Communicate plans, progress, and results to your superiors and to your team on a consistent basis. Don't keep colleagues in the dark. Develop clear goals and complete projects on time and on budget, while leveraging the cooperation of your team and keeping everyone informed.

Learn to communicate with colleagues (especially supervisors) in ways that work for them . Factors to consider include the means of communication (e-mail, phone, face-to-face), the frequency of commu-nication (once a day, every hour, only when asked), and the length or detail of communication (single-sentence e-mails, five-minute meetings, full-hour phone conferences).

If you're not clear about the communication preferences of your boss and coworkers, ask . You'll be glad you did, and you'll set the stage for enjoyable relationships in which you'll be most effective.