When I traveled this previous weekend, I found myself sitting on the plane, stumped on what to write for my next post. A sheet of paper lay bare on the drop-down tray in front of me and a fresh ballpoint pen in my hand and I started thinking, “I wonder what it would be like to work on a plane? What if I were the one giving emergency flight instructions while graciously suggesting specials on the beverage menu? How would customers treat me? What kinds of challenges would I have to deal with?” We’ve all thought about trading places before in one way or another: being the pilot who’s steering your flight, the police officer writing your ticket, the doctor listening to your heart beat or the cashier at the grocery store… the list goes on and on. And if you ever got the opportunity to actually live on the other side, how do you think you would feel?

In the case of the flight attendants on my plane, I thought about their responsibilities, challenges, worries and how I would treat them differently if I were in their shoes for just one day. If I knew what their lives were like, would I be a little more courteous when they asked for my drink order? And would I actually pay attention to their emergency instructions or continue flipping through my magazine? Needless to say, my thoughts of what I would do and how I would act changed for the rest of the plane ride once I took it all into consideration. I truly feel like I was much more understanding of their roles simply by stopping to think about it for a moment. And then I thought to myself, how would we all change our thoughts and actions if we simply put ourselves in others’ shoes?

One key to all successful relationships is to understand all sides. In the workplace, this also holds true. Everyone has different responsibilities and priorities and understanding where each person falls on the workplace spectrum will help you start to improve your relationships significantly!

Email is a primary method of communication for business and is becoming more important and widely-used than ever before. In 2009 alone, Royal Pingdom reported several staggering statistics on email use:

• 90 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2009.
• 247 billion – Average number of email messages per day.
• 1.4 billion – The number of email users worldwide.
• 100 million – New email users since the year before.
• 81% – The percentage of emails that were spam.
• 92% – Peak spam levels late in the year.
• 24% – Increase in spam since last year.
• 200 billion – The number of spam emails per day (assuming 81% are spam).

In fact, email use is so immense that a recent study (conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with salesforce.com) showed that 38 percent of 1,000 British employees felt they suffered from an information overload with their work emails, among those were many that were not even relevant. So where do we draw the line on delivering efficient and effective emailing strategies instead of irrelevant fluff? And how can we find a solution to manage vast amounts of messages and help improve overall productivity?

Image courtesy of institutechildrenslit.net

The first thing you need to do is develop an approach to how you process your inbox. Taking a more organized approach will help you gain more control, improve your responses and keep up with priorities. After all, a small amount of work towards organization up front can make things easier for you in the long run.

According to an article on Microsoft.com, the first step you can take toward creating a more organized inbox is creating a simple and effective email reference system of reference information and action information. What does this mean?

• Reference information is information that is not required to complete an action; it is information that you keep in case you need it later. Reference information is stored in your reference system—an email reference folder, your My Documents folder, or a company intranet site, for example.
• Action information is information you must have to complete an action. Action information is stored with the action, either on your to-do list or on your Calendar.

Now that you’ve got these general guidelines to follow, you may want to consider creating useful labels and folders that can instantly help you stay organized. For example, not every email is necessarily URGENT, so you may or may not have to answer it right away. Developing a ranking system can help you set your priorities and timeline for varied importance in email replies. You may want to have several categories for action information such as: “to do by tonight,” “to do by tomorrow” and “to do by end of week.” Or maybe you’d rather categorize emails by color categories – red as urgent, yellow as soon and green as later. You can place all reference information under “reference” or “documents.”

When communicating, it is also best to keep your emails short and sweet. If you want a quick reply from someone that you know may be busy, act courteous and make your inquiry short in the first place. You can keep emails short in length by cutting out unnecessary information, breaking up the information into paragraphs (makes it easier on the eyes) and only addressing the things that must be addressed.

Remember, you only get one chance to send an email. Another tip for keeping your emails effective and efficient is re-reading messages before you send them. You can make sure you’ve said what you needed to say and that you’ve also used correct capitalization, appropriate sentence structure and spelling.

As the fall season and holidays approach us, it’s the time of the year where baked goods are in abundance and work hours reach far and beyond the regular 9 to 5 standard as we meet our end of the year goals. While it is certainly difficult to balance our evolving work priorities while maintaining our physical health, there are several simple changes you can make to your routine that will show instant results.

Photography CHRIS BUCK / CORBIS OUTLINE

According to an article in the New York Times, the first and foremost issue that you may have in finding a balance between work and health comes with sitting at a desk all day. Sitting is one of the most passive things you can do and it has been found that you actually burn more energy by chewing gum or fidgeting than you do sitting still in a chair! So the first change you can make is to simply move around a little more. If your daily work routine involves 8 hours of sleep and one hour of exercise, that still leaves you with 15 hours of potential activity time! Just because you’re stuck working at a desk all day doesn’t mean you can’t get up and move a bit. Why don’t you try taking the stairs instead of the elevator this week or walking over to speak with a colleague instead of sending an e-mail? Other quick and easy ways to move around include standing up to stretch at your desk, taking a brisk walk around your office building/corporate park or performing a number of exercises right at your very own desk.

Other considerations include:

Back pain – After long hours of sitting, it’s possible to experience back and joint pain. Good posture can help to correct this problem. The first way to reduce backache is by changing sitting posture. Keep in mind that the chair you use may also have to do with bad posture, as you should be using a chair that can hold your back in an upright position. Do you also know that distance and height of your computer monitor matters? You should not have to bend or hunch at all to see the screen better, and if you currently do so, adjust it.

What makes a leader in the corporate world? It isn’t holding an executive level role or supervising other employees. It isn’t something you can learn overnight or even with 20 years of work experience. A leader, in the most basic sense, is someone who can guide or inspire others. Many leaders are born with innate leadership skills but some learn how to lead from great role models.

In fact, leaders can be all around us from the bottom to the top of the corporate ladder. We all have the opportunity to express a number of leadership qualities, even if we don’t necessarily see it. Wherever you are in the working world, you may exhibit leadership in your everyday work.

Here are some of the ways you can LEAD without being in a “LEADERSHIP” role:

The most basic way to lead is to do it by example. If you want to lead, you should know that part of being a leader involves how you carry yourself and that others will always be watching what you do. As they say, “actions speak louder than words,” so the things you do and the way you act can be a perfect way to demonstrate your leadership characteristics.

Help others and be a team player. Offer to help in every situation that you possibly can. A good leader is someone who wants to make those around them successful and help them get there. Lending a helping hand will help you establish important relationships and trust amongst your peers, too. After all, gaining trust and establishing dependability are few of the most important factors for leadership.

Have a corporate event coming up? Heard a lot of talk but not sure what to expect? Whether you’re a twenty-something that’s new to the working world or a seasoned veteran out in the field, there are certainly guidelines every working professional needs to follow when attending corporate events. It doesn’t matter if it’s a social gathering, conference or a quarterly meeting, you should always follow these rules to keep the most professional appearance possible. But wait, what exactly are the rules?

Well, we’ve created a list and personified the five tips you do want to remember and the five things you want to avoid doing at your next corporate event!

The things you want to remember:

First Impression Frank – Remember the adage, first impressions count? In the working world, this certainly holds true. When you first meet others in business, how you appear right off the bat is extremely important. First Impression Frank is a perfect example of this. He has learned that if he wants to give off his desired first impression, he’s got to look the part. Want to be seen and respected as the professional that you are?  Look and act the part by giving a good, firm handshake, a friendly smile and wearing appropriate business attire to top it off. When it comes to first impressions, you can choose to either be remembered as the person who’s got it all together or as someone who’s a complete mess. You want to avoid being the latter.

Safer than Sorry Sam – Sure, corporate events are a time to meet people and show off your sparkling personality, but that doesn’t mean you should cross the lines of professionalism. That’s why Safer than Sorry Sam considers this a golden rule! You want to show people the “real” you, but use discretion too. Of course you don’t want to be a wet rag either, but being “safer than sorry” doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! Talk to people and enjoy yourself a bit at your events, but just be wise. If you’re not sure if a joke is appropriate, don’t tell it. If you’re not sure if you should have another margarita, it’s best to hold back. After all, you don’t want to set yourself up for disaster. Use tact with your decisions and be smart about your choices and you’ll avoid any trouble getting in your way.

If you’re working in corporate America, chances are you’ve traveled for business at one point or another. Maybe it’s been from coast to coast or even across foreign waters, but whatever the case may be, when it comes down to it, traveling for business can be stressful. While you can’t avoid traveling for work, you CAN learn how to make traveling a little less stressful and maybe, just maybe, even more enjoyable!

We’re actually hosting our 2010 Annual Conference in Cancun, Mexico starting tomorrow (hence the idea behind this post), and we’ve compiled a list of tips to help make traveling for business run as smoothly as possible. We plan on using these tips for our own travels and would like to share them with you!

Baggage

When it comes to traveling for business, less is more! If possible, try to use only carry-on bags instead of checking any in. The less baggage you carry, the more time you’ll have overall. There are many ways you can save space in your bags if you just use a little strategy to your packing! First, try to get a copy of the agenda for your trip in advance or maybe even consider creating an agenda of the things you think you’ll be doing while you’re on your trip. That way, you can designate one outfit for each activity and stick to packing only what you need.

Tip: To save space, you may want to consider bringing one suit and several pieces to change it up. Men can wear the same suit with various color shirts and ties. Ladies can create several different outfits around one skirt, one jacket, a pair of pants and various blouses and accessories.

Timing

A big part of your travel will have to do with timing. When you’ve got different timelines to follow, it’s always best to simply be prepared with the mindset that literally ANYTHING and EVERYTHING could happen and set you back, especially if you’ve got to be somewhere at a certain time. In other words, you want to be proactive and ready for whatever comes your way.

If you are a frequent business traveler, you may want to find out about airlines or car companies that offer things like “elite status” or “frequent flyer” deals. This will help alleviate some of the stress of travel by cutting the time you wait in lines, giving you options to wait for your flights at exclusive airline clubs and even offering you better pricing for better seating options.

What are the qualities of a best friend? Someone who’s always there to help you? Someone who shares your interests? How about someone who can land you a job and help you make lots of money?! Well, your best friend may not be able to do that last one, but I know someone who can…. look no further than the recruiter who’s just a phone call away!

Now I’m not talking about a replacement for that lifetime comrade of yours, what I mean is your best career friend. Joining forces with a recruiter can make your chances of finding your next career opportunity grow by leaps and bounds. That’s because when you choose to work with a recruiter, you’re actually choosing your new best friend for your career! How so?

First off, recruiters can act as your inside source. These individuals stay informed and “on top of their game” because part of their job is to keep up on all of the latest hiring and industry trends and happenings. What’s more, another part of their job is to be directly connected to hiring managers. Recruiters know of positions and openings that aren’t even posted anywhere, so they’ve got the inside scoop and a foot in the door.

Changing careers can be a tough decision. Sometimes, it isn’t even a decision at all. If you are considering a career change, by choice or because of unemployment, take a moment to stop, sit down and begin to imagine your ideal “Plan B” career. What do you see?

Here are tips that can help you stop feeling trapped by your current situation and start thinking about change:

• Evaluate your current job satisfaction. Think about the content of your work. Also think about where you work and who you work with. Who are the people with whom you’d like to surround yourself? Is your current situation where you want to be? What direction do you want to go in?
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On Monday morning, I woke up to a text message from a close friend who made me feel as if I were the Rachel Zoe of the business fashion world. She asked, “If you wear a black skirt to an interview, do you have to wear a black blazer with it?” I thought my eyes were fooling me (I’m not necessarily known as the most fashionable of the bunch), so I rubbed them a bit and yes, the words were still there… at 7:30 in the morning on a vacation day. Turns out, my friend was doing some Labor Day shopping (both online and in stores) for a job interview coming up during the week. I guess I have to say I was flattered that she (also my elder) was coming to me for career wardrobe advice. I know this question may seem silly to some of you, but I’m curious to know… is it something you can say you’ve actually considered? I like to tell myself I know every single “do” and “don’t’” for interview and career attire, but the truth is, there are still some things I’ve never even really thought about (this scenario being one of those things).

It’s been said time and time again that carefully constructing the perfect interview outfit is worth the effort because it can be a deciding factor in whether or not you land the job. In fact, appearance isn’t just critical to first impressions during interviewing, it’s also important throughout your entire career! For example, have you ever noticed people dress up a little more at networking events or social events after work hours? That’s because they recognize that what you wear can be what defines you when you first meet new people (similar to that of an interview), so you need to make the best first impression possible. It’s just the plain truth. Once you recognize this (if you haven’t already), you may find that your career could be suffering a closet crisis and now is the time to get help!

Going back to the original story at hand… I thought to myself, well, can you wear a different a blazer and bottom that don’t match? Honestly, many of us out there probably can’t rattle off a list of exact dress-code rules for job interviews and your career other than just knowing the everlasting rule that you need to dress “professional.”

It seems that we all might have our own slightly different perceptions of what’s considered the “right” thing to wear to a job interview. So how can you play it safe? I did some research and I’ve compiled a list of rules that are generally accepted as what to wear and what not to wear to a job interview and throughout your career (including the answer to the suit question!). Take a look below, you may actually find some you didn’t know about.

For women:

1. Bring a basic handbag in neutral or dark color.
2. Wear neutral hose with a skirt! Do not go bare legged in a skirt.
3. Use appropriate accessories such as small classic styled earrings, a thin necklace or strand of pearls, no more than one ring per hand. No tongue, nose or eyebrow pierced jewelry. Avoid noisy or chunky jewelry as it could be considered distracting.
4. Don’t put on too much makeup.
5. Avoid sleeveless tops and dresses as well as skirts that are too short (above the knee).
6. Leave the heavy perfume at home and stick to body splash or small dabs of regular perfume.
7. Make sure to wear close toed heels. Do not show up in open toe shoes, flip flops or sandals!
8. Make sure that the hairstyle you choose holds back any stray hairs from falling on your face. You do not want to play with your hair or have to touch it very much while speaking about yourself.
9. Avoid anything ruffled, frilly or lacy, along with accessories on shirts in the form of extra buttons or bows. You want to be classy, not cute.

For men:

1. Polish or clean your shoes – no scuff marks.

1. Be careful with cologne and aftershave! Most likely, your interview will take place in a small interviewing room with just yourself and the interviewer. You may want to consider using none at all.
2. Remember to trim your facial hair! If worn, it should be well-groomed. Observe men in your industry if you are unsure what’s appropriate.
3. Hair should be clean and well kept. Shorter hair is generally considered to be favorable.
   1. Do not wear too much jewelry. No more than one ring per hand. Wear a watch with a leather or metal band. If you wear cuff links, choose a classic style.

For both:

1. Stick to basic, conservative colors and fabric: Navy, dark gray and black work for suit colors. Button down shirts and blouses should be reserved to basic colors, avoid patterns. Wool and wool blends are generally the best fabrics in all seasons. Avoid acetate / rayon blends. Remember that simple, classic styles will save you money in the long run because they never go out of style.
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When it comes to networking, going out there and meeting other professionals may play a big part, but it’s actually maintaining and keeping track of those contacts that will be most important thing you can do. Whether you are already employed or looking for a job, you never really know when someone in your network may actually prove to be the next MVP on your career path. That’s why it is so important to keep track of your contacts, even when you don’t need anything and aren’t looking for a new job. How can you keep track of these valuable network connections?

A good way to manage your network and keep in contact is to send periodic messages to each individual on a regular basis. To make this easier, you may want to set a goal of sending a few messages to a small number of individuals each week. These messages can be rather simple – maybe just a “hello, how are you?” or a link to an article that reminds you of them. These small notes can go a long way and will make world of a difference in the long run.

Social and business networking sites such as LinkedIn are good ways to find old connections and make new ones, as well. In recent months, LinkedIn has seen a huge increase in membership as more and more professionals jump on the site in hopes of building up their networks. Using LinkedIn can help make the challenge of creating and managing your network much easier, so consider getting a LinkedIn account if you don’t have one already (we have a great introductory post on LinkedIn and all of its features here).

More often than not, individuals lose touch of their networks because they don’t feel a “need” to keep in touch or don’t think they have the time. Later down the line, however, these same individuals may find that they need a network for a number of reasons, but haven’t maintained one. Once you’ve lost communication with your network, it can be a challenge to reconnect. This is one reason it is so important to build it up while you are still employed and keep track of it. But what happens if you’ve already lost touch with your network? Is there any way to regain your relationships? How can you rekindle the connections you established before?