18 Anti-Estrogenic Foods That Will Help You Overcome Estrogen Imbalance

Here’s a detailed list of 18 different foods that are known for their ability to decrease estrogen levels through multiple different pathways.

One could say that these foods base the foundation of an anti-estrogenic diet, but why should we eat an anti-estrogenic diet when we can eat anti-estrogenic foods along with androgenic testosterone boosting foods?

That would base the foundation for the ultimate anti-estrogenic androgenic testosterone boosting diet.

Without further rambling, here’s a 18 anti-estrogenic foods list like I promised:

1. Pomegranates

Pomegranate is one pretty awesome fruit and I believe that all guys should bulk up with it.

There seems to come new studies about the health benefits of this magical fruit every week now.

First I found out about this study, where the researchers found out that after 2 weeks of drinking pure pomegranate juice, their participants salivary testosterone levels increased by a nice 24% on average.

The very same study also found out that both, systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped by a very nice 20% on average.

Then this study found out that 3 solid years of drinking 1,7 oz pomegranate juice daily, reduced arterial plaque by a staggering 35% on human subjects.

Most recently researchers have also found out that certain compounds in pomegranates are anti-estrogenic.

There’s also this study where the researchers saw that pomegranates inhibited aromatase enzyme (which is the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen).

So the next time someone asks you what’s a healthy fruit that lowers estrogen, just say pomegranates.

2. Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are one of the staples in the anti-estrogen diet.

They all contain this compound called DIM (3’3 diindonylmethane) which helps your body to remove estrogen trough liver.

DIM isn’t even the only thing why cruciferous veggies are anti-estrogenic. Many of them also contain huge amounts of clorophyll (leaf green) which is also known for its estrogen reducing effects through improved liver health. Not to mention that most of the vegetables in the cruciferous family are also loaded with plant sterols (which furthermore lower estrogen).

What are cruciferous vegetables?

Answer: Broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, artichokes, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, turnip, radish, watercress, and many more…

3. Maca

Maca is used a herb, but basically it’s food, like a super nutritious root vegetable, or a potato in steroids.

It’s mainly used for testosterone boosting purposes, even though there’s some inconclusive evidence in those regards.

But one thing about Maca is for sure, and it’s the fact that it has some estrogen lowering purposes.

That’s because Maca is also classified as a cruciferous vegetable, which actually contains more estrogen lowering DIM compound than any other cruciferous veggie I’m aware of.

4. Olive Oil

Olive oil is one of the oils that all men should introduce into their diets.

For reasons such as the fact that olive oil has been shown to convert cholesterol more easily into testosterone inside the testicular leydig cells…

…Also olive oil is ridiculously high in this compound called lutreopin, which in this study was seen to inhibit aromatase enzyme in the body (aromatase converts testosterone into estrogen).

So if you’re not yet a fan of olive oil, then read this post, and get yourself some organic extra virgin olive oil as soon as possible.

5. Mushrooms

Countless of mushroom varieties have been studied for their anti-estrogenic effects.

For example, this study found out that white button mushrooms have aromatase inhibiting properties.

Then this study found out that Shiitake mushrooms destroyed cancerous estrogen receptor cells while simultaneously inhibited aromatase.

Also various of other mushrooms have been studied for their estrogen lowering properties.

Conclusion? Eat more mushrooms.

6. Red Wine and Grapes

Red grapes and the wine that’s made out of them contain some very powerful anti-estrogenic properties.

For example: they’re loaded with reservatrol and various other polyphenols which are known for their estrogen lowering effects. Reservatrol may also increase testosterone and inhibits aromatase.

There’s also this compound called proanthocyanidin which is anti-estrogenic and cardioprotective…

…And the skins are loaded with this flavonoid called quercetin, which is anti-estrogenic and increases nitric oxide synthase.

So if you drink alcohol, then few glasses of red wine may actually be beneficial for your hormonal health. And if you don’t drink alcohol, then you should eat plenty of red grapes, or at least supplement with reservatrol extract.

7. Chia Seeds

Countless health bloggers and nutritional “guru’s” are claiming that flax seeds are awesome for guys.

And sure flax seeds are jam packed with omega-3’s which are anti-estrogenic…

…But nobody really talks about the fact that flax is one highly estrogenic plant containing huge amounts of natural phytoestrogens.

But where am I going to get my omega 3’s if I stop consuming flax seeds and flax seed oil?

Answer: Chia seeds.

Chia seeds are almost identical with flax seeds if we take a look at their nutritional profile, they’re both high in omega-3’s and they both have a lot of vitamins and nutrients packed in them.

The only difference between these two seeds is the fact that chia seeds are androgenic (androgens are male hormones), and flax seeds are estrogenic (estrogens are female hormones).

So it would be wise to leave those flax seeds for your girlfriend and get yourself some real chia seeds instead.

NOTE: Chia seeds can absorb 12 times their mass of water in them, so if you soak them in water for about ten minutes. The seeds turn into a nice healthy pudding, one that actually tastes good.

8. Oats

I’m not really a fan of grain products, as they’re linked to inflammation and increased prolactin, both of which are linked to lowered testosterone levels…

…But there’s one grain that I still like to consume, despite the fact that it’s a grain.

Oats.

Oats are filled with steroidal saponins (which boost testosterone and inhibit aromatase) and they’re also filled with plant sterols (which do the same as saponins).

NOTE: If you want to be healthy, then limit your grain consumption, but cut some slack to oats as they’re quite beneficial even though it’s also a grain.

9. Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are also kind of a solid staple in the world of anti-estrogen diets.

And that’s completely understandable as citrus fruits are rich in flavonoids and antioxidants.

In fact, all the following compounds in citrus fruits are known to have some anti-estrogenic effects:

Calcium-D-Glucarate, quercetin, limonoids, naringenin, along with most likely multiple other compounds too…

I like to make sure that my diet includes plenty of grapefruits, limes, and lemons, as they all taste pretty damn amazing and are extremely beneficial.

10. Onions

Onions can be used in multiple dishes. Throw them in with your meats, add them to sauces, pizzas, whatever you can imagine.

Why would I do that?

a) Onions taste pretty darn good.

b) in this rat study, onion juice tripled their testosterone levels.

c) onions are filled with quercetin, which is a flavonoid that decreases estrogen and increases nitric oxide.

11. Turmeric

Turmeric has been praised to be one of the most healthiest foods in this planet.

It can be found in curcumin, and it’s for certain that you’ll find plenty of this stuff in your curry.

Why is turmeric good for men?

a) turmeric increases testosterone levels by 257% in rats (the dose was pretty huge though)

b) turmeric is anti-estrogenic.

c) turmeric is naturally anabolic.

12. Algae

Certain algae like spirulina and chlorella are most likely very anti-estrogenic foods.

(I see chlorella and spirulina both as a supplements to detoxify the liver, but if you ask a vegan they’ll probably say that this yucky shit is “food”, so what the heck, it’s in the list of anti-estrogenic foods now).

What makes these algae anti-estrogenic?

1. Spirulina and chlorella (the best kinds of algae) are both known for their effects on detoxifying the liver, and when your liver is clean then it flushes out estrogen with a much better rate.

2. Spirulina and chlorella are both extremely high in chlorophyll (leaf green), which has anti-estrogenic properties.

The benefits are probably very similar in other algae too, but I’m only familiar with spirulina and chlorella, as I’m not a vegan and I don’t really care that much about the green stuff to be honest.

13. Green Leafy Vegetables

In the sub-heading above I linked a study that showed how chlorophyl (leaf green) is anti-estrogenic.

And although spirulina and chlorella are the richest known sources of leaf greens according to my knowledge…

…There’s still quite a lot of leaf green in leafy green plants too (who would of have guessed?)

Most leafy green vegetables are also filled with natural nitrates (which increase nitric oxide, making your blood vessels larger and supple).

So that’s why my diet includes plenty of the following leafy green vegetables:

Spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and that’s pretty much it. But I do eat a ton of spinach that’s for sure.

14. Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are really good for your balls and testosterone production (I’m serious).

It’s kind of a hard thing to explain why, because the whole world of probiotics and bacterial cultures is pretty complicated.

But let me tell you one thing that might help you understand why fermented foods filled with life bacteria are hugely important in the diet of a modern human:

We have 10 trillion human cells in our body, yet we harbor 90 trillion bacterial cells. So we’re really only 10% human 90% bacteria.

The big question is, why don’t we eat foods with live bacteria anymore? The primal male did, and he was healthy as fuck. Now we as modern men pasteurize everything and avoid all bacteria, and we’re sicker than ever. Maybe that’s because we should really eat bacteria?

But let’s not jump out of the subject:

Fermented foods with live bacteria are anti-estrogenic because they’re filled with organic acids, anti-oxidants, enzymes and probiotics that enhance gut function and eliminatory channels which helps your body to detoxify estrogen.

So drink that sauerkraut juice and get yourself some raw unpasteurized yogurt!

15. Coconut oil

Coconut oil is good for testosterone production while it also has some anti-estrogenic properties.

The best thing for sure is the fact that coconut oil enhances the conversion from cholesterol to testosterone inside your leydig cells.

Coconut oil also stimulates the activity of 3beta-HSD and 17beta-HSD enzymes which stimulate testosterone production (see the study above).

The thing that makes coconut oil anti-estrogenic, is the fact that the oil (and whole coconuts too) is filled with sterols, which are anti-estrogenic and natural aromatase inhibitors (study linked above).

16. Garlic

Garlic is a superfood that’s filled with some serious health benefits…

For one, when combined with vitamin C it drops blood pressure levels better than any known drug in the market.

And garlic has also been linked to increased testosterone production.

The thing that makes garlic anti-estrogenic is the fact that it’s loaded with quercetin (which is again the flavonoid that inhibits aromatase enzyme activity in the body while also increasing your erectile strength).

So, eat garlic.

17. Chives

Chives belong to the same family of Alium’s as onions and garlic do.

And it’s probably not that big of a surprise that chives have the same anti-estrogenic benefits as onions and garlic both do…

…You see, chives are also loaded with natural quercetin…

…And like I have said few times already in this article, quercetin was the flavonoid that inhibits aromatase enzyme in the body, and the aromatase enzyme was the enzyme that converts your testosterone into estrogen.

Therefore: chives = anti-estrogenic.

18. Dark Berries

Dark berries such as the blueberry, elderberry, black currant, and chokeberry have about 50% more antioxidants and flavonoids in them than other berries.

Antioxidants and flavonoids like the anti-estrogenic quercetin and reservatrol…

..There’s also something else in that dark skin of certain berries:

They’re ridiculously high in this fiber called Calcium-D-Glucarate, which has an unique ability to bind into estrogen molecules located inside your intestines.

Calcium-D-Glucarate basically makes sure that those estrogen molecules really do get out instead of being reabsorbed into the body.

Conclusion on anti-estrogenic foods

Got enough? There’s a 18 anti-estrogenic foods list above for you with science backing up each one of them.

Be sure to add these into your anti-estrogenic diet, and if you’re a true bad-ass, you can combine the estrogen lowering foods with testosterone boosting foods, which creates something awesome.

Thank you for reading.

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7 Ways To Reduce Man Boobs & Decrease Estrogen Levels

Have your toned pecs changed into soft man boobs? Perhaps you’re noticing extra fat around the midsection?

These common symptoms in middle ages often hint that you have excess estrogen levels. But do not panic, with some & dietary changes you can return to your masculine body of yesteryear.

 7 Ways To Reduce Man Boobs & Decrease Estrogen Levels

Below I outline 7 key tips to help you lower estrogen levels and reduce your man boobs!

Note - If you're frustrated by how you look and feel, be sure to head to page to discover the secret to looking and feeling amazing. You won't guess what it is!

 1. Improve Your Gut Health

A big factor in decreasing one’s estrogen levels is improving your gut health.

Michael Smith from PlanetNaturopath.com put's it simply:

While a healthy gut can help to eliminate excess estrogens from the body, an unhealthy digestive tract which is fuelled by refined carbohydrates, processed foods, gluten and alcohol can lead to leaky gut and an up regulation of an enzyme called B-glucouronidase, this breaks apart the bound estrogen that is getting excreted out of the body through the intestines making it easier to reabsorb into the body."

Source - http://www.planetnaturopath.com/hormones/how-to-reduce-high-estrogen-levels

 There are various ways to help support gut health.

• Remove all gluten. This is a common gut irritant and for someone looking at improving gut health, it should be the top priority to reduce gluten load to zero. Even if you are not coeliac you may have intolerances to gluten. Chris Kresser covers this in great detail HERE.
• Increase probiotic and prebiotic consumption. Ideally done by eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha. However a probiotic supplement can be beneficial if you are not eating these foods. be sure to check out why I don't recommend probiotic drinks like Yakult in my article '11 Reasons To Avoid Yakult & Other Probiotic Drinks'
• Use bone broth daily. Whether it's in cooking, or drunk as a soup, bone broth has numerous benefits to gut health. Plus it's really simple and cheap to make. I have a full article on it here - Everything You Ought to Know About Bone Broth.
• Use digestive enzymes. Take 2 capsules of BioGest with every meal. Do this for a few weeks to support your gut digestion. 
• Increase vegetables intake (such as broccoli, cabbage and green pepper) to help assist the bowel in eliminating estrogen.
• Avoid gut irritants. Along with gluten, avoid other foods that irritate the gut such as grains, legumes, soy and commercial dairy. 
• Follow The Gut Reset Diet. This is a 6 week diet plan prescribed for those who follow TheProgram.

2. Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity

Improving insulin sensitivity plays a huge part in achieving a healthy, lean body. What is insulin sensitivity? Lets take a look at what happens when you eat carbs.

Fat metabolism via lipolysis is halted when you consume carbohydrates. Carbohydrate metabolism will take priority over fat metabolism. Yes this means that lipolysis (fat burning) stops as soon as you eat a piece of bread.

Once insulin has done its job and moved the glucose to where it needs to go, lipolysis (fat burning) resumes. If all this works in a timely manner then you are ‘insulin sensitive’. The body recognizes the incoming carbs, insulin is released to carry out its role, glucose is cleared and the boy goes back to burning clean fat for fuel. Great.

However, not everyone’s insulin works this well. Some people secrete too much insulin, some people have cells that are resistant to the effects of insulin and diabetics don't release enough insulin.

How can we improve ones insulin sensitivity? Mark Sisson covers this topic in great detail in his article '25 ways to improve insulin sensitivity'. Here are the three best ways:

• Reduce Carb Intake. Low carb diets are shown to increase insulin sensitivity. 
• Reduce total insulin spikes throughout a day by restricting carb intake to post workout only.
• Fix insulin sensitivity. Move more, eat quality foods, sleep deeper.

3. Improve Your Leptin Sensitivity

You may have seen the word leptin thrown about in fat loss articles online. Leptin is a hormone in the body that has powerful affects on hunger and feelings of fullness. When you eat, the body releases leptin. Increased levels of leptin reduce your appetite. Great. After your body has digested all the food, leptin levels will drop and another hormone called ghrelin is released to make you feel hungry again.

Years and years of overeating causes high levels of leptin (know as hyperleptinemia), which causes leptin to become less effective at controlling appetite. A horrible situation to be in, you eat, and yet you never seem to satisfy your appetite, leading to more food consumption in a very vicious cycle. I should point out that chronically low calorie intake can also lead to leptin resistance (another reason to avoid low calorie diets).

 Just as we need to improve insulin sensitivity, we also need to improve leptin sensitivity. Dr Jack Kruse has a great protocol for doing this which can be seen here. Otherwise here are a few key points.

• Eat upon waking
• Eating nutrient dense foods. 
• Avoid snacking
• Avoiding excessive calorie 'binges'
• Focusing on regular/consistent meal timing (see below).

For simple practical tips on how to improve leptin sensitivity be sure to read Why You Need To Learn About Leptin If You Are Overweight.

Also, if you're looking for a mapped out diet protocol that will walk you through every step needed to reset leptin sensitivity, then sign up to The Program and receive a 8 week Leptin Reset Diet Protocol.

4. Fix Your Circadian Rhythm

Not only is the quantity and quality of sleep important for fat loss, but when you sleep also has a massive impact on our fact burning hormones.

We touched on leptin and its fat burning and appetite suppressing powers above. Leptin works best when you have a circadian rhythm that is stable and in sync with your environment (people who travel a lot are at a disadvantage here). If your sleep times and circadian rhythm are out of whack, leptin (which is usually released at night – suppressing appetite, and burning more fatty acids) you will be more prone to late-night cravings. Often these cravings will be for carbohydrates as leptin hasn’t kick-started the fatty acid reserves to be released for fuel, and so you start eating sugary snacks – which in turn shoot up insulin.

Adiponectin – another hormone that helps with fat metabolism – is also released around this time. However, the hormone isn’t very effective with high insulin levels in the blood – which will be the case if you have eaten sugary snacks!

So two powerful fat burning hormones are not only hampered if your circadian rhythm is out of sync, but can actually back fire and lead to more fat gain through cravings and carb consumption. If you are truly after fat loss, you should prioritise your sleep and getting to bed at a regular bed time (i.e. 1030pm each night) and block blue light at night.

Lifestyle factors such as getting to bed at a regular time, and exposing yourself to sunlight in the morning are best for improving ones circadian rhythm. But diet also plays a role. Look at implementing the following:

• Avoid long morning fasts – eat 30-90 minutes after waking, with little to no carbs & a lot of protein. The high protein meal is to help with resetting your circadian rhythm. Though fasting can be beneficial for fat loss,  ensure you have a stable circadian rhythm before introducing morning fasts.
• Improve your sleep - Sign up for the widely successful Sound Asleep program that takes you through every step needed to optimise your sleep.

• Eat carbs at night. The science behind this is covered in great detail by John Kiefer in CarbBackloading. Studies  have shown that by simply fasting all day into night time, and then eating and drinking a lot of calories at night, that your body will start treating night as day, and daytime as nighttime. The books ‘The Perfect Health Diet’ & ‘Lights Out’ cover this in far more detail and I highly recommend reading both.
• Carbohydrate’s have a unique effect on the body's circadian rhythm, carbs promote sleep and promote leptin release for 4 – 9 hours post a high carb meal. High Fat meals don’t have this affect. Why does this matter? Well in a healthy/stable circadian rhythm, leptin levels are low in the morning, and rise to a peak in the middle of the night. So to help us not only ‘reset’ our circadian rhythm, but to also help maintain a stable, healthy circadian rhythm, the science shows that eating our carbs in the evening is best. The diet for the best for our circadian rhythm? Fat and protein during the day, with starch’s (carbs) and fats at dinner.
• Where blue blocking glasses and use screen filters on your devices come sundown. Blue light from artificial light sources has been shown to disrupt melatonin and sleep. More on this topic can be found in the article “How Technology & Blue Light Is Ruining Sleep & Making You Sick Fat & Tired (And How To Fix It)"

5. Improve Your Liver function

"Estrogen is metabolized by the liver and cleared out of the body through the bowel, if this process is not working optimally it can lead to either high levels of potentially toxic estrogen or reabsorbing estrogen back into circulation.

Source - http://www.planetnaturopath.com/hormones/how-to-reduce-high-estrogen-levels

To help lower estrogen levels, we need to reduce the toxin load on your liver. This can be done by:

• Reducing alcohol consumption to an absolute minimum
• Eating organic, low toxin vegetables and meats

6. Eat A High Fat, Moderate Protein, Low Carb Diet

The ideal diet to strip fat and reduce excess estrogen levels involves:

• A macro nutrient split of  60-65% fat, 25-30% protein, 5-10% carb . 
• Once or twice a week (depending on training volume) using a higher carb refeed evening. Aka a 'Carb Nite'
• Eating foods in the green zone from the Superhuman Food Pyramid.
• Avoiding gluten, alcohol, soy, grains, legumes and commercial dairy.

Eat fat to lose fat

A sample days diet may look like this:

• Breakfast - High Fat, High protein, low carb - Ultimate Smoothie
• Lunch - Large vegetable & seafood salad, with lots of fats (olive oil, avocado etc), sardines or wild salmon with plenty of greens, some sauerkraut and a small amount of activated nuts & seeds
• Dinner - Casserole or Stew made with bone broth, free range fatty beef with plenty of organic vegetables and a serving of rice.

Or:

• Breakfast - Bacon, eggs and steamed spinach. No Toast.
• Lunch - Green Curry with free range chicken, and plenty of vegetables with a side of cauliflower rice
• Dinner - Roast lamb with roasted vegetables with a bottle of kombucha.

7. Maintain Or Improve Muscle Mass

Training hard and lifting heaving has been shown to boost testosterone levels and improve insulin sensitivity. When it comes to training you want to lift heavy weights doing compound movements 1-3x a week. Along with that the following dietary tricks will help with your training:

• Aim to eat 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight (but don't go crazy with excess protein as it can be converted into glucose through a process known as gluconeogensis)
• Use a pre workout to boost amino acids in the blood. Thorne has a great Amino Acid Blend.
• Use a daily whey powder (either in a post workout shake, or with a morning smoothie)
• Ensure adequate intake of saturated fat.
• Look at boosting your Testosterone levels. The ebook ’29 Proven and Effective Ways To Drastically Increase Your Testosterone Levels’ is a must read.

Bonus -  Supplement Wisely

Supplements can play a big part in reducing estrogen levels to a healthy level.

The following will all help with someone who has high estrogen levels:

• - 50mg of Zinc a Day - This helps blocking testosterone being converted to estrogen. I use Thorne Zinc.
• - Probiotics - for gut health & gut function to reduce gut dysbiosis. I use Floramend.
• - DIM or Indole-3-Carbinol - which helps with estrogen detoxification.
• - Amino Acids - Ideally through the daily use of Bone Broth, but a quality Amino Acid Blend would also be beneficial (Use 1 scoop of Thorne Essential Aminos pre workout to minimise muscle breakdown during training)
• - Vitamin D3 - Vitamin D supplementation has been linked to increased testosterone.
• - B Vitamins and Omega 3 fatty acids - These assist with estrogen detoxification.
• - Mahlers Estrogen Control – A popular herbal blend used to decrease excess estrogen levels, plus it helped me boost my testosterone levels by 26% in 12 weeks.

In Closing

Excess estrogen and the negative side effects can be fixed with proper diet, training, lifestyle and supplement changes. It does require time and effort but it is possible. Be sure to work with a coach or practitioner to ensure the best results possible.

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10 Ways To Be A Better Employee you need

None of these skills will appear in a job description, but they can help make you one of the most indispensable people in the office.

You may have resolved to lose weight or exercise more this year, but what about resolving to become a better employee? Your efforts could make you indispensable (and could even get you promoted).

No matter what industry you work in, here is some practical advice on how to be your best self at work every day of 2017.

1. STRENGTHEN YOUR SOFT SKILLS
Don’t overlook the value of less-tangible skills like emotional intelligence or “EQ” in succeeding at work. The World Economic Forum said it will be one of the top 10 job skills by 2020 because people with high EQ handle pressure well, know how to cooperate with others, are open to feedback, and empathetic. Who doesn’t want to be around more people like that?
To develop more emotional intelligence start by practicing active listening. To get better at this, Harvey Deutschendorf recommends pretending you’ll be tested after your chat and ask them to clarify statements so you can really understand what they are telling you. He also suggests opening yourself up to talk about yourself in a frank, non-defensive manner to better connect with your coworkers.

2. SHOW GRATITUDE
A Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix that surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults who work full time in HR or senior management showed that 51% of managers who used public recognition and 54% of managers who used rewards to solicit ideas were better able to encourage innovation.
Saying “thank you” is good for your health and good for the bottom line, too. Acknowledging fundraisers’ work with donors led to a 50% increase in their productivity, according to Harvard Health.

3. MAKE MORE CONNECTIONS
Collaborative research by TINYpulse and Microsoft Workplace Analytics revealed that employees who had the largest number of connections among their peers in the workplace had the most influence. And the more they collaborated with others the more highly regarded they were in the organization. The high performers spent as much as four hours more per week working closely with others.
To get more proficient at expanding your networks, start by not being afraid to show what you don’t know. Lack of experience can lead to questions that could connect you with people you’d never met if you just pretended to know everything. For women who are dealing with unconscious bias, it helps to highlight other women’s achievements. Endorsing another woman could lead to collaboration and an expanded network.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Dorie Blesoff, chief people officer at kCura, a legal software firm, says, “If your company doesn’t offer a formal learning and development program, don’t let that stop you.” Conferences or classes are a great way to do this. She also suggests asking for a stretch assignment or participating in a cross-functional team to expand your contributions beyond your department.
Blesoff says, “If you actively seek out learning and develop new skills, you will stand out as someone who takes initiative and deserves more responsibility.” Just don’t forget to show off what you’ve accomplished. “What’s most powerful is when you can demonstrate that your learning and growth also promote the success of the organization,” she says.

5. REQUEST REGULAR FEEDBACK
Karen Nowicki, director of engineering at kCura, concurs with her colleague Blesoff’s advice and adds, “Even if your organization doesn’t have a formal performance coaching program, make it clear to your manager that you are interested in frequent feedback if you want to boost your own job satisfaction and move your career forward in 2017.” Nowicki recommends asking to schedule monthly one-on-one check-ins to gauge your performance throughout the year. “That way,” she says, “you’ll always know where you stand, and what you can improve.”

6. GET BETTER AT GOAL SETTING
Vip Sandhir, CEO and founder of HighGround, an employee engagement software provider, says that standout employees set goals outside of their comfort zone often and tie them closely to the broader corporate goals for maximum impact.
But it’s not enough to set the goal and put yourself on autopilot until you reach it. Sandhir says it’s necessary to pair this with frequent check-ins with your manager on goal progress and challenges. He also suggests being proactive about getting constructive feedback from other teams and peers. A BetterWorks employee sentiment survey found that 92% reported they’d work harder if their coworkers could see their goals, while a New Norms @Work survey found that 26% of workers believe that discussing success with colleagues motivates them.
“While none of these characteristics will appear on a job description,” says Sandhir, “these three things build confidence in employees, both by themselves and the employers who want to keep them.

7. GET BETTER AT MANAGING YOUR TIME
It’s one thing to set goals, and it’s another to meet them on time. The Project Management Institute reports that only 64% of projects meet their goals.Getting the job done without stretching deadlines can quickly make you a workplace star. One way to make sure you get things done is by avoiding generating too many ideas up front, according to entrepreneur Faisal Hoque, so keep it simple and straightforward. Once you’ve defined your project’s basic scope, says Hoque, outline a few of the initial milestones. “With every small first step,” he says, the path forward becomes ever clearer.”

8. SEND BETTER EMAILS
Everyone could stand to learn how to write better emails. Thankfully, Jocelyn Glei wrote the book on making them shorter and more effective in her book Unsubscribe. To be more clear, concise, and actionable, Glei recommends the following strategies:
Get right to the point immediately and do your explaining later
Establish your credibility
Make the next step clear
Doing these things, says Glei, “shows you’ve respected [the recipient’s] time, and they now know that dealing with you won’t be another headache they don’t need.”

9. STEP UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA GAME
Although a slew of job seekers use social media to scope out a potential new employer, there are plenty of ways to use social to boost your career in the job you have. Use it to search for thought leaders. Not only can their wisdom add to yours, but you can use social to position yourself alongside them, further giving your cred a boost. You can and should also use social platforms to share what you are working on. As Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes notes, “Social media, used correctly, can be an executive productivity tool, a global broadcast channel, a source of consumer and competitor intel, and a PR vehicle.”

10. IMPROVE THE WAY YOU DEAL WITH CONFLICT
Whenever there’s more than one person working on a project, there are bound to be differences of opinions. Those can escalate to conflict depending on the personalities of the players involved. If that happens, fear not, says entrepreneur John Rampton. First, he says, “it’s important to find out what’s causing the clash before you roll up your sleeves to try and fix it.” That could be emotional overload or members of the group who aren’t willing to compromise. Once that’s determined, Rampton recommends reminding everyone of their common goal and suggest a compromise.
Above all, says Nate Regier, CEO of Next Element, don’t fear it. “Conflict is the source of energy. The real problem is the casualties caused by misusing that energy—by failing to channel it into something productive.”

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3 Ways To Become A Better Employee

In the past, I was tired of not amounting to anything. I was tired of it all. I was upset with management, and I wished that it was different. 

That was the problem I was wishing that things were better. That wish never came true because I never really solved it with the one thing that I could control. It was myself…. 

If you want to achieve more at the workplace, you must follow these three strategies. Running a business has really opened my eyes this past year. Working with people has allowed me to really educate myself on what it truly means to become a phenomenal employee. 

We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish. ~Tony Robbins 

Care about the success of your co-workers 

I used to only think about myself when it came to work... I was solely thinking about growing in the company without the consideration of others. Do not get me wrong I worked my ass off to get to a better place; however, I was not thinking about others in a way that I should. 

One of the most valuable resources that brought me to a better place, was my commitment to learning about leadership, management, social psychology, and behavior. If you want to understand business, you must understand people. A good employee works hard; A phenomenal employee works smart. 

When I am at work, I give it my all no matter what. If I do not have much to do I look for opportunity in other departments to help and give. One of the things that I have noticed is when you care about the success of your co-workers people tend to rely on you for questions. A phenomenal co-worker becomes a valuable resource in the business. The best way to become a valuable resource is by being the example after all that is what a leader is. A leader is a person who is the primary example of who to be. 

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It's the only thing.” ~Albert Schweitzer 

Contribute to the team 

One of the best ways to contribute to a team is to think about ideas that will help performance, strategy, & moral. Once you think about these ideas, your ability to execute is necessary. It is one thing to know, it is another to take action. 

Taking action is fundamental for growth. Do not just stand in the sidelines, because you will never be able to get in the game if you do that. 

Find ways to contribute to a team by provide value and taking action. Learn from those around you so you can develop yourself as an employee. When you learn from those around you ensure that they are employees that are the best. 

“Success is not a function of the size of your title but the richness of your contribution.”

~Robert S. Sharma 

Teach others what you know 

There is something about learning that has brought me to the place that I am in right now in business. It the ability to teach others on what I know. 

I always teach people and train people on the fundamentals of a specific task. I act as if they do not know. Why do I do this? It is to remind myself of the task as a refresher and it is also to help people. When you teach others about what you know things happen in the industry. People take the initiative when you provide others with valuable resources. You create the resources you want other people to know about. 

When I teach others about a specific task and I train them in a particular way I use… 

“Elaborative Interrogation” 

It is important to explain the why and the value of the task. Everything in a business is a part to a whole. The more someone understands how to do a task the better an employee can take responsibility for their duties. 

If you want to become a better employee you need to understand how to explain the value of a task if you want others to do the task with importance. Explaining the why always allows you to think about the task in a different way. Very quickly you will understand if the task is a high priority or a low priority. A lot of time when you work for a business you need to understand the value of the job and the bottom line. What is going to allow a business to grow and develop is crucial to becoming a better employee. 

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I always teach people and train people on the fundamentals of a specific task. I act as if they do not know. Why do I do this? It is to remind myself of the task as a refresher and it is also to help people. When you teach others about what you know things happen in the industry. People take the initiative when you provide others with valuable resources. You create the resources you want other people to know about. 

When I teach others about a specific task and I train them in a particular way I use

Elaborative Interrogation 

It is important to explain the why and the value of the task. Everything in a business is a part to a whole. The more someone understands how to do a task the better they can take responsibility for their duties.

 If you want to become a better employee you need to understand how to explain the value of a task if you want others to do the task with importance. Explaining the why, always allows you to think about reasoning behind the task. Very quickly you will understand if the task is a high priority or a low priority when you ask the why. A lot of times when you work for a business, you need to understand the value of the job and the bottom line. Understanding what is going to allow a business to grow and develop is crucial to becoming a better employee.

I love providing you with valuable information for you to grow and develop. If you want more valuable information like this, subscribe to my

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