Sasha Grutzeck

About Sasha Grutzeck

Sasha Grutzeck is a Senior Instructional Designer at Johns Hopkins University. She’s a member of the Learning Solutions department, where she writes and designs e-courses (and other training materials) for Johns Hopkins University faculty and staff. She enjoys learning new things, collaborating with her coworkers, watching movies, taking ridiculously long walks, and eating the leftover baked goods that always seem to miraculously appear in the Learning Solutions kitchen.

Posts by Sasha Grutzeck:

Let’s Negotiate!

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Negotiation

Negotiation is a part of life. It’s how we work out our differences. We negotiate for big things (like buying a house or car), work-related things (like who will take responsibility for a project), and small things (like who will wash the dinner dishes).

I remember one of my first attempts at a big, important negotiation. I had just graduated from school and been offered a “real” job in an actual office, and I knew that this was my best opportunity to negotiate my salary. I tried, but it was a pretty pathetic exchange. Here’s how it went…

Hiring Manager: We’d like to offer you a job. We’ll pay you $ amount.
Me: That’s wonderful! But would it be possible to pay me something in the range of $$ instead?
Hiring Manager: No.
Me: OK, then! I accept the job!

Sad. Obviously, I wasn’t a great negotiator. But it is a really important skill and it’s something that I’ve been trying to get better at over the years. I think it requires practice and a certain amount of bravery. But it also requires having an understanding of key negotiating concepts.

According to Harvard Business Essentials, there are four key concepts that you must understand in order to negotiate successfully:

  • BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) –This is what you plan to do if a negotiation doesn’t work out. For example, let’s say that you’re house-hunting, and you’ve found two houses that you like. The one that you like best is a little more expensive than the other (and possibly a little overpriced). You decide to put an offer on the more expensive house and try to negotiate the price down. If you can’t negotiate it down, you intend to walk away from the deal and put an offer on the less expensive house. That’s your back-up plan – your BATNA. You need to know your BATNA before you start negotiating. If you don’t know what your alternatives are, you won’t know if someone is offering you a good deal or a bad one. And if your BATNA is weak, it puts you in a weak bargaining position. Try to strengthen it, if you can!
  • Reservation price – This is the worst deal that you’re willing to take. If you don’t get your reservation price, you’re walking away from the deal.
  • ZOPA (zone of possible agreement) – This is the range of offers that would satisfy both sides of the negotiation. It’s the zone where deals are made and both parties leave feeling satisfied. It’s basically the area between each negotiator’s reservation price. For example, let’s say that you’d like to buy a rare Star Wars action figure (still in the box!). You don’t want to go higher than $100. The seller doesn’t want to go lower than $75. The area between those two prices is the ZOPA.ZOPA2
    But what if the seller won’t go any lower than $110? Then there is no overlap, and no ZOPA. In situations like this, you could try to offer a little something extra – something that might have value to the seller but not be very important to you. And this brings us to our last concept…
  • Value creation through trades – Use your imagination and think creatively to come up with things that might have value to the other party. You can use those things to sweeten the deal and hopefully get something you want in exchange for something that you don’t really value. This requires both sides to communicate openly and honestly.

Remember, being able to negotiate is so beneficial! It can help you, both in your personal life and professional career. Hopefully these key concepts will make the process a little easier. Good luck!

Harvard Business Essentials: Negotiation. (2003). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Why Would You Do That?

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Confused2

Have you ever noticed that we tend to spend a lot of time trying to explain and understand other people’s behavior? For example, when a coworker behaves in a cold or distracted manner, we can’t help but wonder why. We come up with theories and explanations. (Is the coworker an unpleasant person? Is the coworker sick? Has the coworker’s project hit some sort of snag?) We’re always wondering – what’s the motivation behind that person’s behavior? Psychologically speaking, this is known as “attribution.” Attribution is when people try to explain other people’s motives and intentions by observing their behavior.

There are two kinds of attributions that we can make: internal and external.

  • Internal attribution – When we believe that the behavior is due to the person’s personality, abilities, or traits. (Bob is acting distracted because he has a tendency to be moody.)
  • External attribution – When we believe that behavior is caused by situational or environmental factors that the person has no control over. (Bob is acting distracted because he was unfairly evaluated at work.)

We make attributions because it makes us feel competent and in control. We feel like we know how the world works! And we feel like we can predict behavior.

In truth, however, we often make attribution errors. In fact, we often make what is known as the “fundamental attribution error.” Here’s how this works…

When we explain our own behavior, we take the situation into consideration. We’re kind of charitable with ourselves!

MyBehavior

But when we explain other people’s behavior, we often make a fundamental attribution error. We tend to believe that people behave the way they do because of their personality.

YourBehavior

So what can you do to avoid making fundamental attribution errors? Try seeing situations from other people’s perspectives. And try to imagine how you would behave if you were in their place. This can help you to identify the external factors that might exist.

And simply recognizing the fact that we all have a tendency to make fundamental attribution errors can help you to avoid making them! This knowledge can help you to become better at observing and understanding other people’s behaviors.

Careful – Rudeness Is Catching!

By in Communication, Language, Learning 1 Comment Tags: ,

Avoiding_Rudeness2

I’m sure we’ve all experienced rude behavior in the workplace. Even in the most civil environments, you encounter it. People might make sarcastic comments, snarky remarks, pointedly ignore a coworker, or roll their eyes. It’s not uncommon – approximately 98% of employees say that they’ve been the target of rude behavior at work.

It can certainly be hurtful when it happens. But here’s what’s really disturbing – it turns out that it can be catching. New research suggests that rudeness is actually contagious. It passes from one person to the next, often without people even realizing it.

In a recent study, researchers asked people to pair up and practice their negotiation skills. Then they assigned them to different partners, and asked them to continue negotiating. Here’s what they found:

  • People who initially worked with someone polite tended to behave politely when paired with a new person.
  • People who initially worked with someone rude were likely to behave in a rude manner when paired with a new person. They passed the rudeness along, just like the common cold.
  • The passage of time didn’t even seem to make a difference. When people initially negotiated with a rude person and then waited a week before negotiating with a new person, they were still more likely to behave rudely.

Even just witnessing rudeness tended to make people more likely to behave in a rude manner. That’s how contagious it appears to be.

Rude behavior can have a detrimental effect on people. It can be damaging to people’s performance, productivity, and creativity. So what can you do to protect yourself and others from this damaging contagion? The researchers who conducted the study offer simple advice… be nice.

 

Foulk, T. (2015, July 28). Rudeness is contagious. Gizmodo. Retrieved from http://gizmodo.com/rudeness-is-contagious-1720535575

 

You’re Not a Leader? That’s Good.

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Sheep

In the modern workplace, I think a lot of emphasis is placed on leadership. There are books, articles, and training programs on how to be a good leader. Being a leader means being smart and successful. It’s something that everyone is supposed to strive to be.

In contrast, there aren’t that many books or articles on how to be a good follower. In fact, “follower” almost sounds like a dirty word. It brings to mind someone who scrambles around, following orders without comment or complaint, never expressing an opinion, and smiling and agreeing to everything.

As a result, more and more offices are becoming filled with leaders (and people aspiring to become leaders), and followers are starting to be in short supply. This is a problem, for two reasons:

  1. People who view themselves as leaders can have difficulty working with other leaders.
  2. Followers are essential.

Leaders can’t exist without followers and organizations can’t run without them. Followers are the people who do the work to support the leader’s objectives.

And following is a skill, just like any other. Good followers are critical thinkers and problem solvers. They can work independently, and also collaborate when needed. And they’re also the ones who help to keep leaders in check. Their honest feedback is necessary to keep leaders grounded in reality.

Followers are often seen as unimportant or unmotivated, but they shouldn’t be. They are critical to the success of any organization. So if you’re a follower, be proud! Your office couldn’t run without you!

 

Shellenbarger, S. (2015, September 30). Leader? No, Be a Follower. The Wall Street Journal, pp. D1, D3.

 

The Importance of Humor at the Office

By in Living Well 1 Comment Tags: , , , ,

Humor_at_Office

Trying to incorporate humor into the workplace can be a risky endeavor. Something that’s funny to one person could possibly be viewed as inappropriate by another person. But according to author Peter Navarro, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Working in an office where people laugh together can have a lasting, positive effect on employees’ productivity and efficacy, and boost their feelings of job satisfaction. According to Navarro, incorporating humor into the workplace results in the following:

  • Improved teamwork – Coworkers who joke around together are also more likely to feel connected to each other, communicate more, trust each other more, and work with each other more effectively. Employees are more likely to feel like they have their colleagues’ friendship and support.
  • Reduced stress – Laughter is a great stress reliever. According to the Mayo clinic, it soothes feelings of tension, releases endorphins, improves your mood, decreases your heart rate, and even relieves feelings of pain. So laughing with your colleagues is definitely beneficial.
  • Enhanced creativity – Humor can help people to relax – and relaxation gives people the freedom to be creative. When employees feel stressed or pressured, it’s very difficult to “think outside the box.” But in a workplace environment in which humor and laughter are part of the culture, it’s much more likely that employees will feel free to take chances and be truly innovative.
  • Increased customer satisfaction – Happy employees provide better customer service. The happiness that they feel spills over to the customers, and makes every interaction more engaging and effective.

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Navarro, P. (n.d.). Humor is fundamental to a healthy workplace — but not without its risks. Recruiter.com. Retrieved from: https://www.recruiter.com/i/humor-is-fundamental-to-a-healthy-workplace-but-not-without-its-risks/

Returning to the Office and Dealing With Distractions

By in Living Well No Comments Tags: ,

Distracted_by_Noise

Many of us have been working from home for a while now. At first, it was a hard adjustment for some people. There are a lot of distractions when you’re working at home – especially if you live in a home with other people and pets.

Over time, however, I think we’ve learned how to manage those distractions. And we’ve all developed our effective and productive “at home” work routines. (My personal routine involves rolling out of bed and getting right to work while still in my pajamas. Then, around 10:00 a.m., when I’m ready for a short break, I’ll finally go get dressed.)

But now things are changing. Many people are returning to the office. And according to author Rachel Feintzeig, they’re encountering distractions that they’re no longer used to managing. Two of the biggest distractions are background noise and chatty coworkers.

In the average workplace, there’s often a lot of background noise. You can usually hear snatches of other people’s conversations, ringing phones, doors opening and closing, etc. Depending on the volume of this noise, it can be very distracting.

In addition, it’s not unusual for coworkers to stop by each other’s offices for a quick conversation (either about a project or about non-work-related topics, like the movie they just watched or what they ate for dinner last night). This can sometimes be a very welcome thing. It’s nice to talk to coworkers! It’s a great stress reliever, and can make you feel more connected with your colleagues. But it can sometimes be an unwelcome distraction. And once you’re distracted, it can take quite a while to focus and get back on task.

To manage the background noise and dissuade your coworkers from chatting with you when you’re trying to focus, you could try shutting your office door (if you have one). Or put on some headphones and play music that won’t further distract you, such as classical music, movie soundtracks with no lyrics, or the sounds of nature.

If that doesn’t prevent your coworkers from stopping by, you should just be honest with them and explain that it’s not a good time to talk. Tell them that you’ll stop by their offices later in the day, and you can catch up with them then.

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Feintzeig, R. (2021, November 1). Back to the office – and all its distractions. The Wall Street Journal, p. A10.

Does Your Office Have a Mentorship Program? You Might Want to Make It Mandatory.

By in Leadership, Learning No Comments Tags: ,

Mentor

In order to help new or inexperienced employees develop their knowledge and skills, many offices offer mentorship programs. And in most instances, these mentorship programs are optional.

Mentorship programs are extremely beneficial. New employees who receive mentoring are often more effective and productive. They also benefit from feeling like they have someone whom they can reach out to for help and support. Indeed, the only problem with these types of programs is that the employees who need mentoring the most are not likely to participate.

According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the employees who sign up for mentorship programs tend to be the ones who need it the least. They’re often employees who have the skills and drive to succeed, whether they receive mentoring or not. On the other hand, employees who truly need assistance and guidance are not likely to sign up for a mentorship program – perhaps because they fear that it would be a sign of weakness or that their mentor might be disappointed in their lack of knowledge.

What can be done to fix this problem? The easiest solution would be to make your mentorship program mandatory. If it were required, everyone would benefit – including those who truly need it.

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Oliver, S. (2021, November 1). Which workers need mentoring? The ones who don’t want it. The Wall Street Journal, R3.

What to Do When You Make a Mistake at Work

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Made_a_Mistake

We all make mistakes. No one is perfect. It’s how we respond to our mistakes that really matters.

So what should you do when you realize that you’ve made a mistake at work? Psychotherapist Barton Goldsmith offers the following recommendations:

  • Admit that you’ve made a mistake – If you make a mistake, own up to it. It’s the right thing to do. You shouldn’t try to hide it. Trying to cover up a mistake often takes a lot of time and energy. And it will only cause you to feel anxious and upset about the possibility of being found out. It’s much better to simply be honest about your mistake, and focus on how to fix it.
  • Don’t take shortcuts – When you’re trying to fix your mistake, make sure to do it the right way, even though it might take a lot of work. Don’t try to take a shortcut or quickly slap a Band-Aid on the problem. That approach will probably only cause more issues to arise later. Instead, put in the work and do it right.
  • Say you’re sorry – If there’s someone you need to apologize to due to your mistake, make sure to tell that person that you’re sorry. Your apology will be appreciated. And the person will certainly respect the fact that you’re taking responsibility for the mistake and working to fix it.
  • Don’t be too hard on yourself – Don’t beat yourself up about the fact that you’ve made a mistake. It happens to everyone! Try to let it go and move on.

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Goldsmith, B. (2021, November 14). Barton Goldsmith: When you make a big mistake. The Sun. Retrieved from:  https://www.lowellsun.com/2021/11/14/barton-goldsmith-when-you-make-a-big-mistake/

Manipulative Things You Shouldn’t Say at Work

By in Communication 1 Comment Tags: ,

Being_Manipulated

Working on teams can be frustrating. There may be times when you feel that things should be done in a certain way, but you can’t get a coworker to go along with your plan.

When this happens, you might be tempted to try to manipulate your coworker into doing what you want. Of course, this is never the right course of action. If you try to control your coworker, you run the risk of creating conflict and engendering ill will.

But according to author Monica Torres, it’s not unusual for people to say manipulative things to their coworkers in order to get their way. Often these phrases sound friendly and polite, but they’re actually designed to push people into taking a certain course of action. Some of these phrases are so subtle, the people saying them may not even realize that they’re trying to manipulate others.

So what types of manipulative things should you avoid saying? Torres provides the following list:

  • “Do you have a minute?” — It’s kind of impossible for someone to say “no” to this question, regardless of how busy they might be. So if you say it, you’re kind of forcing the other person to help you with your problem right away, even though it might not be the best time. Instead of asking if they have a minute, just tell your coworker that you have an issue that you need to talk about, and ask them when would be a good time to discuss it.
  • “Everyone agrees that…” — It’s very possible that you might be overestimating how much everyone agrees with you. In addition, it kind of sounds like you (and your other colleagues) are ganging up on your coworker. Instead of saying this phrase, you should just voice your own opinion. Let your colleagues speak for themselves, if they want to.
  • “I’m not saying that you should do it, but…” — Don’t kid yourself. If you use this phrase, you’re definitely telling your coworker that you think they should take a certain course of action. Just be honest and upfront about it.
  • “Don’t spend all night on this, but…” — You’re not being kind when you say this. You’re not telling the other person that they can take it easy. You’re telling them that you want them to put a lot of time and effort into the task – and if they have to stay up late to get it done, then they should (just so long as they don’t stay up ALL night). Instead of using this phrase, you should tell your coworker about the deadline, and talk to them about how long the task might take. Offer to extend the deadline, if possible.
  • “Don’t you agree?” — A lot of people might answer “yes” to this question, not because they actually agree with what was said, but because they’re afraid of coming across as difficult or argumentative. Instead of saying this phrase, just go with “what do you think?” This type of question will allow your coworker to give you an honest answer.

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Torres, M. (2021, November 4).  5 accidentally manipulative things you say at work. HuffPost. Retrieved from: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/accidentally-manipulative-phrases-say-at-work_l_61818011e4b087e2ef8f69f0

Energizing Breakfasts

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Healthy_Omelet

Everyone has mornings when they feel tired. It’s just not always possible to get a good night’s sleep. And on those tired mornings, it can sometimes be hard to focus on work and get things done.

I think a lot of us reach for a cup of coffee in an effort to wake up and get moving. But according to nutrition expert Dr. David Ludwig, you don’t need to rely on coffee to boost your energy. If you eat the right kind of breakfast, you’ll have energy all day. The best kind of breakfast involves some sort of slow-digesting carbohydrate, a healthy protein, and fruits or veggies. (So a veggie omelet with whole grain toast would do the trick. A bowl of high-fiber cereal with walnuts and low-fat milk would be another great option.)

Dr. Ludwig recommends the following:

  • Eat some whole grains – You can get a serving of whole grains by eating a couple slices of high-fiber, whole-grain toast or having a bowl of whole-grain cereal (like Cheerios, bran flakes or oatmeal).
  • Eat some protein – Eggs, yogurt, and nuts are all healthy, tasty options.
  • Make your own breakfast – There’s nothing wrong with going out for breakfast now and then. But on the average day, it’s usually a better idea to make breakfast at home. When you make your own breakfast, you’ll probably be more likely to eat some energy-boosting oatmeal than you would if you went out to a restaurant. (Can you order oatmeal at a restaurant? Sure. But how many of us actually do that?)
  • Try making a smoothie – If you own a blender, you might want to give it a try. Healthy, energizing smoothie ingredients include things like fruit, vegetables, yogurt, natural peanut butter, and skim milk.

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4 ways to boost your energy naturally with breakfast. (2019, December 14). Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/4-ways-to-boost-your-energy-naturally-with-breakfast

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