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You Don’t Have to Be Hilarious, Just Be Good Enough

by Drew on October 21, 2009 in Quick Wisdom

Growing up, I used to be a perfectionist–I would make sure that every ‘t’ was crossed, every ‘i’ was dotted, and that my handwriting all slanted the same way.

As I started doing comedy, I realized it wasn’t necessary or, in most cases, even possible.  You’ll never know for sure that you have the “perfect” punchline, but you’ll know when you have one that’s good enough.

The 80/20 principle that Pareto defined captures this idea perfectly.  And while the principle can be applied in most situations, it’s particularly true for office humor.

When incorporating humor into the workplace, you don’t have to craft the perfect joke before adding humor to a speech, or write a flawless script before shooting a fun promotional video for your project.  The fact that you are even working to improve the office with humor will be good enough to improve office morale, increase retention and have fun.

So don’t worry so much about being hilarious, just be good enough.  Trust me, it’ll go further than you realize.

Need some help? Steal some ideas from 101 Ways to Create Humor at Work.

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What I Learned on the Internet, Productivity Edition

by Drew on October 2, 2009 in What I Learned From
photo by shadowkill

photo by shadowkill

The Internet is full of sites that can help you procrastinate, but it’s also filled with tips on how to be more productive.  The articles below can help you get things done better, faster, or in some cases not at all.

Note: This is part of the What I Learned on the Internet Series.

  1. The quickest way to get something off your to-do list is to just delete it.
  2. Want shorter meetings? Require dancing while giving updates.
  3. Beat procrastination to be productive.
  4. No matter how busy you are, you can always make room for brilliance.
  5. Tempted to stray away from work? Distract yourself with manageable tasks.
  6. Combine improv and GTD for uber-productivity.
  7. Work at your peak times to accomplish more.

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5 Tips to Get Promoted

by Drew on September 29, 2009 in Learn with Humor
photo by rore_d

photo by rore_d

Want to get promoted?  Being successful in the corporate world isn’t rocket science (unless you work for NASA), but it is hard work.

Assuming you meet the minimum criteria of delivering what you are hired to do–and it is the minimum for success–the below 5 tips will help you stand out, become a superstar employee, and get promoted.

How to Get Promoted

1. Learn to Ask for Forgiveness, not Permission

The first thing I was told by my manager when I left college and entered the corporate world was that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than to wait around for permission.

The idea is simple–take action.  You are hired to fill a certain role, and it is your job to do what is best for the company.  You may will make mistakes, but any manager (and company) worth working for will recognize your potential and help you become a better employee that continues to take action.

You can make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, but it’s going to be a terrible omelette full of shells.  Be willing take a risk and prove you’re ready to take action and responsibility.

2. Think Like Your Manager

A regular employee does only the work assigned to him.  The promoted employee anticipates what is needed and does it.

How do you anticipate what will be needed?  Think like your manager.  Put yourself in her position and think about what you would want from a direct report–”What would make your life easier? What would help you excel in your job?”

Now do those things, because you are that direct report.

3. Do the Work Above You

What’s the easiest way to prove you’re ready for promotion?  Do the same quality of work as someone at the next level.  Talk with your manager to take on similar responsibilities as the next level and prove you can deliver.

Then, when it comes time to evaluate your readiness, there will be no question of if you can do the work, because you’ve already proven you can.

4. Improve the Organization

To be a Rockstar employee (and managers promote Rockstars), it’s not enough to just deliver projects for the business.   You can only do so much as a single employee, but if you can contribute to improving your co-workers as well, you’ll be delivering real value to the entire company.

In addition to your day-to-day work, find ways you can uniquely improve your organization. This can include becoming a trainer for a skill like Project Management, organizing team-building activities for your team, or just creating humor in the workplace.

5. Work on your Personal Life

To excel at any company, people have to know who you are.  You can do great work, but if management can’t tell you apart from a stranger on the street, then there’s no one way they can make an informed decision about your ability to succeed at the next level.

But if you make a point to meet people, and have something interesting to share, they’ll remember your name when it comes time to decide on things like assignments and promotions.  “Who’s this Drew person? Oh that’s right, he does stand-up comedy and led an improv workshop last month” is much better than “Who’s this Drew person?  I see he’s working with the sales group, but I don’t really know who he is.”

Managers hire people, not robots.  Be interesting. Be memorable.  Be fun.

Got your own tips for promotion? Share them in the comments.

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What I Learned on the Internet, Unemployment Edition

by Drew on August 19, 2009 in What I Learned From
frustrated-stress

photo by nighthawk7

With the current unemployment rate sitting at over 9%, nearly 1 in 10 people are in need of a job.  Here are some great tips and tricks for getting back into the workforce (or at least taking advantage of the extra time you have).

Note: This is part of the What I Learned on the Internet Series.

  1. Stay Positive - Even though being laid off can suck, it’s important to stay positive through a layoff and focus on what you can do once the dust has settled.
  2. Get Inspired - Economic downturns don’t mean that nothing can survive.  Look to some successful brands that launched during downturns form inspiration.
  3. Find Out How Much You Need – When looking for a new job, it’s important to understand exactly what you need to survive.  The Living Wage Calculator can help you figure out averages in your region to know what you need to shoot for.
  4. Improve Yourself – Don’t just sit around hoping to find something–make yourself more marketable so you can become more competitive in the field of applicants.
  5. Find Your Niche – Getting laid off can be an opportunity to make a change in your career–learn your color to find the career for you.
  6. Work For Yourself – While searching for a job, you might find it an ideal time to start that business you’ve always dreamt about.  If you’re stable enough to go that route, make sure you know the essential tools for starting up your side business.

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Life Lessons from Improv Wisdom

August 17, 2009

Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up, by Patricia Ryan Madson, is a great read that translates the powerful concepts of improv into life lessons from which everyone can benefit. At only 159 pages, Patricia is able to concisely cover the 12 Maxims of Improv and how they can improve your life and career. Rather [...]

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Life Lessons Learned from Watchmen

March 8, 2009

With the release of Watchmen this weekend comes a lot of hype and anticipation for the graphic novel turned movie.  The graphic novel, originally published as a series in 1986-87, has long been heralded as the best novel of its kind.  Time Magazine even listed it as one of the 100 Best Novels. I recently [...]

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