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Snap out of the better-secure-than-start-over mentality and follow tips below for getting ahead. Let’s take that calculated career risk now.

Recruit
Make’ a habit of looking through the Recruit section every Saturday in the papers. Find out what bosses out there are looking for.

Send word out
Remind your contacts that they should keep you in the loop if they know of any new job openings.

Explore possibilities
Once in a while, you might stumble upon a shop or company that catches your interest. Do research and see. If it’s worth a shot.

If you hate your workload, hate your pay and hate the benefits, talk to your boss about these issues before considering your options. Keeping quiet and staying content is not a smart move for the go-getter.

Why do backstabbers get ahead? Must I become one?

answer:
Senior company officials who promote backstabbing employees are total assholes, too, aren’t they? Why should they reward your civilized behavior when it’s a reproof of everything they stand for? They’re far more comfortable promoting someone who is brutal, selfish, and mean. They know that guy. He’s them. The good news is that your road, although harder, is definitely the happier of the two. Don’t become a creep. You’ll eventually triumph by building consensus, performing with distinction, and fighting face-to-face with your backstabbing colleague. Good guys almost always do fine in the long run. If things aren’t going your way now, wait a minute. Time is on your side.

First, cut him some slack. Is it possible that his intellectual assets are simply different from yours? Maybe his strength lies in patiently gathering facts and avoiding costly errors or in dealing with the corporate brass, something you wouldn’t like to do. A low-key demeanor that you take for lack of intellect and leadership may actually be a style that’s well suited to your company’s management structure. My point is that you have to be objective. Understand that many of us feel frustrated when our superiors seem to exhibit limitations. After all, bosses are parent figures, and they remind some of us of the pain we endured when we discovered our parents were fallible. Some of us respond with lifelong conflict with authority figures. To break that cycle, try to collaborate with him and be supportive. Ask him for opportunities to display your skills. If you find that he is not willing to help you grow professionally, get out and find someone who will.

It makes you a typical American worker. We work 200 more hours per year now than we did in 1970. The average American man works upwards of 50 hours per week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So, on the surface, you appear to be the norm, not the exception. Only you can tell if your work lifestyle is unhealthy for your body and your family relationships. Reflecting on the following elements of a healthy work-life balance will help you determine whether or not you have a problem:
(1) You enjoy your work.
(2) You feel challenged but not overwhelmed.
(3) You feel you are contributing to a purpose bigger than yourself.
(4) You have time to keep physically fit.
(5) You are not living beyond your means.
(6) You are connected to your family.
(7) You have time to yourself.

My good friend is very unhappy in her current job, which she finds really mundane and unchallenging. She doesn’t want to quit though, both because of the attractive salary, and also because it will not reflect well on her resume if she quits her first full-time job after only two months. However, as a friend, I can see that she is really miserable and that she would probably derive more job satisfaction from a position in another field. Should I advise her to quit this job or should she stick it out for a few more months?

answer:
Two months? That isn’t long enough to evaluate the job at all. And yes, unless there is a very good reason it won’t reflect well that she gave in after such a short time. And I do think that it is a bit dramatic to be really miserable in two months, unless she is being horribly bullied in the office. There are parts of every job that are mundane. So, your friend should speak to her boss, tell her that she would love to take on more responsibility and challenges, and instead of feeling stuck in a rut, try to do something with the situation.

I have to fire a senior executive who’s several years older than I am. How can I do this without crushing his spirit?

answer:
Your concern for your colleague is commendable, but in being compassionate, you also need to be cautious. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court revised its interpretation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, making it easier for older workers to file suit against their employers if they can show a pattern of discrimination. Thus, when it comes time to fire your colleague, your first concern should be for your company.

Initiate the conversation in a private space and allow the executive to express feelings of anger or anguish. “Chances are he won’t make a scene,” says Bill Pullen, president of Pullen and Associates Coaching and Consulting in Washington, D.C. “But an older employee’s identity is often tied to his job, and it’s important to let him vent if he needs to.” Also be sure that the tone of the conversation is as familiar as your relationship. Starting off with “Hey, Bill” if your usual greeting is “Good morning, sir” will only make you appear condescending. But most important, be prepared to answer the question “Why?”

“You want to make sure that the employee cannot claim surprise,” says Jay Waks, chair of the employment-law practice at Kaye Scholer LLR “Have a set of bullet points in front of you that demonstrate the requirements of the position and why the employee is being terminated at that time.” Waks also advises having an HR representative in the room to act as a witness, and avoiding any mention of the executive’s eligibility for retirement. “[Mentioning retirement] is the biggest mistake employers make,” says Waks. “It raises a red flag for age-based termination.”

Scary project deadline
If you’ve got a really big work task up ahead, why not break it down a bit? One life coach I know calls it “nibbling an elephant” and it works very well. You couldn’t eat a whole elephant, right, no matter how hungry you are. So, just nibble a bit at a time, a little bit more each day and before you know it, you’ve gobbled up the whole thing.

So a little bit at a time, then move on. This way, that big scary project becomes less big. By taking tiny baby steps, you’ll help prevent those stressful I-don’t-know-where-to-begin jitters and the project won’t seem so overwhelming. Of course, the project may simply be too big for just one person to take on. If so, see your boss to discuss the matter as soon as you realize you can’t meet the deadline.

Explain that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to see this project through, but that it’s just not possible for you to complete it alone in the given time frame. It helps a lot if you offer some simple solutions, rather than just bitching and whinging about how long it’s taken and how much she’s given you to do.

Perhaps part of the job can be shared with a colleague who has a particular expertise that might be helpful? Or maybe there are ways to cut some steps out of the process. Even if your boss doesn’t use your solutions, you’ll still get credit for taking the initiative.

Paper work
Try to keep all paper off your desk; it won’t be easy but it will keep both your desk and mind clear. But just how do you stop the accumulation of paper in the first place? Keep up with it piece by piece as a daily routine.

The second that some paperwork comes your way, either throw it away immediately, file it or put it into one of two trays on your desk marked “urgent” and “to do” - which you should sort out at the end of the day. If there are papers you haven’t looked at in six months, bin it.