How to find the person to help you get ahead at work
Carla Harris · Business executive, author
At Morgan Stanley, Carla Harris is responsible for improving the access to capital for female and multicultural founders, as well as increasing client connectivity to enhance revenue generation.
- The workplace is often presented as a meritocracy, where you can succeed by putting your head down and working hard.
- This a myth.
- The key to actually getting ahead?
- Get a sponsor: a person who will speak on your behalf in the top-level, closed-door meetings you’re not invited to (yet).
- Learn how to identify and develop a productive sponsor relationship.
Only your boss can cure your burnout
Olga Khazan is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World.
World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Six elements of work cause burnout …
- First is pure workload—having way too much to do
- Second factor is how much control or autonomy someone has over their work
- Third factor is a lack of recognition or reward for your work
- Fourth factor has to do with whether your workplace is more like a community or a viper pit
- Fifth relates to whether policies and practices are administered fairly. Does the boss play favorites?
- Finally, work that doesn’t create meaning or value for workers.