Self-Assessment Quiz – True or False:
- I am a genuine person at work.
- I give praise where praise is due, and I don’t try to steal other’s thunder.
- I listen more than I talk.
- I am engaging and open with my co-workers.
Last week I talked about how important it is for you to love what you do. Well, that got me to thinkin’ about on-the-job haters because haters could be a for-sure deterrent that keeps you from loving where you work.
I’ve had some amazing jobs that could have been ruined by a hater or two had I let them. And no matter how much I may have answered TRUE to the questions above, there were still people who didn’t like me (Gasp! IKR? Unthinkable!) But, one thing I know for sure:
And it’s only a matter of time, if you’ve avoided them thus far in your career, before you run into one. So it’s better I send you out into the world prepped to handle them with aplomb. (Yes, as always, you can thank me later).
You’re going to have haters at work either because you’re new, you’re old, or you do too good a job. These are silly reasons, but NOT to the hater. Also, these are reasons that are really out of your control, right? I mean the crux of the matter is that haters hating on you is rarely about you, and often about them and their insecurities. You can’t help being the new person. You can’t help having been kept on for the long haul because you’re fabulous. And you certainly won’t stop doing great, praise-worthy work. What you can do is be aware of the flavor of hater-ade your hater is sipping on.
Do your homework. Does the hater give everyone a huff and a side eye, or is the venom laser focused on just you? If it’s everyone, then the hater could be suffering from one of two maladies: they aren’t quite comfortable in their own skin, doing what they do, so like a drowning man they want to pull you under with them by criticizing everything you do. Or, they are just unhappy in their work environment. (Read last week’s post on not loving what you do! If you stay around too long in a job you hate, YOU could become this type of hater. So GET OUT!)
If she’s only throwing shade your way, you have to up your wattage in her direction.
Take some extra time to talk to her, like while getting coffee in the break room together or before that conference call starts. Yes, I said TALK TO THE HATER! Genuinely. Get to know who she is. What her likes are. What she does outside the office. How she spends her free time. How she got started. So that she, in turn, can get to know you, too. She may see that you’re not the haughty know-it-all that she’s pegged you to be, but rather a kind, strong, and smart person. And you might learn that she was passed over for your job THREE times. So it’s not you per se she’s hating on, just the fact that you got the job she’s been hankering for.
Read the full article HERE.
Cheryl Grace is the sassy aunt, best friend, and mentor you’ve always needed in your life. The successful jet-setting, global corporate executive founded the aspirational lifestyle brand Powerful Penny LLC. Her products, workshops and speeches probe, inspire and empower to ensure those who really want to can get to their next level of best. Her blogs on careers, prosperity, relationships, family, looking and living fabulously, and living a five-star life can be found at www.powerfulpenny.com.
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