We've all been there - worked in a negative work environment, whether it involved a difficult co-worker or a bad boss. What do you do in those circumstances?
Author Paula Renaye has a new book out called The Hard-Line Self Help Handbook. She tackles a lot of tough issues. The following is her take on workplace negativity.
I think three of her most important points are:
Take responsibility for your attitude. Just because others are negative doesn't mean you need to join in. This is especially important for women. Focus on what you can do vs. what you can't.
Own your choice. If it's that bad, find a way out. I know the job market is tough right now, but discreetly explore options to try to find a way out.
Own your actions. If you're a manager and your employees are all negative, look at yourself and your role. Be willing to accept feedback.
OK Paula - take it away.
Office Politics Self Help—10 Ways to soar like an eagle even if you’re working with turkeys
By Paula Renaye
Working environments are interesting little microcosms of life with relationships that function—or don’t—from the top down.
I once worked as a subcontractor for man who owned a small consulting company. He often complained that he just couldn't get ahead because of all the dumb people messing things up for him. His great ideas and big deals would work if everyone would just do things his way.
It was another fabulous BlogHerconference in San Diego. Nearly 3,000 women bloggers convened for one kick-ass weekend. So what's new this year? What were the learnings, trends, themes? Let's find out.
Theme #1 - Writing your story helps you know your story
"Real confidence comes form knowing and accepting yourself - your strengths and limitations - in contrast to depending on affirmation from others." Judith M. Bardwick, sociologist.
Every year at BlogHer I notice certain themes. Vulnerability came up in several sessions, as did how much to share or not share. Brene Brown made so many profound statements including, "Nothing makes you more vulnerable than being a mom." With so much judgement out there, why do we feel the need to share? A panelist summed it up best when she said, "Healing is in the telling of the story, not the reaction to it." It seems seeking acceptance from ourselves is more important than seeking acceptance from others. In another session a woman noted, "I don't know if I write my blog or my blog writes me." I heard story after story of women who discovered themselves through their blogs. I think this is unbelievably cool.
I'm a long time fan of using video to sell products. Women especially want more information before they're ready to buy. While many people won't read a block of text, they will watch a video.
Invodo creates high-quality product video content at scale and develops leading technology to implement and deliver the content to retail sites and other points of consumer influence. For manufacturers like Summit Toy, Invodo’s vast syndication network enables delivery of the custom videos to retail partners that are also selling the products. The videos drive sales and reduce returns by highlighting key features of merchandise and aiding the consumer buying decision process.
“Manufacturers are always seeking tools to help retail partners sell more merchandise, and video optimized for conversion lift makes that possible,” said Craig Wax, Invodo CEO.
When men and women start companies, do they approach the process the same way? Are there key differences? And how do those differences affect the success of the business venture?
