THE MANAGEMENT TIPS

1. Don’t Listen to Customers — Observe Them

Every business wants to know what influences their customers. So, they should just ask them, right? Not so fast. There’s a fundamental problem with asking people what will persuade them to change: Most of the time they won't know the answer. It's not that they won't give one. They'll give you plenty. But those answers are likely to be wrong. Asking someone to pinpoint what will influence them in the future is a bit like saying, "Tell me how you will behave when you are not thinking about what I have just asked you about." Instead of listening to your customers, watch them. Set up small field tests and controlled studies that observe what they actually do. In most instances, these experiments will be lot cheaper than traditional market research, and the insights will be much more revealing.

2. Prepare Stories for Your Job Interview

Don’t show up for a job interview without a stockpile of good stories. These narratives should be parables with a moral at the end, showcasing the skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. Make your stories do double duty: They should illustrate the good job you’ll be able to do for the company. And they should show that you’re loyal, trustworthy, or hard-working — some personal quality you need to get across. Be sure to have a failure story at the ready. Don’t cheat and talk about your tendency to “work too hard.” Pick something real that you were able to learn from. This will magnify you in the interviewer’s mind, not diminish you. There’s a good chance the interviewer will ask you to talk about a weakness or a failure, anyway — it’s better to be prepared than to come up with a unpolished response off the cuff.

3. Before Your Next Salary Negotiation, Do Your Homework

It’s important to have realistic expectations before negotiating a salary offer. Employers base salaries on what they currently pay to fill similar roles and what they believe competitors are paying. They may also have a predetermined range or other budget constraints. Find out what people usually make doing the job (including at the hiring organization) by searching websites such as Salary.com, Vault.com, and PayScale.com. And reach out to people in your network who can give you insight — somebody you trust inside the organization, a career adviser, a search consultant, contacts in the same industry. Compare their feedback — don’t rely on one source.

4. Know When It’s Time to Quit Your Job

Quitting a job can have negative consequences on both your career and your bank account. But staying in a bad situation can be worse. Here are three tips for deciding if it’s time to go:

• Assess your dissatisfaction. Start by figuring out whether you lack excitement about the bigger picture or the day-to-day activities. You may be able to change the latter but it’s hard to do anything about the former.
• Look at other options. Don’t leave on an emotional whim. Even if you’re unhappy, take time to see what else is out there. Compared to realistic alternatives, maybe your situation isn’t so bad.
• Test your assumptions. Run a few experiments to assess whether your perception is reality. For example, put your hat in the ring the next time your boss has a high-profile piece of work to be done. If you're overlooked, he might not appreciate your skills and it may be time to move on.