personal improvement
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Tips for Managing Conflict You can’t avoid conflict at work. Once differences surface, a catalyst for serious conflict is the tendency for the parties to treat their differences as a zero sum game: For one party to win, the other has to lose. It doesn't have to be that way. Naomi Karten gives some tips for managing conflict. |
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Why You Must Depersonalize Feedback to Become a More Valuable Tester Welcoming feedback isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when you’re in a testing role and potentially getting constant feedback from numerous sources. If you don’t depersonalize feedback and you react defensively, the people around you will likely start to disengage, check out, and move away. |
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What Is an Expert?Many people these days tout themselves as experts. But they can't all be, can they? Naomi Karten explores several opinions of what makes someone an expert, how easy it is to be misled into seeing expertise where it may not exist, and the risks and responsibility that come with the label. |
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Cognitive Biases that Affect Judgment and Decision MakingCognitive biases are biases in judgment and decision making. We are the sum of our biases, and there’s little chance of eliminating all of them. But by acknowledging them, you may be able to prevent them from causing you to make an unsound decision. Naomi Karten mentions three to be aware of. |
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Why People on Agile Teams Need FeedbackAgile teams work by continually improving, and feedback is essential for agile methods to work well. Giving feedback to your team members and peers is hard, and receiving it is sometimes harder, especially when it’s not delivered with the right amount of thought. |
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Three Tips to Help Form a Highly Productive Agile TeamThe dynamic of working in a team is vastly different from working on your own. But if a team is assembled well, it can accomplish more than the individuals could have separately. These suggestions will help you form a team that will work together well and be greater than the sum of its parts. |
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Brainstorming: A Great Tool for Business Analysts and EveryoneBrainstorming is an extremely useful tool in business analysis. In order to yield maximum results, brainstorming sessions need to be well planned and consider the needs and preferences of the attendees. Adrian Reed provides useful tips for preparing a brainstorming session. |
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The Right (and Wrong) Way to Apologize If a coworker, employee, or manager is offended by something you said or did, it can make for a tense workplace. But a simple "I'm sorry" won't always smooth things over. Here are some guidelines to make sure your apology is thoughtful, sincere, and well-received. |
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