by Lynn Taylor
Part I: Begin with Bold Action
This is the year for bold decision-making and dynamic action. Unlike 2009, where career panic and inertia were the emotions of the day, 2010 happens to be the Chinese Year of the Tiger. The tiger, of course, is known for its strength and strategic skills in getting results. Without being a predator, you can aggressively pursue your career goals in this year of taking charge.
You can decide to make this the year of doing what you enjoy, in an environment that you create. In this three-part series I’ll talk about how to put people-smarts to work, literally, which will help you navigate tricky boss and coworker dynamics, and thrive in your job.
Having a great career requires interpersonal skills, savvy, and the fearlessness of “managing up.” I describe it more specifically as “parenting, without the patronizing.” This is because of the strong and empowering parallels between being a great parent and a savvy office diplomat. Both roles require being a proactive problem-solver, seeing beyond what meets the eye, and role-modeling positive behavior with everyone around you.
A career priority for staying on top of your game in 2010 is to sharpen these skills - especially when those around you regress to virtual toddlers (Terrible Office Tyrants, or TOTs, as I call them) – in this pressure cooker recession environment. Most bosses at some point have these episodic TOT moments. That’s when it’s time to ratchet up your "interpersonal intelligence,” see through the behavior, and set yourself apart from the rest.
Anticipate and mitigate:
Part of achieving your optimum success is being a proactive problem solver. If you can anticipate problems by keeping your radar “on alert,” then you can prevent issues or at least mitigate them. For example, the timing of your interactions is more crucial than most realize, as is observing the general patterns and work styles of your manager.
Reinforce positive behaviour:
It may seem Pavlovian, but using positive and negative reinforcement works with humans of any age, and the office is no exception. If you have a difficult manager who does something positive, rewarding good behavior can only help. In a world of increasingly poor manners driven by an increasingly rushed pace, simple courtesy on your part will likely stand out, and be a good reminder to others.
In Part Two: The 2.0 Higher You, I’ll focus on rising above the fray, being assured that you can handle what comes at you, and loving yourself at work.
