Series: HBR Work Smart Series

Say no to a culture of constant work. We often equate our productivity with the number of hours we spend working. But do we really need to work endlessly, through weekends and during vacations, to be seen as stars? To find a healthy balance between our personal and professional lives, we need to make space for ourselves, define what we...

Be the boss people want to work for. Being a manager is no easy task. You must measure and track your team members' performance toward goals and objectives while also providing opportunities for growth and development. You have to be empathetic to your team's needs and concerns while also maintaining your authority. How do you navigate these tensions? People, Performance,...

Just be yourself, right? We're complex people. Professionally, we're recent graduates, employees, star performers, and first-time managers. But we're also best friends, devoted family members, sports fans, pet parents, social justice activists, or any other combination of these and other traits. How much of ourselves—from cultural self-expression, to thinking style and beliefs, to gender identity—should we bring to the workplace?...

I'm not here to make work friends. Or am I? Managers, peers, work friends, mentors, frenemies, annoying people, romantic interests, your boss's boss, and so on. We probably spend more hours with our coworkers than with anyone else. So even if they're not all perfect, it's worth building connections with them that will provide you with support, help you network...

Build the career you want - on your terms. 'Where do you see yourself in five years?' This question can make even the most ambitious of us feel a little nauseous. Starting out in the working world is hard enough, but thinking long-term about our careers - and whether we even want a capital-C 'Career' - can be daunting. Luckily,...

Communication is key. Effective communication is essential to standing out at work and excelling in your career. But when it comes to making a convincing point in a meeting, crafting the perfect email, or nailing a presentation, there's a lot to navigate. What kind of language do you use with a varied audience? Which channel is best for which message?...