El hombre que puede escribir 10.000 artículos al día en Wikipedia

Publicado el Miercoles, 16 de Julio del 2014

Gracias a los millones de artículos que la forman, Wikipedia presume de ser una de las mayores fuentes de información de internet. Esto es posible gracias a la labor de miles de usuarios que, de forma desinteresada, han redactado todas y cada una de sus entradas. Sin embargo, muy pocos podrán presumir de haber aportado tanta información a esta enciclopedia virtual como Sverker Johansson, un sueco que es responsable del 8,5% de todos los artículos que forman esta magna obra, publica abc.es .

Aunque la cifra pueda parecer increíble, la realidad es que a lo largo de los últimos siete años, Johansson ha firmado 2,7 millones de entradas en la popular enciclopedia en línea. De hecho, en un buen día, este sueco de 53 años puede llegar a escribir 10.000 artículos. Por supuesto, y tal y como desvela la edición en español de "Gizmodo", esta enorme productividad tiene truco, ya que este prolífico colaborador de Wikipedia escribe sus aportaciones con la ayuda de un programa informático creado por él mismo.

Este software, al que ha bautizado como "Lsjbot", busca información en varias bases de datos fiables de internet y la resume en el borrador de un artículo. Aunque hay quienes critican su falta de creatividad, este método es aceptado por Wikipedia desde hace varios años y la fundación que se encuentra detrás de la popular enciclopedia posee un equipo de editores específicamente dedicado a revisar y aprobar este tipo de textos.

Johansson y su robot escriben sobre temas como entomología, geografía, historia o ingeniería y sus artículos suelen ser textos poco extensos, con datos o información básica sobre el tema en cuestión. La mayor parte de sus aportaciones están escritas en sueco, lo que, sin duda, ha sido una enorme contribución para que la versión de Wikipedia en este idioma sea una de las más extensas. Además, también suele publicar textos en vietnamita, la lengua nativa de su esposa.

A la hora de defender su particular afición de las críticas, Johansson se escuda en que, a pesar de su enorme tamaño, todavía existen multitud de temas sobre los que apenas existen entradas en Wikipedia. Su pasión es continuar aumentado el saber contenido en esta enciclopedia libre colaborativa. Un trabajo que, además de ser reconocido por la organización fundada por Jimmy Wales, le ha llevado a contar su historia en medios tan prestigiosos como "The Wall Street Journal". 

Fuentes: http://www.entornointeligente.com/articulo/2835670/El-hombre-que-puede-escribir-10000-artiacute;culos-al-diacute;a-en-Wikipedia-

HOW TO SAY WHAT YOU REALLY MEAN IN CONVERSATIONS

YOU PROBABLY HAVE COUNTERFEIT CONVERSATIONS EVERY DAY. HERE'S HOW TO GET PAST THE VAGUE WORDS AND JARGON TO MORE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION.

BY GWEN MORAN

Chances are, you’ve been engaged in “fake talk” at one point or another. Maybe you had a meeting or conference call that left you slightly more confused than before. Perhaps you had a conversation with your co-worker and either sensed he had no intention of helping you with your request or blew up at you. If you’ve ever communicated with someone and not gotten the results, clarity, or respect you want, you know how frustrating it can be.

People engage in such “counterfeit conversation” for a variety of reasons, says John R. Stoker, founder of Springville, Utah-based organizational development firm DialogueWORKS, LLC and author of Overcoming Fake Talk: How to Hold Real Conversations that Create Respect, Build Relationships, and Get Results. They may wish to avoid conflict or difficult conversations, be unsure of themselves or their knowledge, or fear the ramifications of their words. Stoker says the problem with all of that dancing around the point is that what needs to be said often isn’t. Here are five ways to get to the heart of the matter--no matter what it is.

GET SPECIFIC.

When you have something important to say, avoid the euphemisms and corporate-speak. Instead, state upfront specifically what you want to talk about. Stoker says often people project their own emotions and fears on to a conversation, instead of looking at the topic objectively. For example, a leader might say she or he needs to talk about general productivity challenges instead of stating that the team needs to address the actual reasons deadlines aren’t being met because the former might cause hurt feelings.

“If you think there will be negative ramifications for really talking about what’s important around a project or a process, you have to challenge yourself and have courage, saying, ‘I don’t know if this is really going to happen,’” he says. “So maybe there’s a chance if I tell this person what I’m really thinking and what I need, it won’t go badly.”

UNDERSTAND THE AUDIENCE.

Different people have different motivational hot points, says leadership consultant Shawn Kent Hayashi, founder of The Professional Development Group, LLC, a Center Valley, Pennsylvania, consultancy. Hayashi says some people are motivated by factors like money, achievement, altruism, and others. Once you zero in on your counterparts’ motivation points, you can focus in on those points.

“If you’re speaking to someone who is motivated by altruism, the more you can clue in to how this assignment or this company solves problems, and the more I can help this person see that the fingerprints they’re putting on the projects are helping people, the more effective our conversation is going to be,” she says.

State your expectations and ask for feedback. Set the ground rules at the start of your conversation by stating that you want to get to solutions, Hayashi says. Letting others know that they should feel free to communicate honestly, too, opens the pathways to more effective communication.

MANAGE EMOTIONS.

When you’re speaking honestly and directly, it’s important to be mindful of emotions, Stoker says. While you don’t want to project your fears about an emotional outburst onto the conversation, be mindful that it is possible and look for clues about what that means. If someone says, “You’re not letting me finish my sentences!” it could be a clue that the other person is not feeling like you’re listening.

“We’re not used to tuning our ear to listening to people’s emotional reactions, to hear their whiny, blamey, complaining stories from a perspective of, in their own mind or from their own perspective, they’re interpreting your behavior negatively and [it’s] violating a value they have,” he says.

DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.

If you’re going to engage in frank discussions, you need to be prepared to hear feedback that you might not like. If you begin feeling defensive, be mindful of that and keep it in check. Too often, our own pride or ego doesn’t let us get past what other people are saying. Ask yourself: Is engaging in a conflict that doesn’t matter going to get you to the goal you wish to meet?

Stoker recounts the anecdote of a reader who got offended when his mechanic made a minor joke at his expense. The reader stormed out of the place of business, but then realized that he was doing so at his own detriment--he needed work done on his car. He went in, apologized for his overreaction and the work got done. The relationship with the mechanic also led to him meeting a top executive the reader had been trying for months to reach for his work. You never know where respect and strong communication will lead you.

THE HIDDEN QUALITIES AND TINY TRICKS THAT MAKE SOMEONE AN INFLUENTIAL LEADER

SOME LEADERS SEEM ONLY INTERESTED IN THEMSELVES WHILE OTHERS FALL ALL OVER THEMSELVES APOLOGIZING. THE BEST FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN THE TWO.

Experts say you only have a few seconds to make a first impression. What exactly happens in those few seconds that determine whether someone likes or respects you?

It turns out, when others are sizing you up, they’re measuring your “strength” and “warmth,” characteristics, according to communication strategists Matt Kohut and John Neffinger in their book Compelling People, which is currently being taught at Harvard and Columbia Business Schools.

Strength is your capacity to make things happen with skills and willingness while warmth is the sense that you share the same feelings, interests, and view of the world as the person you’re speaking to.

“The discovery of strength and warmth that John and I had came from our early clients,” says Kohut. “They were either very accomplished and smart people to the point that they seem only interested in themselves and come off very cold and unfeeling. Or they were the nicest people in the world, but they were falling all over themselves apologizing and we feel like they won’t be able to deliver when the shops are down.”

The authors concluded that the path to influence--and the common thread that makes leaders like Nelson Mandela and Oprah Winfrey influential--is the ability to balance both strength and warmth to gain the respect and trust of others.

“Once you grasp this insight, it opens up a whole new window on the human experience,” write the authors. “You can understand why a person is appealing by looking closely at how they project strength and warmth. Or, if a person is not so appealing, you can see what makes them seem cold or weak.”

According to Kohut, everyone starts with some kind of combination of these two criteria, but by recognizing strength and warmth, people can change their balance.

“Do we think that charisma can be taught? Yes, definitely we do,” he says. “People like Bill Clinton have worked their whole lives on being the personal presence that they are. Some people have this more than others just like some people have more musical and athletic abilities than others.”

To come out looking good when people are judging you, Kohut provides a few tips to give us the kind of magnetism we once thought could only come naturally.

STAND UP STRAIGHT AND ADOPT A “HEART-CENTERED POSTURE.”

“It sounds simple, but doing these two things consistently makes a big difference. Posture is the number one way to project strength. There’s a reason standing at attention is one of the first things military recruits learn. Similarly, smiling is the most common way we project warmth.”

"[A heart-centered posture] means leading with the chest slightly forward and the shoulders slightly behind. Leading with the heart is fundamental to projecting strength through posture.”

HAVE A GENUINE SMILE AND MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT.

"There’s a difference between a genuine smile and one that seems forced. The best way to always have a genuine smile is to feel grateful for the people around you and the situation that you’re in."

“Eye contact is crucial for conveying both warmth and strength. When we say people see eye to eye, we mean they share a common perspective. At the other extreme, people who are uncomfortable with eye contact can seem anxious or even untrustworthy."

BE AWARE OF THE HEAD TILT.

“Lots of people go through life with their heads slightly tilted. This can be very warm if you're listening attentively, flirting, or playing with a puppy, but it comes directly at the expense of strength. There is nothing wrong with tilting your head, but just be aware that you’re doing it. “

OWN THE SPACE.

“Moving with a sense of destination and purpose demonstrates confidence and ease. It also projects more energy than remaining fixed in one place.” However, there is a difference between comfortably moving in the space and pacing anxiously.

WATCH YOUR GESTURES.

“Certain gestures can really hurt warmth and trustworthiness--leaning away, crossing your arms, rubbing or grasping your hands together, and touching your neck, face, or stomach, for example. To varying degrees, these demonstrate anxiety, self-protection, and avoidance."

Kohut says ball-shaped gestures look natural and poised, which provides a balance of warmth and strength. You can start by holding an imaginary volleyball with both hands between your waist and hips and curl your fingertips. When you’re making a point, this imaginary ball can grow to a beach ball or shrink to marble-size.

BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE PAUSE.

“Overuse of phrases such as ‘um,’ ‘uh,’ ‘like,' and ‘you know’ signals some combination of youth, inexperience, informality, and lack of polish. The trick is to practice leaving silences instead of using filler, and to notice the effect that these pauses have on the people who are listening.”

STRIKE A POWER POSE.

“Anytime you are heading into a stressful situation, adopting a power pose a few minutes in advance will help make that happen. Just stretch and hold a big position for a minute or so to give your hormones time to respond--you can often feel a tingle as it happens.”

"PRECRASTINATING" AND WHY IT'S JUST AS BAD AS PROCRASTINATING

A PRECRASTINATOR--ONE WHO COMPLETES TASKS IN ADVANCE--MAY THINK THEY'RE BEATING PROCRASTINATORS AT THEIR OWN GAME, BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE.

BY LISA EVANS

We all know procrastination is bad for productivity.

A 2011 study published in the European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences showed procrastination was one of the leading factors affecting work-related stress. Procrastination has been linked to poor performance, and even poor health.

It would seem likely then that the opposite of procrastination--completing tasks sooner than they need to be done--would improve productivity and relieve stress. Yet, a recent study by Pennsylvania State University psychology researchers shows this may not be the case.

Professor David Rosenbaum and graduate student Cory Adam Potts conducted an experiment in which participants were given the choice of carrying one of two heavy buckets full of pennies down an alleyway. One bucket was placed near participants at the start line, while the other bucket was placed closer to the finish line.

Surprising the researchers, the majority of participants picked up the bucket that was closest to them, even though it meant they had to carry it farther and expend more physical effort. When the participants were asked why they’d chosen that bucket, the majority replied they wanted to get the task done as quickly as possible. The desire to lighten their mental load was stronger than their determination to reduce their physical effort.

SOONER OR LATER?

We can liken the bucket-carrying experiment to the urge to clear the desk before the real work begins. To describe this phenomenon, the researchers coined the term precrastination. But while expediting the task at hand--precrastination--may seem to improve productivity by allowing you to check items off your to-do list easier, is precrastination really any less of a vice than procrastination?

Maybe not, says Potts, who co-wrote the precrastination study. “Imagine if you devote a lot of energy toward completing a task immediately, and then [a client] calls and interrupts you when you’re in the middle of that task," he says. "Is your attention going to go to the phone call or is it still going to be on the task?”

While performance on the task at hand may improve, performance on other tasks--like meetings, email interruptions, and phone calls--is going to falter because your attention is directed elsewhere. A procrastinator, on the other hand, may capitalize on that interruption and perform better because it delays work further.

Precrastinating may feel better than procrastinating, as you avoid that nagging knowledge that you should be doing something else, but rushing to complete a task may result in decreased performance. “If you want to start and finish something as fast as possible--before you have the full instruction on how to complete the task--it could potentially be a problem,” says Potts.

Precrastination can also result in lost details and even missed opportunities for cognitive processing. We’ve all heard the expression "to sleep on something."

“Oftentimes, you’re able to remember things better or things occur to you that wouldn’t have occurred to you [in the moment], says Potts. "If you’re a procrastinator, you have that time to incubate, whereas if you’re a precrastinator you don’t.” Rushing to complete the task could mean you’re losing out on ideas that would have occurred to you later if you’d taken the time to mentally percolate on the task.

It isn’t clear whether we’re wired to be precrastinators or procrastinators, Potts says, but if you find your pre- or procrastinating tendencies are getting in the way of your normal work functions, you may want to steal a page from its opponent’s manual.

6 Reasons Why We’re Slacktivists: The Psychology Of Liking Causes On Facebook

Sometimes, a like is a whole lot more than a like.

From the infamously viral Kony campaign in 2012 to the rise of online petitions, humanitarian campaigns are gaining traction on social media like never before. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with liking a good cause on Facebook. But critics of “slacktivism” worry that’s all we’re doing, rather taking more meaningful actions like making a donation or going to a protest.

Whether or not this criticism holds water depends, in part, on why people like a cause in the first place. A new study, published in the International Journal of Web Based Communities, provides a detailed breakdown, based on an online survey of Facebook users conducted by two researchers from the Scandinavian research organization SINTEF in Oslo, Norway.

The survey asked participants to describe, in their own words, why they like humanitarian causes and groups on Facebook and their opinion of whether their "likes” help. The researchers then analyzed and coded the answers. The 405 people who took the survey had all responded to a post on the Facebook page of Plan Norway, an organization that works on issues of children’s rights and poverty, and is a relatively savvy Facebook user, according to the study authors.

Here's the main reasons the researchers found about why we like causes on Facebook:

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We aren’t all selfish brutes. The most frequently cited reason (62%) for liking a cause on Facebook was a genuine desire to raise awareness or otherwise help and support a cause in non-economic ways. (About half of the people whose answers fell into this category actually were members of Plan Norway and had sponsored a child through the organization). Whether or not, in the grand scheme of things, a Facebook like is a helpful means of doing so is another question. These people thought it was.

EMOTIONAL

This was the second largest category (37%), and involves our knee-jerk surprise, anger, fear or compassion for humanitarian tragedies, with or without a person’s more rational desire to contribute or continue to follow a cause or organization in the future. The authors suggest that content that “supports this emotional state should be considered to enhance people’s committed engagement.”

INFORMATIONAL

Getting updates about a group you’re interested in was the third most frequently mentioned reason (38%), but the authors say that “informational needs have not surpassed strictly social reasons for using Facebook.” However, given that Facebook’s ever-changing algorithms control what people see in their News Feeds, Facebook users shouldn’t necessarily count on seeing posts from causes they like.

SOCIAL PERFORMANCE

We want to make ourselves look good. It’s human nature, and social media clearly magnifies these tendencies. Of course, almost no one claims to be in this category themselves, but 22% believe others to be.

“Liking humanitarian organizations and causes can be a way for users to construct and present a social identity, whether authentic or false, and to gain acknowledgement from others. Thus liking humanitarian causes becomes part of the narrative of the self, the story that users tell their Facebook friends,” the authors write.

IT’S SO EASY

In addition to other motivations, many people mentioned the low cost of liking a cause or post on Facebook. Clicking a button requires almost no effort or commitment to a cause, but can still serve the function of helping to distribute a message. This goes to the heart of the “slacktivist” criticism, but the authors of the study point out that, according to other research, “slacktivism does not replace, but rather can reinforce more active forms of civic engagement and participation.” Really, that is debatable.

ROUTINE

It could also be that we are becoming Facebook-using robots, a shadow of our former selves, who cannot do anything but click mindlessly on the Internet. Only 6% of people reported this, and they thought it was only other people who did it. “Instead of a real kind of engagement, this is a mechanically performed procedure, a standard activity,” the paper says. “Thus, this activity is embedded in the culture of Facebook that makes sharing part of the routine, whether users truly like a cause or not.”

The authors of the study caution that their study is a first gloss on the question, and has obvious limitations, including the fact that the people surveyed are all Norwegian and most already like Plan Norway on Facebook, and therefore might answer differently than someone who wouldn’t like a cause at all. Most interestingly, they report a heavy gender skew--many more females took the survey, perhaps, they speculate, because of the focus on humanitarian and child aid.

Despite the controversy about slacktivism, the study's results show that most Facebook users may believe a “like” does help, either a lot (12%) or at least somewhat (51%). Now nonprofits know a little bit more about what they’re dealing with on their Facebook pages.

The Science Of Cool

WHAT MAKES ONE CONSUMER DESIGN COOL AND NOT ANOTHER?

Take a look at the two water bottles below. The one on the left is pretty much your standard water bottle design: tall, clear, probably crinkly. The one on the right feels a bit less conventional, with its sleek aluminum shell shaped like an Erlenmeyer flask. In a survey of which is cooler, the bottle on the right would win right away, though both bottles serve the very same function.

o what is it, exactly, that makes one design cooler than another? The difference is surprisingly tough to articulate. You might say it's because the bottle on the right is unconventional. But a water bottle shaped like a kangaroo would be unconventional, too, and you wouldn't necessarily consider it cool. There's more to it than just being different.

A lot more, actually. Behavioral scientists have spilled quite a bit of empirical ink on what makes something cool. They've basically whittled the phenomenon down to four main traits.

First, cool is a social perception, not an inherent quality. So, Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) has always been PBR, but it wasn't cool until Portland hipsters embraced it. Second, coolness is relative. One shirt from Walmart might seem cool compared with another shirt from Walmart, but neither will be as cool as a shirt from H&M (which itself might seem less cool than another H&M shirt). Third, coolness is almost universally positive. And fourth, something that's cool tends to diverge from the norm.

It's this fourth trait--the unconventionality of cool--that seems to be the key. But in the past that trait been poorly defined. As shown by our example of the kangaroo water bottle, or even areal life product like a Segway, being unconventional alone is not enough to be cool. And, in fact, designs or brands that diverge from the norm too much run the risk of being not just uncool but strongly disliked.

Recently, marketing scholars Caleb Warren and Margaret C. Campbell tried to understand the connection between conventionality and coolness with a bit more precision. They did so through a series of sixexperiments comparing consumer products (like the bottles above), coolness ratings (the bottle on the right does rate higher), and participant reactions. In the end, Warren and Campbell concluded that cool designs tend to be "appropriately" unconventional--that is, they challenge unnecessary norms, and aren't too extreme themselves.

"Being cool requires a very delicate balance of doing something that shows that you go your own way and do your own thing, but you do it in a way that is socially desirable or at least acceptable," Warren tells Co.Design.

In their most telling experiment, the researchers introduced test participants to four fictional fashion brands. Each brand was paired with a description that aligned it with a low, moderate, high, or extreme level of unconventionality. A "low" level of unconventionality was essentially the norm--something that followed the market. A "moderate" brand often conformed to convention, while a "high" brand often defied convention. Extreme brands were controversial.

Warren and Campbell found the highest coolness ratings among the brands in the middle: not too conventional, not too risky. A moderately unconventional brand was cooler than a typical brand; a highly unconventional brand was cooler than an extreme and controversial brand. This pattern mostly held true whether the raters (i.e., test participants) had countercultural personalities or not. In other words, even people who challenge convention as a lifestyle don't always think extreme unconventionality is cool.

The lesson for designers is they need to know two things about an audience to make a product cool. First, what does that audience consider normal? (The design can fit slightly outside that mold.) Second, what does that audience consider the limits of abnormality. (The design should not cross it.) In the context of our water bottle designs, then, "Erlenmeyer flask-ish" rests beyond "clear and crinkly" but still within "kangaroo-shaped." (The unconventional water bottle is actually a Heineken design.)

"Product designers, the good ones, know a lot of this implicitly," Warren says. "I think most of them are trying to be different or create things that are different in a way that's still accessible, or that people can latch onto."

The perpetual concern for consumer designers, in particular, is that too much coolness can be a bad thing in the long run. A design that starts off as cool shifts the lines of conventionality, and then gets imitated so much that it becomes conventional, at which point it can't be cool by definition. It's the sort of classic mainstream backlash that keeps one-time consumer iconoclasts, such as Apple or Google, searching for ways to remain outliers.

"If you're really doing something right, the chances are the coolness isn't going to last," Warren says. "Because you're going to shift what is the norm."

YOU'RE PROBABLY MAKING THESE FIVE MISTAKES AT WORK

HOW MANY OF THESE COMMUNICATION FAILS HAVE YOU COMMITTED? RECOGNIZE WHERE YOU'RE COMING UP SHORT--AND FIND OUT HOW TO CHANGE.

BY CHERYL LOCK

You show up to the office on time, you’ve never missed a project deadline, and you always refill the coffee pot when you’re done.

What could you possibly be doing wrong?

Maybe nothing. After all, we don’t want to make you paranoid. But, just for peace of mind, check out this list to see if you’re unwittingly doing anything that could be derailing your full career potential. We spoke with career experts to find out the five biggest mistakes that employees make, as well as suggestions on how to fix them.

1. HANDLING UPSETS POORLY

If you’re an overly motivated worker, dealing with setbacks at the office--like losing an important account or having your (surely awesome) ideas passed over in an important meeting--can be daunting. “Most ambitious, well-educated folks are very hard on themselves; they’re overly perfectionistic,” says Glo Harris, an executive coach and organizational consultant. “So, when they feel they have made a mistake, or ‘failed’ in their self opinion, it’s both disheartening and paralyzing.”

Disappointments at work can stop you from asking crucial questions or taking on responsibilities that could potentially move you ahead in your job. It’s unrealistic to believe you’ll never make mistakes in a long career, though, and the ability to recover quickly is what can set you apart from the pack.

Related: The Top 5 Stressors at Work

What to do instead: Change your mind-set, suggests Harris. “Tell yourself that taking the risk, whatever the outcome, is success enough,” she says. Instead of being scared to put yourself out there at work for fear of failure, set an objective to attempt at least one undertaking a month that is outside your comfort zone.

For example, suggesting a new avenue of advertising for your company could turn out to be a flop, or offering to take the lead on pitching a new client might go awry if the client just won’t budge. But, over time, you’ll learn how to move on from your mistakes, whether that means asking for feedback on a presentation or planning for a better one next time.

2. FAILING TO SELF-PROMOTE

In most work environments, it’s up to you to toot your own horn from time to time when it comes to a job well done. This is especially important when you’ve completed a task worthy of praise and your bosses don’t even seem to notice. “Sometimes [a lack of self-praise] is explained by an employee’s belief that self-promotion is somehow unprofessional,” says Todd Dewett, a leadership development coach and author of The Little Black Book of Leadership. “Other times it’s because a person has wrongly assumed the boss or others are aware of their good work.”

What to do instead: Unless your boss comes out and tells you you’ve done a good job, don’t just assume that she’s taken notice. “Most workplaces are highly competitive,” says Dewett. “The more you rise in the ranks, the more intelligence and experience becomes similar across people.” In other words, leaving your hard work unmentioned allows other similarly qualified coworkers to swoop in and reap the benefits of a boss who’s forced to take notice.

The next time you ask to take on a particularly demanding task at work, assure your boss that you are up to the job by reminding her of past performances that went off without a hitch. Dewett suggests saying something like, “Jan, let me throw my hat in the ring for the Acme account. I’m wrapping the Johnson account about that time, and those two have a very similar industry focus. I’d love to make another win with Acme if the team needs me.” Keep your self-promotion targeted and low-key to make it the most effective.

3. THINKING “ME” INSTEAD OF “WE”

Taking an active role in your advancement at work is important. But when you focus only on your personal success or recognition, you’re making your work about individual goals rather than goals that are good for the overall group. Think of it this way: Your boss’s boss isn’t interested in your personal gain--he’s worried about what’s best for the company. If your actions appear to benefit the overall health of the company, you’ll be integral to helping them achieve their bottom line, which in turn will make them more likely to want to keep you on and promote you.

What to do instead: Before taking any action at work, ask yourself what the benefit will be for the team as a whole, suggests Patti Johnson, a career and workplace expert and CEO of PeopleResults.

ONE OF THE WORST THINGS YOU CAN DO IS TO SHOW UP AND GIVE THE SIGNAL THAT YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

“One of the worst things you can do is to show up and give the signal that you have all the answers,” she said. “This is a surefire way to keep others out if you need them to play an active role in your work or idea.”

Always position yourself as a team player, someone who is ready and willing to take on group projects and work side-by-side with others for the betterment of everyone involved. Johnson suggests using language like, “Here are my ideas on this. What are you guys thinking?” and “Let’s plan to work on this together” to get the ball rolling.

4. NOT ASKING FOR FEEDBACK

Most workers go through some form of annual employee evaluation, but you should be getting feedback more than once a year. “In most organizations, [formal evaluations] are not terribly valuable for the boss or the employee,” says Dewett. “The typical boss, even at many larger firms, is not trained to deliver an evaluation effectively … without training, they can just be exercises in unintentionally creating stress.” Evaluations also tend to put unnecessary focus on recent events or very large projects, leaving a great deal of your overall performance forgotten or unmentioned.

What to do instead: In order to become successful, it’s important to evaluate your efforts frequently, and to analyze what works and what doesn’t. “The most successful people know this and go beyond mere compliance to actively find one or two honest and forthright colleagues who will give them useful, constructive criticism,” says Dewett. “This type of occasional feedback-seeking behavior is one of the hallmarks of top professionals.”

Once you find the colleagues you feel comfortable talking with, Dewett suggests starting simple. “Ask them what one thing you can do to become a better version of yourself at work over the next year,” he suggests. “You can make it even easier on them by not asking them to answer immediately. If they are willing to help, tell them to think about it and drop by later when they have a minute to share their ideas.”

5. DECLINING TO TAKE ON NEW ROLES

Just doing what you were hired to do and nothing more is a big no-no. “If all you do is what is listed in your job description, it’s impossible to get ahead,” says Dan Schawbel, author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success. Consider your workplace an even playing field. Everyone there has the same qualifications, the same hardworking attitude and the same attention to detail. Stepping out of your comfort zone could be just the push your boss needs to give you that promotion instead of your cube mate.

What to do instead: Rather than focusing on the typical tasks for someone in your position, ask yourself what accomplishments you’ll need to have under your belt before you can score that big promotion. “In order to justify salary increases and promotions, you have to think outside your job description and take on additional responsibilities,” says Schawbel. “After you master your current role, ask your manager for additional projects that are more challenging.” At the end of the day, a boss is more likely to take notice of and promote a person who goes above and beyond the call of duty--not the person who’s happy to stick to the status quo.

But keep in mind that any additional work you take on should help you develop your skills and lead to other high-level project opportunities; it shouldn’t all be busywork. And don’t bite off more than you can chew. Schawbel suggests taking stock of your current obligations first, and setting a limit for any extra work you take on based on how much time you estimate you’ll need to excel at all of your tasks.

This article originally appeared on LearnVest and is reprinted with permission.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE ALTERNATIVES: WHAT BOSSES REALLY THINK ABOUT SUMMER FRIDAYS

BY RACHEL GILLETT

To many, the concept Summer Fridays--a half day or day off every week during vacation season--seems more myth than reality.

Instead of leaving work early on a Friday, we often spend more time chained to our desks, struggling to come up with new ways to keep our productivity up, turning the so-called summer slow-down into a time just as busy as any other.

But what if the solution to lower summer productivity levels is more time off? How could this possibly make sense?

Well, we asked a number of bosses for their thoughts on implementing a Summer Friday policy, and what they had to say may surprise you.

WHEN IT WORKS

Denise Blasevick, CEO of PR and advertising company The S3 Agency, says that while her company's Summer Friday policy is still pretty new, she can already see that it refreshes her staff. Her employees work a little harder to get their work done by 3 p.m. Friday, she says, and the extra time they have to enjoy their non-work lives and avoid rush hour makes all the difference. "Getting out a few hours early to kick off the weekend has made everyone smile, including me," she says.

Employee happiness has a huge role to play when it comes to company morale and employee retention, something Credit Karma's VP of Talent Ragini Parmar understands.

As a company, we put huge emphasis on wellness, so we encourage everyone to be healthy and balanced all year long . . . These aren't perks as much as a way of working and living. Summer Fridays are just one example of the fact that we aren't clock-watchers; do your work and do it well. I think when you build a culture of trust, respect, and balance from the start and work hard to maintain it, you build a high-performing team with great morale and excellent employee retention.

Polly Blitz, multimedia brand Beauty Blitz founder, believes employee happiness also leads to greater productivity, and because of this she takes making her employees happy to the next level. "I believe that happy employees who respect the ethos of your company are generally more productive and are proud to put effort into their work day."

Polly Blitz, multimedia brand Beauty Blitz founder, believes employee happiness also leads to greater productivity, and because of this she takes making her employees happy to the next level. "I believe that happy employees who respect the ethos of your company are generally more productive and are proud to put effort into their work day."

Blitz has not only implemented Summer Fridays half days, but she also encourages her employees to work from home during the first half of the day. "The work from home part is an added perk, because why not let everyone sit on their couch in pajamas or workout clothes, instead of commuting from Brooklyn and New Jersey for a couple of hours." She says using Google chat as the virtual office suffices, as long as the work gets done.

CEO and cofounder of ed tech startup Flocabulary Alex Rappaport is a firm believer in Summer Fridays: "Maybe it's because we're an education company and we're nostalgic for summer break" he jokes.

More likely, though, his reasoning is based on employees' need to recharge. Of letting his employees leave at 2 p.m., he says, "It . . . makes Friday mornings feel unique--that final productive sprint before the extra-long weekend."

Rappaport believes pacing out time off by giving a few hours back each week leads to less burnout and more usable hours when everyone is present. "It may seem generous to give the whole office four paid hours off every week, but it leads to happier people and more focus during the hours we're here."

WHEN IT DOESN'T

Matthew Reischer, CEO of Legal Marketing Pages Corp., says he has decided against reimplementing his company's Summer Friday policy this year after what happened when he implemented a policy last summer. He says that letting his staff, a group of former attorneys, off at 1 p.m. seemed like a good idea at the time, since most of the staff weren't as productive on Fridays anyway.

However, by the end of last summer it became immediately clear that productivity was grinding to a halt on Friday. Half the staff would show up just to show their face but weren't interested in working, while the other half simply called in sick.

Public Relations Account Manager Anthony Stipa of Slice Communications doesn't feel the idea is all bad, but he agrees that it turns Friday into a sort of non-day. "While it's improved morale and incentivized getting assignments done, it has sapped a bit of motivation from Thursdays, knowing Friday is essentially a half day."

Jessica Cohen, Executive Vice President of Aria Marketing, says her company tested a few Summer Fridays policies, but most just didn't work. To improve morale, Cohen says the firm changed its policy from 3 p.m. dismissal to a noon dismissal every Friday during July and August. Soon after implementing this policy, though, Cohen says the company received the first of several client complaints. "People were calling the office and no one was answering, and that was the end of our summer Friday half days," she says.

ALTERNATIVES

Offer a Few Fridays Off a Month

Senior Account Executive Jessica Becker of PR firm Ebben Zall Group says her company's employees enjoy four to five paid Fridays off between June and August in addition to vacation time.

This offers our employees more flexibility with weekend plans and vacations versus just the afternoon off. Oftentimes, despite an early Friday closing policy, employees stay well past that time to catch up on work.

Let Employees Out a Few Hours Early Every Friday

Andrew Royce Bauer, CEO of Royce Leather, believes Summer Friday policies that allow employees to take a half day set a poor precedence for workers. Instead, he suggests you make every Friday Summer Friday and allow employees to leave two hours early on Fridays, regardless of whether it's truly Summer or not. "We want [our employees] to spend time with their families to keep them happy," he says. "I can speak from experience that it makes my employees more productive throughout the week--especially on Thursdays." Bauer also attributes his low employee turnover rate to his Friday policy.

Unlimited Time Off

At online financial advisor Betterment employees can choose to leave anytime they want, just as long as the work gets done, according to Betterment's PR Associate Arielle Sobel. The company's vacation policy states:

Vacation and personal days off are unlimited. Everyone takes standard market holidays. Work and play hard, travel or relax when you like, and return refreshed.

Party It Up

At All Points Public Relations, Account Lead Rosie Gillam says the firm rewards its high achievers with a party to replace a Summer Friday policy:

Each month, we host a company goal-setting meeting. Team members share their goal for the coming month. On a weekly basis, the leadership team assesses whether one of the goals has been met. If so, we host a party in our break-room on Friday afternoon. The employee who met their goal gets to choose the food and beverage that will be provided.

Party offerings range from veggies, dips, and white wine to pie and beer--winner's choice.

Gillam believes the parties engage employees without losing too much valuable work time. She says Summer Fridays policies "promote an office culture that is obsessed with getting out of the office." Instead, Friday parties bring people together and allow employees to enjoy each other's company and let loose, Gillam says.

Send Your High Flyers on a Trip

Since Konnect Public Relations CEO Sabina Gault couldn't see her whole team taking time off as a feasible option, she instead implemented a policy that would award high achievers with weekend trips. According to Shelby Fox, a manager at the firm, if employees book a great publication for all of their clients, they will be awarded with a trip to a drivable location that weekend. Hotel stay, food, and one perk is given, and a trip to Las Vegas has already been awarded.

Divvy Up Time Off

At K'NEX Brand, employees are allowed to leave at noon eight Fridays of the summer. They are trusted to work it out with their bosses so their department is covered during business hours. "It turns out a win-win because everyone gets a chance to benefit and managers can plan around what works for their department," says HR Manager Lisa Christman.

And at Aria Marketing, employees are split into two teams who alternate taking every other Friday off in July and August. This way, there would always be someone to handle the workload and be responsive to clients. "Employees love the additional vacation days . . . and clients are happy because they can always reach someone on their team and can ensure that nothing is slipping through the cracks," Cohen says.

Allow Employees to Work Remotely

Heather Anne Carson, cofounder and president of Onboardly, began incorporating a "Work From Anywhere Friday" policy last summer, which she says was a success. The policy allows team members to work from wherever they choose--be it the beach, a coffee shop, or their own beds--every Friday during the summer. "We're in the business of being creative," she says, "and while some may think it's hard to stay focused in the summer months, we believe that our team's creativity and productivity only improves when we allow them to work from wherever they're happiest, at least one day a week."