Mikzo Blog

Commonly, you don’t think a trusted friend or associate is going to defraud you. You think if you feel close to someone, trust that person with personal confidences, and act in a spirit of good will to help him or her, particularly through a difficult period, he or she will reciprocate in kind. Well, yes, [...]

What happens when you find some information you shouldn’t know about in the workplace, but it could give you a big advantage if you can use it? Certainly, it’s not legal to acquire information if you trespass in a private area, such as going through someone’s desk or locker. It can be illegal to eavesdrop [...]

We read about leaks in government and business all the time. Someone expresses his or her disapproval by leaking a memo or embarrassing story, and most of the time the leaker isn’t caught and it’s not worth pursuing. While many of the big stories of secret information that leaks end up on the evening news, [...]

Certainly in today’s fast-paced and changing business world, it makes sense to change the rules. You’ve got to adapt, and change, innovation, reengineering, transformation, and like words have a with-it cachet. Though people often resist saying goodbye to old habits, in time, most will change, and generally change is for the good, since it leads [...]

Some people pride themselves on being "ethical," and being "ethical" is certainly a quality to strive for. Not only does acting ethically mean you show honorable character traits, like being honest, squaredealing, and following moral principles, but other people feel they can trust you and are more likely to be loyal, motivated, committed, and productive. [...]

What do you do when someone you have trusted with information turns around and uses that information to advance his or her own career? Worse, what if that person tries to go into competition with you? The problem can occur whether you hire someone, work with a partner, or team up with someone in your [...]

When things go wrong, it’s a natural inclination to want to find out what went wrong and hope that someone or something else can be found at fault. After all, you don’t want to take the blame and the consequences if you don’t have to. And those with more power (i.e., managers) often look for [...]

Everyone likes getting praise, right? Everyone feels good when they are complimented, yes? Isn’t that what thousands of managers want to learn to motivate people better and achieve increased productivity, correct?
Well, not always. Sure, most of the times these principles apply. But sometimes, if you feel you are getting unearned praised, you might not [...]

Not being part of a family in a family-run business can make it more difficult for you—especially in smaller companies with several family members. In bigger companies, the influence of family members will generally be much diluted by the larger workforce and management team. Also, in a corporation, a commitment to shareholders and public record-keeping [...]

Becoming someone’s confidant at work can be flattering. You feel trusted with someone’s secrets. You feel plugged in and are privy to behind-the-scenes gossip. You may experience a sense of power. You are consoling someone and giving advice, so you feel helpful and in the know. But if you are not wary, you can fall [...]

There are a number of popular aphorisms about timing, such as "Timing is everything," "There’s a time and place for everything," and "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose." Likewise, timing is critical for success when deciding which battles are worth fighting. You have to be aware of the [...]

Communication breakdowns are at the heart of so many conflicts and foul-ups. They can occur at every stage of a communication from sender to recipient and back again. From wrong assumptions to wrong information that shapes a message to misunderstandings and misinterpretations when you "get"—or maybe don’t "get"—it, the possibilities for mix-ups are endless. How [...]

While everyone talks about being "proactive" as a good strategy, whether you’re solving a problem or planning for the future, sometimes the best strategy is to do nothing and wait, even when you are eager to do something, anything. That’s because taking no action can seem so powerless; yet at times the power comes in [...]

Everyone agrees that preparation is absolutely critical. Whether it’s a speaking presentation, a report you are writing, a sales meeting, or something else, preparation is a major key to success. Usually when people talk about preparation, they are talking about follow-up; perseverance; getting the facts; doing the research needed; and practice, practice, practice. But even [...]

If conflicts at work mushroom, feuds can turn into vendettas and spiral far beyond the original problem. Even some attempts to resolve them can backfire, as the blame game creates more and more victims. In such cases, even if you are not at fault, it is best to deal with blame and false allegations in [...]

Sometimes simmering workplace feuds can bubble along under the surface. You know they are there, because of a sense of unspoken tension between two or more people who work together. But often such low-level tensions are ignored in the interest of keeping the peace. In some cases, such feuds start off being one sided, when [...]

Sometimes office fights—much like fights anywhere—can start with deeply held opinions about how things are or should be. The trigger doesn’t even have to be something as big as politics. A battle can erupt over ordinary views about what happens every day. As people express their views, they can end up in warring camps, each [...]

With some people you feel like you’re walking on eggshells. Often they’re very creative, dramatic, or outgoing, and can be very charming and fun to be with. They can be great idea people, enthusiastic salespeople, and dynamic bosses. But they are also very sensitive to potential slights, and they can erupt into tirades or a [...]

Sometimes the notion of “sweet revenge” can seem so fitting. Someone has promised to meet your deadline at work but hasn’t come through despite repeated assurances. A boss has unreasonably threatened penalties if you don’t meet a deadline for completing a lengthy report for his presentation with new clients, and then doesn’t give you credit [...]