April 30, 2013 • Volume 4, Issue 9 • ISSN: 2154-3240

In This Issue

♦	Feature Article: Ask for What You Want
♦	Ask Amanda: What’s the deal with people cc’ing my boss?
♦	Practical Tips: Doodles

Ask for What You Want

An unintended consequence of our recent economic woes is the idea that asking for what you want might put your job at risk. In some cases that may be true, but for the vast majority of people, it’s how they approach the “ask” and their reasons for wanting something that is problematic for management.

Whether you want a promotion, a more flexible work schedule, or better assignments, make sure that you have created a solid business case for the change. What benefit will your employer receive if they accommodate your request?
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	Pain is necessary, suffering optional.

Practical Tips: Doodles

Ever wonder why you doodle during meetings? It’s actually a great strategy for staying focused. Research from the University of Plymouth in the U.K. shows that those who draw or scribble concentrate better and remember more information during meetings. Their hypothesis is that because doodling activates the right side of your brain, it actually encourages creative problem-solving, which helps you think outside the proverbial box.

People in my company cc my boss on everything and it ticks me off. I keep him informed and he doesn't have to know every little detail. How can I get them to stop this inefficient behavior? T.D., Bayside, NY

First take a step back. The way you asked your question indicates that you believe their behavior has something to do with you. If cc’ing your boss is widespread, including the hierarchy in communications could be a cultural practice.
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Recommended Resources

Interested in learning more about the origins of doodling and why it is so important? Watch Sunni Brown's: Dooders, unite! TED talk.

Read our latest book review: Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant.

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About Us: Our Corporate Life LLC (OCL) is a company that offers a new system for reducing unnecessary workplace suffering caused by the organizational, interpersonal, and ethical issues of our time. It is founded on the belief that adhering to core human values and achieving business success are always compatible. Working with both companies and individuals, OCL helps create solutions that enable corporate employees at every level to optimize profits while enabling them to thrive in the corporate environment. OCL was founded by Amanda Mitchell to help meet the needs of people working in corporate America during this transformative moment in our nation's history. The OCL system reflects her experience and insight gained from a 20–year corporate career working with Fortune 500 companies, and as an executive coach to senior–level corporate executives.