Cubicle Confidential

Plot twist! Mary is keeping Chris on his toes by giving him the title of the episode without sharing the questions with him in advance – leaving him no time to prepare.

How annoying is that?!

In this episode, listeners share their frustrations at work in the hopes that Mary and Chris can alleviate their annoyances.

Fuhgeddaboudit is 68 years old, still works, and still sends handwritten thank-you notes. He endeavors to be kind every day but feels confused when someone responds to a “Thank you” with the phrase “No problem.” Whatever happened to a gracious “You’re welcome?” He finds it especially vexing when “No problem” is uttered by a person whom he thanked for actually doing their job. Is this a function of his age or is it a New York-specific patois?

Triangled in Trenton was asked to intervene on a mutual friend by one of their most important and influential clients. The client was having an important conversation with some business community bigwigs when their friend approached them and started pitching her services in an overly aggressive, shrill, and drunk manner.  And this is not the first time their mutual friend has behaved this way. They told the client that’d say something but are now having second thoughts. Are they the right person for this conversation? If so, how would they go about it? What should they do?!

Tired of the Tirade in Topeka works in a tight-knit accounting department. They all get along great except for one of their colleagues who is a constant complainer. Every conversation is about how someone has wronged him or how “unfair” everything is. He’s always pointing out how their manager plays favorites (which she doesn’t) when he doesn’t get a promotion or plum project. And nothing is ever his fault. Honestly, he is his own worst enemy. Is there a way to get him to see that he’s driving everyone crazy and derailing his own career?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

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Leading Less is More Like it in Lubbock (Part Two) has just been promoted to manager but they don’t actually want to lead or manage anyone. They’re now “leading” a team of seven people. Their philosophy has always been that the leader is less important than the doer and that the people should just do their job well without interference from a manager. How can they get their new team to think more like them and at the same time not lead them down the path to do so?

Eye on the Prize in Toronto has been identified as a “high potential” in their company and was selected for an elite internal leadership program. The program runs for two years and consists of spending 4 to 6 months in different divisions. The problem? Not every division is very welcoming—in fact, some of them are downright hostile. Is there a way to change these sour attitudes and carve a better path for the “future leaders” who will follow them?

Not So Happy One Hour Later in St. Louis is a manager who may have made a serious faux pas. After a long week of late nights working on a client deliverable, they treated their team to an extended happy hour. After one too many drinks, Not So Happy said a few negative things about the client and their boss. Neither of those individuals was present, but the rest of the team was there.  How, if at all, can they address this mess since they don’t want their comments to get back to either the client or their boss?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

#leadership #careeradvice #careeradmancement

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Is there a difference between being a manager and a leader?

We tend to use them synonymously, but they’re not the same! Managers tend to be in the work and leaders are more of the work. But great managers must be leaders and great leaders need to have management skills, too.

In this episode, Mary and Chris help listeners learn how to beef up their managerial and leadership skills!

El Hefe La Chica en Chicago is a first-generation Mexican American female and the first in her family to graduate from college. She has just been promoted to manager at a popular casual dining chain. She wants to do everything in her power to come off as a strong leader and make a great first impression. How can she do that? What should she do when she meets her new team to start off on the right foot?

Management One, Leadership Zero in Zion works for a great manager but a lousy leader. They work with him daily and he’s clear, thorough, thoughtful, and organized. He does everything a good manager should do…so, what’s the problem? He doesn’t have a strong leadership presence. When he speaks at big meetings, he’s soft-spoken, clearly nervous, and he sounds anything but confident and decisive. Can they help him be perceived as a better leader or is that not their problem?

Leading Less is More Like it in Lubbock has just been promoted to manager but they don’t actually want to lead or manage anyone. They’re now “leading” a team of seven people. Their philosophy has always been that the leader is less important than the doer and that the people should just do their job well without interference from a manager. How can they get their new team to think more like them and at the same time not lead them down the path to do so?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

How do you feel when you hear the phrase “performance feedback?” If that makes a chill run down your spine, you’re not alone.

This week, we hear from listeners who are grieving over giving or receiving performance evaluations at work. Tune in to hear Mary and Chris’s suggestions to take the pain out of feedback.

Round and Round in Galveston just received their first 360 performance review. The feedback report was mixed – with three people saying they were easy to work with while two others felt they were uncommunicative and distant. Based on this information, their boss said they need to do a better job of connecting with people. Without knowing the source of the feedback or why it was said, they feel like there isn’t much they can do about it. Could this be more of a popularity contest than a review? What should they do with this feedback?

Catch 22 in South Carolina works for a company with a stacked rating system where they must rank 10% of their direct reports as exceptional, 80% somewhere in the middle, and 10% assigned to the bottom. The problem is that their team doesn’t align with the mandated bell curve as they have more than 10% as exceptional no one falls close to being in the bottom 10%. Senior management takes note of managers who don’t follow the curve allotment, which means they would be risking their own raise and any chance of promotion if they don’t rate them as instructed. On the flip side, they may lose people if they follow the rating scale. Is there any way out of this strict system? Help!

Tomato, Tomato in Topeka is an HR professional responsible for compiling feedback and scrubbing the sources to keep it anonymous. An issue arises when several of the raters have very different views of the junior consultants.  Raters can give wildly different ratings on the same traits being evaluated.  Someone could get a “5” in “demonstrates good judgment” from one person and get a “1” from another. They suspect this is due to rater problems and not employee problems since they know some of these raters, and, well, they wouldn’t know good judgment if they were dating it. Is there a way to get better, more consistent ratings from the raters?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

#performancemanagement #feedback #careeradvice

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We’re talking all about faux pas…and not the funny fashion kind (no socks and sandals here, folks, sorry!)

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back the second it slips out of your mouth? Surely, most of us have at one point or another.

In this episode, Mary and Chris help listeners who have stuck their foot in their mouth redeem themselves from some grave verbal blunders.

WTF? Am I SOOL (S**t Out Of Luck)? sometimes lets an F-bomb slip…they don’t mean to but when sh*t happens, they often react in the moment (and no, we’re not talking about Mary). People in the office fall into three camps, the “I don’t cares,” the “I do s**t too’s” and the “how rude’s.” How do they avoid offending folks while staying true to who they are?

Foot In Mouth in Missouri landed a new job and was scheduled to meet with his boss who was out on maternity leave. He thought they’d have a Zoom call, but she showed up in his office. After thanking her for going through the trouble to come in while pregnant, he asked when the baby was due. Turns out she had the baby two months ago…Should he try to fix this awkward interaction or pretend it never happened?

Flummoxed in Fredonia was asked to be on the board of a nonprofit promoting greater diversity and inclusion in manufacturing environments. He was ushered into a conference room for the interview where a young African American woman was wiping down a whiteboard. Before she had a chance to say anything, he asked her if she’d mind getting him a cup of coffee. Ten minutes later she returns to the room with the coffee and five other people.  She then introduces herself and the board members. She’s the executive director.  Is there a way to overcome this embarrassing first impression?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

Money, money, money must be funny in the rich man's world!

One very eager listener, Confounded with Comp in Canada, is interested in maximizing their money at work. Tune in to learn how to:

• Negotiate a higher salary offer with a new employer…
• Ask for a salary range in an interview…
• Answer the dreaded, "What are your salary expectations for this role?"
• Ask for a higher salary in a current role…
• Talk to coworkers about salary…

 And more!

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

We all want to be in the know but when does having too much information become paralyzing?

This week, we’re hearing from listeners who feel like ignorance would be bliss in their situations. Tune in to hear how Mary and Chris suggest they navigate being overloaded with information.

Too Juicy to Keep Quiet in Queens works for a small marketing firm with about 15 employees. She loves her job and colleagues but recently overheard her boss talking about selling the company. She wasn’t supposed to hear this news but now feels totally blindsided and very concerned. What should she do?

Silently Waiting in Spring Ridge and his colleague were hired at the same time and have been working for the same company for the past 7 years. He just found out that he makes more money than his colleague – a LOT more…now that he knows this information, he’s paranoid that his colleague is going to find out. They are good friends and great coworkers and he doesn’t want that to change. Where does he go from here?

I Know Too Much in Manassas works for a tech company that supports Federal Government agencies. The company started hiring like crazy and finds it increasingly difficult to recruit quality talent. Recently, a job candidate reached out to learn more about what it’s like to work at the company – specifically what it’s like to work for their boss who is a difficult jerk. They’re torn between being honest and turning another great candidate away or stretching the truth and misleading them. Ugh! What to say?

My Ears Hurt in Hartford has a great job working for a commercial property management company. The problem? Her boss won’t shut up! Every time she asks him the simplest question, he responds with an epic diatribe. He’s not mean, he just overtalks and over-explains everything. It’s information overload! Is there anything she can do to get him to either shut up or be more succinct? Help!

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

#careeradvice #leadershipdevelopment

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

Have you ever been on the receiving end of someone’s short fuse? Or maybe you’ve lost your temper at work and find yourself paying the price…

In this episode, Mary and Chris help listeners deal with both their anger issues and the rage of others.

Hiding From Mrs. Hyde in Seattle read Mary’s book and appreciated the section about toxic bosses because, well, they may or may not have one themselves. Their company uses contract employees and full-time ones, and their boss treats the contractors like second-class citizens. They are required to attend meetings without pay, they are mercilessly criticized in public, and often get yelled at when they make a mistake. Does this behavior qualify as toxic and if so, how can they get their boss to change?

Gentle Benjamin in Branson is a nice guy but doesn’t look like it. Standing at 6’4” and weighing 270 lbs., he doesn’t look like the most approachable dude. He recently raised his voice in a staff meeting where there was a heated exchange and now everyone seems terrified of him. Can he turn this around or is he doomed to be pinned as the “bad guy”?

Seething in Cincinnati is a facilities manager at a distribution center for a major retailer. Over the last six months, their productivity metrics have steadily declined, and their accident and product damages have increased. His first inclination is to have a come-to-Jesus meeting to light a fire under their asses. Do you attract more flies with honey than vinegar? Can you be angry with your employees in this age of political correctness? Or are we doomed to play nice forevermore?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – oh my! For better or worse, social media plays a large role in the modern work world. Can what you post influence hiring decisions? Should you leverage social media as a marketing tool?

In this episode, Mary and Chris answer questions about showing up on social media (and the positive and negative implications of it…)

Having Second Thoughts in Secaucus just interviewed the most amazing job candidate for a top spot in a sales department. After doing some due diligence, he discovered some appalling social media posts that he doesn’t agree with. This candidate is a perfect fit for the job but he can’t unsee the content they’ve created. Is this a valid reason not to hire someone?

Make Me Famous in Memphis is a junior partner in a mid-sized law firm and hopes to make partner in the next two years. Their mentor recommended that they “pump up” their thought leadership to build a bigger book of work. They feel overwhelmed by this and have no idea where to even begin. Help!

Fight Club in Phoenix has seen a few of their employees having a knock-down-drag-out spat on social media. They are both popular and influential in the workplace. Is she wrong to be concerned about this? Does this warrant a conversation? How can she handle this without bringing what’s happening on the internet into the office?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

#careeradvice #socialmedia #leadershipdevelopment

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

Work and romantic relationships – are they a perfect match, or should you stay away? In honor of Valentine’s Day, Mary and Chris dish out their best dating advice.

Tune in to hear from listeners who are feeling the love (or lack of it!) in the air:

Miffed in Murfreesboro is re-entering the workforce and is searching for a new job. She heard about an opening at the company where her husband works. He’s been there 17 years and seems to love it, but he suggests it’s not a great place to work despite her hearing and seeing otherwise. What’s the catch?!

Baffled Near Boise suspects that one of his colleagues at the hospital they work at is flirting with him. He’s concerned about their age gap. Plus, she is always out at the bars with a large group of friends – making it challenging to pull her aside. Should he shoot his shot and ask her out? If so, how should he go about it?

A Lid for Every Pot in Palo Alto is an editor for a popular online magazine who supervises freelancers and copywriters. She thinks that two of her single contractors would make a great pair! Should she play matchmaker, or would that be an inappropriate overstep?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn or Twitter!

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!