 People skills. Collaboration. Group projects. Teams. Lately, business seem to have fallen in love with the idea of employees working together. The theory, apparently, is that two heads are better than one, and anything over three can’t help but produce something of genius.
In some ways, this point of view is understandable. After all, one person can have a crazy idea and just run with it, but if there are others around, they can rein that person in. Plus, with a group, things will be vetted as they move forward, making it more likely that the best ideas will rise to the top like the proverbial cream, right? Not necessarily.
The Loss of the Lone Genius
What all this togetherness doesn’t account for is the simple fact that some people just work better when they are off by themselves. In fact, more and more research is showing that some of the most creative individuals in any field are introverts that work far better when they are allowed to have privacy and freedom from interruption. These are “lone geniuses” who, by their very nature, just aren’t people who join with others. They are able to interact to the extent that they can share and advance their ideas by talking with people, but actually evolving those ideas with the hands-on help of others often ends up being detrimental.
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 You’ve likely heard about companies firing their employers for complaining about their jobs (or sometimes even just mentioning them) in their personal blogs. What you don’t hear as much about are the success stories. People who attract the attention of employers through their blogging.
Why would blogging make employers think that you’re the person for them? Maintaining a blog requires a certain kind of skillset and can translate into a number of workplace environments.
You have to know how to market… Obviously great for marketing positions, but really in any industry where you might be creating a presentation about something for your bosses (or their bosses), this is a great skill to have.
…and network. The way to get more hits on your blog is that same way you get ahead in the business world: network with the right people who are able and willing to lend a helping hand in exchange for you doing the same.
You have to be able to build and maintain relationships. In other words - people skills. Sure, you’re dealing with your readers virtually, but a lot of the same manners and protocols apply that do in the work place. Good people skills are always a sought-after skill.
You have to be able to clearly communicate. This applies to, oh, just about every job anywhere. Unless you’re working completely alone, you’ll need to talk to coworkers, delegate effectively to people below you, and explain to your superiors why you did or didn’t do what they asked of you. People who communicate well tend to do well.
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 Networking. Is there a more cringe-inducing word in the English language? Most people are not inherently good at it, and some even find the idea of it distasteful. Unfortunately, your personal connections are the best asset you have in getting a job and moving ahead, so networking - and networking well - is something that all of us have to work on.
That’s why it’s valuable to look at 5 of the most common mistakes people make when trying to network. Avoid these, and you’ll be well on your way to making a positive connection.
Make it all about you. Yes, the point of networking with someone is so that you can get them to help you in some way, but that doesn’t mean that you should ask for their help right away. Most people will find this rude, and even if they do help you, they might do it begrudgingly. At the very least, you want to forge some kind of personal connection before asking for what you want, but it’s even better if you can make yourself useful to them in some way.
Paper the town. When you ask someone for their help, or even just to get to know them, you want them to feel like it’s because they’re special - they are the only one who can help you because of their special knowledge and abilities. But that’s not going to be possible if you take a scattershot approach and put yourself out there to a bunch of people because you want to make sure that someone comes through for you. Do that and you’ll quickly become that annoying person that no one wants to help.
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 Even though there’s been a bit of a rebound in the job market recently, we all know that things still aren’t good, and probably won’t be good for a while. However, if you’ve been let go from several jobs in the last few years and can never seem to latch on to any permanent positions when you go through temp companies, it might be time to take a good look at yourself. We all have a bad habit or two that we take with us to the workplace, whether it’s arriving late, taking too many breaks, gossiping, complaining, or spending all day on Facebook and Twitter. If you believe there are things you might be doing that are hurting your chances at getting and keeping a job, it might be time to break the cycle. But how?
Identify the bad habits. The first thing you need to do is be honest with yourself about your negative habits. It might even be worth it to ask a former trusted coworker if there were any things you did at work that bothered them. Hearing these things might not feel good, but it’s important to know so that you can get better.
Come up with positive strategies. If your problem is that you’re always late, set a goal to leave 10 minutes earlier and do whatever you need to achieve this - alarms, going to bed earlier, showering the night before. If you put off answering emails, schedule time each morning to work on them. Your strategy should fit the nature of the problem.
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 Workplace politics are always tricky. Who can you trust to give you helpful advice without making it seem like you don’t know what you’re doing? Is it okay to vent to one coworker about another one? What about going around or over the head of someone that you don’t work particularly well with? But one of the most challenging experiences has to be figuring out how to tactfully tell your supervisor no when they request something of you.
Is their request even possible? The last thing you want is to tell your boss that something can be done when you know it can’t. It can be hard, but you are far better off being honest with them; many bosses will even respect you more for your knowledge about something if you are confident in your answer - even if that answer isn’t what they want to hear.
Do you have the bandwidth? Even if you’re juggling 20 tasks and the boss asks you to take on another one that you know you won’t be able to do, it can be hard to find the strength to say no. Here’s a great tactic, though: “Sure, I can do that, but I’ll have to put X project on the backburner till next week.” This will show your boss that you are conscientious about your duties and willing to prioritize based on his or her needs.
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