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Which one did you choose?
Find out below which one is the best, and worst, for your career - and why. Check back next month for a new question and a new Corporate Savvy Quiz!

Current Quiz:

Self Evaluations - What Do I Do With It?

"How does one handle self-evaluations so not to shoot oneself in the foot???" -Ask-The-Author Question.

A: Doesn't matter, they usually don't mean anything.
Well, depending on the type of company you work for, this may be the case. Some don't even have a scoring ability (which should tell you something). But its always best to try to use it as bargaining power. Go ahead and use it as an opportunity to put all the wonderful things you've done in the forefront and honestly show one or two areas that you can show you know you need improvement in and are already working on.

B: Stick to the humble-side, don't seem too cocky.
Many people think it's better to be humble, and not toot your own horn. But you may be missing a great opportunity. You don't want your boss to feel he's off-base giving you an outstanding score in an area that you've given yourself a mediocre score. If you feel you've done well, score yourself that way. But always stick to the high-side of the scoring because we usually tend to be harder on ourselves in our own self-examinations.

C: Go with what you think your boss would score you.
Sometimes a self-evaluation is a tool used by managers to see if they are on the "same page" with their employees. But don't try to answer the way you think your boss would. Be as honest with yourself as possible, while sticking to the higher-end of the scoring range to give yourself good bargaining power.

D: Be as honest in your assessment as possible.
This approach may be the easiest to accomplish, but will be most effective if you lean toward the higher end of the scoring. This will allow you to use this confusing tool to your greatest advantage. If you know there's something you need improvement on, go ahead and score a little lower, but also explain and show what you are doing to improve it. The combination of D and E may actually be the best approach.

E: Go for the high scores for bargaining power.
If you answered this one, congratulations!! You have figured out one of the most confusing things employees are asked to do. Why would a company ask you to rate yourself when it's your boss who determines what score you get regardless? The truth is, It may not help, and yes, your boss can still score you any way he or she likes; but being as honest as possible with yourself, leaning toward the higher end of the scores to give yourself bargaining power through the process, and compiling documentation to support those scores can be a great platform for improving your outcome. (any time you give yourself a high score you should provide the back-up documentation to support it.) No matter how your company chooses to use this strange and amorphous tool, feel free to take control and try to use it as a platform to state your case and try to swing things in your favor. If possible, try to turn it in early, before your boss has completed your review to give him/her something to think about. Once scores have been put down, they always seem harder to change. But who knows, something you put in your self-review could swing things in your favor.

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Choose desired quiz:   Current Quiz Self Evaluations - What Do I Do With It? Can you date at work? When Is It Okay To Voice Your Concerns? Which Boss Is More Important? My Boss Doesn't Like Me

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Self Evaluations - What Do I Do With It?

"How does one handle self-evaluations so not to shoot oneself in the foot???" -Ask-The-Author Question.

A: Doesn't matter, they usually don't mean anything.
Well, depending on the type of company you work for, this may be the case. Some don't even have a scoring ability (which should tell you something). But its always best to try to use it as bargaining power. Go ahead and use it as an opportunity to put all the wonderful things you've done in the forefront and honestly show one or two areas that you can show you know you need improvement in and are already working on.

B: Stick to the humble-side, don't seem too cocky.
Many people think it's better to be humble, and not toot your own horn. But you may be missing a great opportunity. You don't want your boss to feel he's off-base giving you an outstanding score in an area that you've given yourself a mediocre score. If you feel you've done well, score yourself that way. But always stick to the high-side of the scoring because we usually tend to be harder on ourselves in our own self-examinations.

C: Go with what you think your boss would score you.
Sometimes a self-evaluation is a tool used by managers to see if they are on the "same page" with their employees. But don't try to answer the way you think your boss would. Be as honest with yourself as possible, while sticking to the higher-end of the scoring range to give yourself good bargaining power.

D: Be as honest in your assessment as possible.
This approach may be the easiest to accomplish, but will be most effective if you lean toward the higher end of the scoring. This will allow you to use this confusing tool to your greatest advantage. If you know there's something you need improvement on, go ahead and score a little lower, but also explain and show what you are doing to improve it. The combination of D and E may actually be the best approach.

E: Go for the high scores for bargaining power.
If you answered this one, congratulations!! You have figured out one of the most confusing things employees are asked to do. Why would a company ask you to rate yourself when it's your boss who determines what score you get regardless? The truth is, It may not help, and yes, your boss can still score you any way he or she likes; but being as honest as possible with yourself, leaning toward the higher end of the scores to give yourself bargaining power through the process, and compiling documentation to support those scores can be a great platform for improving your outcome. (any time you give yourself a high score you should provide the back-up documentation to support it.) No matter how your company chooses to use this strange and amorphous tool, feel free to take control and try to use it as a platform to state your case and try to swing things in your favor. If possible, try to turn it in early, before your boss has completed your review to give him/her something to think about. Once scores have been put down, they always seem harder to change. But who knows, something you put in your self-review could swing things in your favor.

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Can you date at work?

"There's someone I like at work, and she likes me too. We were getting close to thnking about dating when I unexpectedly got promoted to the head of our division. I'm excited about the promotion, but now I'm her manager. Is this relationship totally off limits now?"   What should you do? -OH, -Ask-The-Author Question.

A: It's not off-limits, do what you want, you're the boss!
Feeling a little powerful, are we? Dating at work is a dangerous scenario if you don't do it correctly. No matter how powerful you feel, your job may not survive. Moving forward on something this dicey without taking the necessary steps to protect the both of you would jeopardize both your jobs as well as potentially open the company up to a sexual harassment lawsuit (it has happened!).

B: Date in secret - what they don't know....
Many people have tried it this way, but they've also learned the hard way that this kind of thing always comes out one way or another. And if you haven't put the proper safe-guards in place before you started dating, you are right back in territory "A" and your job may become a casualty of your love-life.

C: You can date if your sweetheart is transferred.
You may be right! In most cases you will not be allowed to date someone you are actively managing, but the company may allow it if a transfer can be arranged. Managing someone you're romantically involved with is a huge conflict of interest that has to be resolved in order for your job to be safe.

D: You can date if your boss says it's okay.
I know it seems strange, but you're right! This one is the key to dating safely. You don't really have to ask for his/her permission, but providing notification of the relationship is crucial to safeguarding your job in this situation. And you may have to make certain recommended changes such as one of you moving to another area or department. But, regardless of whether the person you'd like to date is below, above, or at the same level as you, you have to tell your boss about it. He/she is the only one you tell.

E: It's a classic trap, if you value your job, just say no!
You'd think this would be the correct answer... right? Well, it doesn't have to be. "Absolutely not" is what most career advisors would tell you, but let's face it, this just isn't feasible. It's hard enough to find someone you'd like to date without making the one place you spend most of your time completely off-limits! The truth is, you CAN date those you work with, even those you may be supervising (or vice versa), but only if you do it carefully and you know exactly the steps to take to provide some protection for both of your careers (The secret to doing it right is below).

If you answered C or D, Congratulations! You are either very corporate savvy or you've read Secret # 30 in the book! For all you office romantics out there, here's how it's done - safely. If there is no direct reporting relationship (ie: manger - employee), you can date this person as long as you keep it professional, private, and under-wraps. You will need to tell your boss, but this is the only person you tell. And you assure him/her that all will be handled professionally while at work. Now, if there is a direct reporting relationship involved like the question from Ohio above, there are a few more steps that need to be taken. You cannot manage someone you're involved romantically with. It is a conflict of interest that cannot be worked around. So, not only do you have to tell your direct supervisor (as stated above), one of you will most surely have to be moved to another reporting relationship (or another department). Again, privacy, professionalism and not showing any affection at work is critical, even when you are in different departments. And no, you can't send ooglie emails to each other, and you shouldn't even talk about it when you're out for drinks with the gang. No one in your company should know you're dating except for your direct supervisors, period! Make sure your private life is kept very separate from your work-life and you should be able to enjoy dating in relative safety. Enjoy!

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When Is It Okay To Voice Your Concerns?

"HR is doing some new management training in which they've asked us all to be "frank" and open about any issues we may have with the company. After reading your book I know to be wary of saying anything negative in a "public setting" but since they're asking specifically in order to make changes and improve procedures, is this an exception to that rule? Should I go ahead and share my concerns?"   What should you do? -KO, -Ask-The-Author Question.

A: No, it could be a trap.
Congratulations, you are corporate savvy! I know this seems hopelessly paranoid, but it's absolutely true.

B: Yes, when they openly ask for feedback in a constructive setting it's okay to share.
If you voted for this one, you could be in trouble. There is no such thing as a safe time or place (no matter how hard "they" work to make it seem that way) for you to share open criticism about the company, it's policies, or it's management. When in any public forum, you still need to show open support for all of it. The only time a concern is voiced is still one-on-one with your manager, in a very respectful and private setting, and only for issues you feel are so serious they could be career threatening.

C: Yes, It's part of a manager's job to help suggest improvements and is expected.
Same for this one, I'm afraid. You could be in trouble. Your job as a manager is to support the company and its policies in any open forum (even private company meetings). Yes, believe it, it's part of your unwritten secret job description. Anything less will be seen as disloyal and will throw up red flags. It doesn't matter how much you care about the company, how much better you think things will run with a few changes, or how much experience you have in this area, you cannot express this type of frankness openly without endangering your career. The only way to make these suggestions is privately with your boss, without complaining or getting negative about the way things are, but by making positive suggestions on how things might run more smoothly or be more productive. (oh, and be prepared to either be shot-down, or if implemented, have your boss take credit for it).

D: No, even constructive complaints can make you seem disloyal.
Right again. Don't be fooled by the forum, even constructive complaints when voiced in a public setting in front of so many other employees, is simply not safe.

E: Yes, they obviously know things need improving and if you don't share it will look like you don't care.
Sorry. Companies may seem very genuine when they ask for feedback, but support is all they really want to hear from you in any public setting. Save your big concerns for private.

F: All of the Yes's
A little paranoia in this area may do you some good - take a look at Secret #10 in the book!

G: All of the No's
Right all the way around. Don't assume things are "safe" just because HR encourages you to feel that way. Even good intentions can have scary consequences. Negativity and complaints are one of a company's worst fears and there is only one semi-safe way to voice them. (Get the insider tips on how to do it in Secret 9, page 41 in the book.)

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Which Boss Is More Important?

"What if, the boss directly over you is threatened by you. The Boss's, Boss's Boss loves you. Thinks you are very creative and full of service. Saying that, the two layers of Boss's in between, will not let you make a large enough contribution to get to that top layer. I am either minimized or someone else gets the credit. The chain of command is strictly adhered to here."  What should you do? -Ask-The-Author Question from Kentucky

A: Go to The Big Boss and explain what's happening
It would seem that the Boss at the top would have much more clout, and that's the one you should focus on - not so. What no company will tell you is: no executive will go against their managers, or get in between an employee and their direct boss. No matter how much they say they like you, it is what your immediate boss thinks of you that will pervade all decision making at all levels of the company. Going to the big boss may get you a positive response during your interaction (most likely to get rid of you), but chances are he will get on the phone to your boss and tell him/her exactly what you just did. This is probably the worst thing you could do in this instance.

B: Start looking for another job
This could be a valid option since it sounds like your boss may truly be feeling threatened by you. Once this happens it can be difficult to overcome. Your career will go nowhere without the support of your immediate boss (no matter who else likes you), and if he feels threatened by you, he will keep your work buried. Make sure, if you decide to leave that you ask for a written recommendation from the big boss before you go!

C: Forget the big boss, and repair things with your boss
If this is the one you chose - you're right! This is the right way to go, and should definitely be tried before moving on to another company. If you really like your job and your company, the best course of action is to offer your talents in service to your current boss and make sure there is nothing threatening in your behavior. Find out what's most important to your boss and provide it, you can even ask how you can help to make his/her job easier and be a better team member. When a boss feels supported by a talented employee then he/she can sing your praises and help your career get ahead by allowing you to shine. The only way to move up is through your current boss (with all his/her idiosyncrasies). Without the support of your boss, you go nowhere. So if you'd like to stay where you are and be successful there, you have some repair work to do with this relationship. The harsh truth is, the more your boss personally likes you and feels supported by you, the more he/she will champion your career. And the reverse is also true. If you just can't do it, then the best way is to look for another job - and don't tell the next company anything about the problems you had with your last boss.

D: Put together your own project and take it right to the top:
See the answer to A - different approach, same result.

E. Start protecting yourself, document every time your boss takes credit for your work then go to HR.
This sounds like a good approach, but simply won't help. While documentation taken to HR can help in many other situations, HR is going to side with your boss on this one, no matter how good your documentation. What companies won't tell you is: bosses are allowed to take credit for the efforts of their subordinates. It's morally reprehensible, but is supported within the corporate system. The only way up is through your current boss, so you'll have to start creating a partnership with him/her to achieve your objectives. HR has to side with your boss, and even if they appear supportive, they can't help you here.

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My Boss Doesn't Like Me

"Ms. Shapiro, I just read the first chapter of your book and I think I'm being managed out by my boss. He doesn't like me at all (the feeling is mutual). He gives me all the worst tasks, treats me like dirt in front of the others, and gave me a really bad review even though I work harder and do more than anyone else in the department. I already asked for a transfer, but it was denied. What can I do?" -Ask-The-Author email from Washington DC

Contact a Lawyer:
This type of behavior, although completely unfair, is rarely illegal - and is also very difficult to prove.

Manage up - tell your boss's boss
This is the WORST thing you could possibly do. It will do very little to help, and would most likely make things worse. The boss would most likely see it as an attempt to sabotage his standing and might escalate his behavior against you.

Tell HR:
No matter how nice your HR department personnel are, HR most likely knows all about what your boss is doing and supports it (and may have even given him the idea for it). No help here.

Go look for another job:
Unfortunately, once you've lost the support of a boss nothing is happening for your career at this company. Trying to make things work form this stage in the game can be both heart-breaking and futile. It is much easier to find a job when you have one (and harder for a potential employer to talk to your current boss about you). So start looking now! If you wait until they've completely managed you out, you could be sunk.

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