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While wed like to think the secret to a fast promotion is all about doing a good job, your relationship with your boss can make or break your career. Understanding how to handle a narcissistic boss or one who plays favorites can save your job. And perfecting the art of managing up can be the key to thriving and growing your career. Often this boils down to knowing how to communicate effectively with your boss. Here are three tips to keep in mind: Understand your bosss communication style Ever had a frustrating conversation where it seems like your boss is brushing off all your ideas? It might not be you, or even your ideas. It might be the way youre communicating, Fast Company contributor Melody Wilding explained in her new book Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge. “The good news,” she wrote, “is that these disconnects usually arent about your competency or the quality of your ideastheyre about different styles. Research has found that there are two dimensions that shape our communication and work styles: dominance and sociability. Dominance is how much control someone needs; sociability is how much someone prioritizes relationships and emotional connection. Understanding where your boss falls on these two dimensions and adjusting your style accordingly can help you communicate more effectively. Know how to speak up when your workload is too heavy Being a star employee comes with perks that can include more job security. However, being a star can also mean being your boss’s go-to personand, if you’re not careful, that can mean work overload, increasing your risk of burnout. Fast Company contributor Kim Meninger recommends pushing back if you have too much work because overextending yourself doesnt just hurt you: It hurts your company. Instead of continuing to accept more work, Meniger recommends being clear with your boss about your tasks as well as reviewing the tradeoffs of each task. When responding to your managers requests, adopt a consulting mindset,” Meninger suggests. “Leverage your expertise to tell your manager what you think is realistic. Remember that you are the expert in your job. Have a strategy for delivering bad news Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us, and sooner or later youll find yourself in a situation where you have to give your boss bad news or have an uncomfortable conversation with them. In this situation, Fast Company contributor Art Markman says that it’s essential to first give your boss a heads-up, own your part in the problem, avoid assigning blame, and make space to listen to your bosss feedback. Resist the urge to get defensive, he says. For one thing, your boss may very well be giving you good advice in that moment.
Category:
E-Commerce
Most of us havent spent much time thinking about tariffs since learning about the Revolutionary War in grade school. Other than a hazy sense that they somehow lead to dumping tea into the Boston Harbor, these taxes probably seemed unrelated to modern lifeuntil they became one of the current administration’s most beloved buzzwords. But tariffs can have far-reaching economic and political consequences, which King George III learned to his detriment 250 years ago. This is even more true in our current economy, where everyone from giant corporations to solopreneurs rely on foreign goods and manufacturers to bring their products to market. And while companies on the Fortune 500 list may be able to pivot when sourcing materials from foreign countries becomes too expensive, that may be impossible for small businesses. Heres what you need to know about how tariffs might affect your favorite small businesses. Whats a tariff and who pays it? You probably remember the definition that Mrs. Turley taught you in 4th grade: a tariff is a tax placed on foreign goods and materials imported into the United States. You might also recall why the American colonists were so dang angry about the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act back in the 1770s: the tariffs meant higher prices for the colonists. Thats because someone has to pay the extra cost to get the goods into the importing countrys hands. In most cases, the importer or company passes the cost along to the consumer in the form of a higher price tag for the retail product. There are some notable exceptions, such as how Harley-Davidson assumed the cost of the 25% tariff on gas motorcycle imports in the European Union in 2021. But the iconic American company took on that $2,200 cost per bike as a temporary measure while it (unsuccessfully) worked to circumvent the tariff. Considering the recent EU threat of 50% levy on Harley-Davidson imports as of April 1, 2025, its likely the motorcycle company will have to pursue a different strategy to keep selling bikes in Europe. Why tariffs? Governments impose tariffs for a number of reasons, starting with increasing government revenue. King George III imposed tariffs on the American colonies because his royal coffers were pretty bare and he figured the colonists were too far away to effectively kvetch about it. But tariffs can also theoretically offer economic protection to domestic industries. Imposing tariffs on foreign manufacturers can help spur consumers to buy American, which can potentially boost the domestic economy. And tariffs have long been used as a kind of political retaliation, as weve seen in the past several weeks. By imposing high tariffs on goods imported from other countries, the U.S. is basically threatening the economic stability of the home country. The terrifying truth about tariffs The current administration seems convinced that tariffs are the best way to return America to a former level of greatness. The thought process goes something like this: Step 1. Impose tariffs on foreign raw materials and manufactured goods Step 2. American consumers stop purchasing imported goods because they are too expensive Step 3. Minor economic disruptions Step 4. New American businesses emerge to fill the market gap Step 5. Major foreign companies move manufacturing to the U.S. Step 6. Economic unicorns and rainbows Unfortunately, this is an unlikely scenario. While tariffs can potentially give American businesses some breathing room (as the trade restrictions on Japanese cars helped keep American auto manufacturers afloat in the 1980s), most economists agree that tariffs have a poor track record for spurring economic growth. Typically, tariffs cost a lot, dont bring significant levels of manufacturing or business to their home country, can cause supply-chain disruptions, and are less effective than other tools in the economic toolbox. Ignoring the global economy The goal of the current tariffs is to aid any U.S. business that keeps its manufacturing on our shores. Under these tariffs, American goods will cost less than imported goods, which will increase sales and boost business. But our current tariffs will not just be levied on manufactured goods, but also on raw materials and parts. For example, a small business owner that does all of its manufacturing in the United States but sources its raw materials from Canada may still feel the sting of tariffs, even though they are not importing finished consumer products from another country. Even if an American small business is able to source all of its needs domestically, imposing tariffs on other countries often ends with retaliatory tariffs on American goods, which means any business owner selling internationally will also lose business. Surviving and thriving through tariffs Whether you are an entrepreneur or a consumer, you will likely see economic changes as the Trump tariffs go into effect. As with any major economic force outside of your control, there are only so many strategies available to you as an individual. Specifically, its prudent to keep abreast of economic news so you can alter your financial plans as circumstances change. Cutting costs that are less important to you can help free up room in your budget to deal with higher prices on necessities. You may also want to consider putting off major purchases until prices have stabilized. And if youre still looking for potential strategies, remember that heaving caffeinated beverages into major bodies of water has an excellent tariff-busting track record.
Category:
E-Commerce
Donald Trump didnt win the 2024 election in a landslide, but that hasnt stopped him from claiming an electoral mandate. If that ever held water, it doesnt anymore. With the stock market plunging from ill-advised global tariffs, Trumps public approval has already sunk into the negatives. But many of the largest companies in the United Statesthrough fear or favorare acting like Trump does have the mandate he claims, that his ideological will deserves deference. If the 2016 election was followed by even a modicum of resistance-styled liberalism by American employers, the 2024 election has been followed by something closer to a corporate MAGA orthodoxy. In media, technology, academia, and throughout the private sector, Americas companies are lining up to prostrate themselves before Trump and kiss the ring. While Trump the candidate was flanked by business figures like Teslas Elon Musk and Cantor Fitzgeralds Howard Lutnickboth of whom joined his administrationthe real ring-kissing began in earnest in the lead-up to the inauguration, when companies lined up to donate millions to Trumps inaugural fund. Trump raised a record $170 million, including $1 million gifts from Silicon Valley giants such as Amazon and Meta, plus OpenAI CEO and Democratic donor Sam Altman. At the inauguration were Metas Mark Zuckerberg, Googles Sundar Pichai, Amazons Jeff Bezos, Apples Tim Cook, and TikToks Shou Zi Chew. If these men arent actively competing for government contracts, theyre hoping to help craftor outright avoidregulation. Oh, how things change quickly. In a book published in August, Trump suggested that Zuckerberg would face life in prison if he plotted against Trump in the 2024 election. And in 2019, Amazon wrote in a legal complaint that it lost a government contract after Trump attacked Bezoshis perceived enemy. In the media, Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, interfered to stop a presidential endorsement of Harris and recently ordered that the opinion page shift to defending civil liberties and free markets, leading to resignations. Meanwhile, billionaire Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong has made similar steps rightward, introducing a bias meter to track ideological bents at the paper. But more worrying have been settlements from CBS and ABC with Trump that many critics deemed unnecessary and preemptivein CBSs case to help its parent company Paramount win regulatory approval for a merger with Skydance. Trumps disdain for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has even led companies of all stripes to dismantle their own. Companies like PepsiCo, Meta, and Walmart have softened or rolled back their DEI program in recent months, as Trump has railed against the programs. But perhaps the most worrying development came at a private university. After the Trump administration cut $400 million in funding to Columbia University, the school cooperated with the unexplained detention of campus protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, a move that civil liberties advocates have said threatens free speech and due process in this country. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that not everyone is playing dead. Some are refusing to go along with the new status quo. Costco and Delta Airlines have reaffirmed their commitments to DEI, and Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth wrote in Slate that neutrality toward Trumps authoritarian policies is a betrayal of our academic mission. Trump wont be in power forever, but the companies that eagerly courted his favor may be remembered less for strategic pragmatism than for moral compromise.
Category:
E-Commerce
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