

Never ‘meet them half way’ - reduce your offer in gradually reducing increments, never more than 10% at a time.

Never make yourself a threat. Work with your opponent never against them. ‘Us’ is much easier to sell than ‘me vs you’

Make your opponent feel ahead of a problem, not behind it. They are more likely to offer a resolution if they feel like they’re creating a ‘near miss’. ‘Let’s work out how to stop this becoming a problem’ is much more motivating to come to the table than ‘this is a problem, what are you going to do about it?’

WOW
Thank you for this.
Just what I needed to hear at this very moment!!

Always make your fair share of cups of tea. It’s simple but when I was a junior member of staff it really helped me get favours from people!

Be careful how you treat people you don’t like, you never know who might become your boss in the future.

Great thread! I have two- 1. my dad told me

'never be loyal to a job as unfortunately they probably won't be loyal to you'
This helped me when deciding whether or not to leave / stay / change jobs. Often you feel guilty and loyal and don't want to let people down, only to find a while later that you might be sidelined , or pushed aside by someone else.

2. The most important work you can do, is that within your own 4 walls.

I had a temp job in my early 20s. It was pretty dull admin stuff registering students at LSE. There were a few of us doing it and one of the others was an actor who did temping to make ends meet between jobs. I remember chatting to her at lunch and she said, 'Whatever I'm doing, I just always try to enjoy the day'. I can hear the exact tone and intonation she used 20 years on, and it struck me as really positive and wise. (Sometimes easier said than done, obviously!)

My close friend and colleague had one that we used to quote all the time:

Doesn't Matter. Nobody Cares.

It's great for some instant perspective.

You don't have to do something just because you are good at it

@barnanabas Fabulous. I wonder what she's doing now. I hope she made it big!

As a fairly junior auditor (hyperventilating in a corner because we’d found something majorly) from a very calm and kind partner ‘nobody ever died because accounts weren’t signed on time!’.

This. I was once told that leadership starts with recruiting the right people. Get that right and the rest is easier.

And this

recruit for behaviour, train for skills

Act your wage.

If you go too far with the whole 'above and beyond your role' malarkey, they will keep paying you the lower wage and not give you the promotion.

If they want you to take on extra responsibilities, make sure you are fairly compensated!