Gal Baggins' Post

How to Work Efficiently While You’re Traveling

Look around at any airport and you’ll see people surrounding outlets, sitting on their laptops and phones. According to the State of the Remote Job Marketplace report, 43 percent of the workforce works remotely at least some of the time. A major perk of distributed work is the ability to be traveling while on the clock.

You can work efficiently even when you’re traveling, here’s how

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5 Key Reasons for Poor Listening Skills

Listening is critical to your workday and poor listening skills can ruin it. Top executives for a Chicago manufacturing plant were asked to survey the role of listening in their plant. After hearing a seminar on listening, Ralph G. Nichols and Leonard A. Stevens explain in their Harvard Business Review article, that one of the most common responses was:

“Frankly, I had never thought of listening as an important subject by itself. But now that I am aware of it, I think that perhaps 80 percent of my work depends on my listening to someone, or on someone else listening to me.”

This is true for nearly anyone who works with other people. Having good listening skills is critical to avoiding miscommunication and staying connected with other team members and managers.

Key reasons for poor listening skills

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General Guidelines for Effective Listening

Effective listening is a critical part of communicating—you can’t have one without the other. No matter where your position lies in the chain of command. Both managers and entry level employees alike need to hear feedback, take direction and understand the needs of the people around them.

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How to Speak Up In Meetings

To speak up in a meeting is considered public speaking, and according to Psychology Today, there are many reasons some people are afraid to do it:

  • Anxiety
  • Thoughts and beliefs about yourself
  • The situation (lack of experience, audience etc.)
  • Skills or lack thereof

However, speaking up in meetings is important for personal and professional reasons. When you share ideas or questions, you take part in the conversation, provide value, and show that you’re trying to be an active participant in the workplace. All of this can lead to being seen by upper management, which can be critical for moving ahead in your career.

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Keep Focus and Be a Great Leader for Your Team

A great company or team culture – one that’s productive, positive and growth-oriented – starts with a great leader.

Becoming a leader that your team members want to follow is not just a simple prescriptive or formulaic check of the box. This will require you to focus on your team, be reliable to show up, intentional with your actions, and consistent in being present.

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Improve Team Communication for Better Customer Experience

Customers are the lifeblood of any business – and keeping them happy ensures they stay loyal to your company. This is why great customer experience is crucial. In fact, an estimated 52 percent of Americans have switched their allegiance from one brand of retailer, cable provider, bank or other establishment because of poor customer services.

High-quality customer experience must be prioritized to thrive in our consumer-driven world. However, the success of your customer service approach is only as effective as the health of your internal communication.

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