You and your co-worker have equal amounts of work. But despite starting at the company a year earlier than her, she’s the one who gets the promotion that you thought you were in line for. You’re good at your job and have seniority, so what gives? Well my friend, she outranks you in “soft skills.”

You might be wondering why your boss hired a Manager instead of promoting you from Coordinator. Or you might be wondering why the Director isn’t buying into your “I’ve been here 3 years so I’ve earned a raise” rationale. But there's a difference between being busy and being productive.

No matter what industry or level you are in your career, you might have already encountered instances that have required difficult conversations. No one loves the idea of having a difficult conversation or confronting someone—you worry about what you’re going to say, how you’ll be perceived and what the outcome will be.

In the age of Instagram and social media not-so humble bragging, we’re all obsessed with productivity, monthly planners, daily planners, social media planners, content planners, bullet journals, to-do lists and how to get more stuff done.