It's All About the "R" Word
It's time to call a spade a spade: the "R" word is our friend, and we should all be using it liberally. Why? It's simple, really. As anyone who has ever used this word knows, it's great for encouraging people to just go ahead and say something that they were thinking but maybe too shy to ask. For example, at work today you might say that your colleague could use some more feedback on her presentation skills because she just can't seem to get the hang of them. This colleague in turn hears the "R" word and hears a permission to ask for exactly what she wants, nothing less. It's almost as if you said, "You want some feedback? Here's some feedback." Perfect.
Of course, the "R" word can be used outside of work as well. For example, you'll be at a party with a few friends when suddenly one or two of them start talking about possible names for their unborn children. One says something like, "I think I've found the perfect name for my little girl: Mary. What do you think?" Although you may not share this friend's taste in names, there's no reason for you to come right out and say so. Instead, try saying, "So everyone knows that Mary means 'bitter,' right? I mean, come on! That's a terrible name." Your friend will be so focused on confirming your assumption that she won't even notice the fact that you didn't offer an opinion of your own.
This is just a tiny sample of how the "R" word can be used to make a large impact with hardly any effort at all. So the next time you're at a loss for what to say, remember: try an "R" word. In fact, you might even want to come up with your own!
Published by Kate Dries on Dec 11, 2017
It's All About the "R" Word – Kate Dries https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-all-about-r-word-kate-dries/
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with a number of successful women in the Bay Area tech industry about why they love their jobs. Instead of "chicken-soup-for-the-soul" platitudes like, "I love my job because it gives me the freedom to work from home, spend time with my family and socialize with friends," I was surprised to hear about how these women really feel. Like Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo!, who said that she doesn't really like her job. Or Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, who said that she wishes her employees weren't always so focused on work. And Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, who said that sometimes she just wants to go home and bake cookies.
I found myself nodding encouragingly as I listened to these women, while at the same time I wondered if there was something wrong with me. I mean, when I'm not working, it's because I'm doing something fun or relaxing. When was the last time that I wanted to stay home and bake cookies? But there is one thing that all these successful women have in common: they say it's all about the " R " word.
Published by Kate Dries on May 14, 2017
It's All About the "R" Word – Kate Dries https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-all-about-r-word-kate-dries/
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with a number of successful women in the Bay Area tech industry about why they love their jobs. Instead of "chicken-soup-for-the-soul" platitudes like, "I love my job because it gives me the freedom to work from home, spend time with my family and socialize with friends," I was surprised to hear about how these women really feel. Like Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo!, who said that she doesn't really like her job. Or Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, who said that she wishes her employees weren't always so focused on work. And Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, who said that sometimes she just wants to go home and bake cookies.
I found myself nodding encouragingly as I listened to these women, while at the same time I wondered if there was something wrong with me. I mean, when I'm not working at my job or doing something interesting , it's because I'm doing something fun or relaxing . When was the last time that I wanted to stay home and bake cookies? But there is one thing all these successful women have in common: they say it's all about the " R" word.
Published by Kate Dries on Apr 16, 2017
"It's All About the "R" Word" – Kate Dries https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-all-about-r-word-kate-dries/
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with a number of successful women in the Bay Area tech industry about why they love their jobs. Instead of "chicken-soup-for-the-soul" platitudes like, "I love my job because it gives me the freedom to work from home, spend time with my family and socialize with friends," I was surprised to hear about how these women really feel. Like Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo! , who said that she doesn't really like her job. Or Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube , who said that she wishes her employees weren't always so focused on work. And Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook , who said that sometimes she just wants to go home and bake cookies.
I found myself nodding encouragingly as I listened to these women, while at the same time I wondered if there was something wrong with me. I mean, when I'm not working at my job or doing something interesting , it's because I'm doing something fun or relaxing . When was the last time that I wanted to stay home and bake cookies? But there is one thing all these successful women have in common: they say it's all about the " R" word.
Published by Kate Dries on Nov 23, 2016
THE KEY TO GETTING ANYTHING YOU WANT – Kate Dries https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/key-getting-anything-you-want-kate-dries/
I used to date a guy who was really good looking, but he could be a bit of a jerk.
Conclusion: There are more important things than looks.
"That's easy for you to say," my friend countered. "You're not the one who has to deal with his bad attitude."
What he said was true: I didn't have to put up with my boyfriend's personality. I knew that I didn't want to be with him long term, so I ended the relationship and never looked back. But if circumstances had been slightly different, things might have worked out quite differently, especially if (like most people) he'd been the only thing standing between me and the love of my life.