I’d like to tell you a story about a fellow “Wiz-dom” subscriber who wrote me with a story of workplace woe. “Sally” likes her job, but has a hard time staying productive and motivated to do a good job because she hates her boss.
Now hate is a strong word. But sadly, in Sally’s case, a more appropriate word does not apply. And from what Sally told me about her manager (if you can call her that), she seems to have good reason for her extreme feeling about the woman. I’ll spare you the gory details of the dastardly deeds Manager X has done to make our friend Sally hate her so. Instead, I’ll focus on what Sally and others like her can do to effectively manage this difficult situation.
First of all, Sally has a choice to make. She needs to decide whether or not Manager X is enough of a reason for her to change jobs. Seems like a good time to employ the old pros and cons list. If Sally’s pros outweigh her cons and she decides to stay, she’ll have to find a way to deal with the reality of the situation. It can be done. But it does require a bit of tonguebiting – okay a lot of tongue-biting.
So let’s assume that Sally has decided to stay. Sally understands that in order to get along with Manager X she must not give into the urge to set the record straight, tell her where to put it, or let it fly. As hard as it can be, she will keep her opinion to herself. But what Sally isn’t sure about is wanting to do a good job for this Management-moron. I think Sally has only one really good option. She needs to reframe the situation. Re-framing is all about looking at a situation differently than you have in the past. Sure, Sally can go on viewing her situation like she has before, not really wanting to do a good job for Manager X. Or she can re-frame it and view her situation to see that in reality doing a good job is for herself, not Manager X.
Sure Manager X benefits from Sally’s hard work. But so what? Sally benefits too. And Sally is the most important person in the mix, right?
Sally, please hear my cries – you can do this. Think about yourself. Think about how good you will feel when you can sit back and say – ” I AM giving it my all.” Think about the sense of pride you will feel about your ability to rise above your feelings in order to do the right thing. And think about how good it will feel when your hard work and dedication is noticed by Manager X’s manager and you are promoted!!!!!
So Sally, and all of you other Sally’s out there, please, PLEASE, approach your job from this point forward with a new attitude. Re-frame it! Just jump in and do the best damn job ever. Remember, you are doing it for the most important person in your world – YOU!
Now go out there and be a STAR!! If you liked this article, please help me spread the Wiz-word by forwarding it to your friends!! To subscribe, please click on: http://www.workethicwizard.com/contact/default.cfm
Molly Luffy, MBA, owner of Work Ethic Wizard, dedicated to helping managers regain their sanity and employees survive and thrive in todays corporation. Author of Super-Charge Your Promotion Quotient: 225 Success Strategies for the New Professional. http://www.workethicwizard.com/default.cfm
