Advice

People frequently tell me that they’ve used an internet search to try to solve a work problem. Some problems are too complex for the internet: ask someone in your orbit for advice.

“…most of the things that we do at work have some level of difficulty, and so we shouldn’t be thinking that others are going to think we’re incompetent if we ask…” So, when you don’t know, ask. In fact, Asking for Advice Makes People Think You’re Smarter, per Francesca Gino at the HBR Ideacast.

Online career advice columns provide the opportunity to cringe, laugh, and be glad we don’t work there. You may be better off viewing them as opinion or entertainment, and not a prescription for career success.

The legal elements of work are complex and country-specific. (Some US states even offer distinct legal employee protections.) So, some online workplace advice makes me cringe. I do appreciate Evil Skippy, who is Jim Webber’s alter-ego; Jim is an HR pro and employment attorney. There’s humor and (legally sound) wisdom at his blog.

“People overestimate themselves,” he says, “but more than that, they really seem to believe it. I’ve been trying to figure out where that certainty of belief comes from.” David Dunning in Why We Overestimate Our Confidence. Feedback from knowledgeable people can help you to learn whether you really know what you think you know. When you’re in a position to advise junior people, this is critical.

Tania Suster offered some career advice to a family friend. Read it and remember: context makes the difference between advice, and effective advice. For example, “Schedule…in your bosses calendar a few check in meetings and ask for feedback,” might be a tad too formal in your company. Or, you may find that feedback conversations happen on a very specific schedule. Leaders should be prepared to advise team members on success factors like those Tania outlined for her friend — as they apply to your own organization.

from Issue #10, December 10/11, 2017 edition of How to Have a Job

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