Weekly Thought Volume -124- We Can Admit That We Are Not Perfect

Ok…Let’s All Just Say, For The Sake of Argument, that We Can Admit that We’re Not Perfect?

While we strive to be good employees, good coworkers, good bosses, good Daddy’s and Mommy’s and Sisters and Brothers, sometimes we’re not.  Fair to say?

Sometimes the whole mess that makes up the modern world gets to us and sometimes our behavior is ..shall we say…not something to be proud of.  Can we say that?  Hmmmmm?

It doesn’t mean we’re bad people. Not really.  What it does mean is that we’re normal, living breathing human beings.

Perhaps…just perhaps, instead of making believe everyone else is “the problem” and making a point of putting a red laser dot on the boss,  or calling each other names, or acting out like some spoiled kid,  why not just fess up a little and admit that we might be able to do a little better than we are and actually deal with the situations  

that come up, rather than try to pass them off to someone else as their problem to fix for you.  I mean, seriously, wouldn’t that be more productive?

Oh and just so we’re clear, I’m not just talking about some sort of errant behavior that reduces your organizations effectiveness and makes everyone around us miserable.

What I’m talking about here is that behavior that actually HURTS your career.   So that means even if you’re a selfish, narcissistic, anal retentive SOB - like me - you need to pay attention to these …

Can’t be that hard to keep your attention for 10 more minutes is it?   Let’s see:

10 Rules to use in the Workplace

1. Instead of covering your ass, put your ass on the line. Nobody…and I mean NOBODY ever moved their career forward by just covering their ass and nobody ever got ahead without taking risks. You want Gain?  You have to have a little Pain. It’s as simple as that.
   
2. Don’t rip off ideas, riff on them. Instead of outright stealing a coworker’s or employee’s idea, do what ALL bloggers do: we’re always riffing on each other’s posts. While I certainly do write a LOT of material, if I see something in a post that works for me, I take it.  Yes, I’ll rewrite and put my own spin on it and make it mine, but there’s no secret to it….everybody benefits and some of the offshoots are better than the original.  Some of my best (in my opinion) writing began with an idea or a concept I found somewhere else.
   
3. Tell it straight. Believe in what you say and the be prepared to stand behind it. That’s right, put on your big people pants, be honest about what’s really going on, and make sure that everyone knows that you won’t accept anything less from others. Being a yes-man (which becomes obvious to everyone around you REAL fast- or  didn’t you think we noticed?)  or surrounding yourself with them spells disaster for you and your organization.
   
4. Instead of trying to protect your turf, open up the playing field a little. The more you try to protect your domainthe faster you’ll lose it.  Also, a turf war  will quickly deteriorate into what is referred to as  “dysfunctional silo behavior and bunker mentality.”  Look it up.  It’s all bad. Besides, influencing people without authority or control is the true test of leadership.
   
5. Quit bitching about your boss; instead, complement his weaknesses. There are always those that constantly whine about their boss without understanding or realizing the harm it is really doing to themselves. If you REALLY want to do your career some good, take some time to figure out and learn to minimize your boss’s and coworker’s issues.  Believe it or not that’s REALLY what good leaders and effective managers do!
   
6. If there’s a problem, attack the problem.  Don’t attack the person. There are always complainers running around that conflict with others  and it stresses everyone out. If you direct it at a person, it is bad news. But when it’s directed at solving a real customer or product problem, that’s another story.  Despite what you may think, workplace conflict is actually beneficial to productivity, as long as you don’t make it personal.
   
7. Before you start blaming someone else, take a little responsibility. All pointing fingers at someone does isjust create more tension or exacerbates situations that are already tense.   How about identifying and taking responsibility for the issues instead?  You’ll bring everything into focus faster, get them fixed faster and you might be recognized for the effort!
   
   Make a decision and stand by it, instead of making waves.  A dysfunctional manager loves to go around and disrupt things and create turmoil.  Sometimes, they don’t have any choice, admittedly but instead of making waves, dive in, analyze the problem, and propose a solution.
   
8. Chill out.. One or two chronic debaters can effectively stall any kind of decision-making. I’ve watched entire organizations spiral down brought on by this insidious behavior. Instead of beating a dead horse, (remember the former article about Racehorses, Also Rans and Dead Horses?)  chill out, then get back together and actually make a decision. You can always change it later, but not if you never make the call in the first place.
   
9. Replace strategy du jour with strategic planning. The opposing and counter-productive problem of analysis paralysis is finding a single point and overreacting. This is often without key people or direction around  to check with. An effective strategic planning process will take care of that.

Okay, just try to tell me and all your fellow readers that you’ve never ever engaged in a single one of the dysfunctional behaviors that these rules are designed to minimize.

Go ahead, poll the group.  But you know we won’t believe you.  Do you expect us too?

Such as they are, that’s my 10 most glaring points, but I could probably come up with more.  I bet you could too.

Welcome to the modern dysfunctional workplace. 

Thanks for reading. 

Take a deep breath……  We now return you to your regularly scheduled chaos.