Question: Our company moved to fully remote earlier this year. Most of my employees are happy about this arrangement, but many of them are starting to push back against the mandate of having webcams on. They’re complaining of Zoom fatigue and the feeling of being micro-managed. Can you share some advice on how organizations are adapting to the camera requirement for remote meetings?
Question: I joined a fully remote team in the financial planning industry late last year. This is my first full-time position since graduating from college, and I’m feeling overwhelmed. When I meet with my manager, she doesn’t give me a complete picture of what she expects me to do. She’s usually multi-tasking in our one-on-one’s and jumping from one topic to another and back again. When we’re in team meetings, I often get loaded with junior admin tasks that were not part of my job description. I’m having a hard time figuring out when to speak up for myself about my workload and how to admit that I need more clarity from my boss. In short, how do I get better at asking for help at work?
Question: Help! I have an underperformer who thinks she’s doing great. I inherited her from another department after a recent downsizing effort, and she’s completely unaware that her performance is not at the level that it needs to be. I really need every one of my team members to perform well, so I really need advice on how to help her improve her performance.
Question: Three weeks ago, I started a position as the Director of an underperforming sales team. I was brought in because of my background in delivering results, but I’m already feeling pushback when I try to share my ideas about changes that need to be made. Do you have any advice for how to gain the traction I need to get the results I was brought in to make?
Question: I’m celebrating my 6-year anniversary this month at a 160-person commercial real estate firm in Indianapolis. I have a Bachelors degree and have gone through the company’s management training program which helps me with my team management needs. For the rest of the year, I’d like to focus on building a new skill outside of the traditional management training program. Do you have a recommendation on one area that I could focus on?
Question: During my performance review this year, I received “Did not meet expectations” for two projects that I was responsible for. When I told my manager that I had completed everything that I could, but I avoided asking my colleague for the help I needed to finish because our relationship is strained. My manager told me that I had two choices: learn how to navigate uncomfortable conversations or rely on her to advocate for me. Choosing the latter was the easier path, she said, but unless I learned to overcome my fear of constructive conflict, I would not grow with the organization. Can you give me some advice about how to speak to my colleague about working together more effectively?