Negative workplace experiences have been coming up a lot for many clients. I have been hearing,
– My supervisor/manager ‘barks’ at me to
get work done- some of which I didn’t know I needed to get done.
– I am often blamed for something I didn’t do/ know about.
– I can’t slip up or else I get a warning letter- it could be as simple as
being in the washroom while a customer walks in after I leave.
– My boss is always in a sour mood. No one wants to talk to her because she’ll
eat their heads off.
Quite colorful among others!
The thing is, the workplace has become so infantilized these days that most persons in power roles have become micro managers. This is where emotional intelligence is highly needed. To be successful, we must be able to switch between roles and know when a particular role we play or used to play, is dominating and irrelevant to the context we are in. We must be able to shift our thoughts and feelings, to create the desired effect and achieve the things we need to achieve!
Besides our clients’ experiences, many times I have personally been in a position to witness entrepreneurs, managers, CEO’s etc. not being able to shift from being a parent (which they are at home) to being an adult with entrepreneurial skills and mindset. Basic communication and relational skills are lacking. And, it is so underestimated these days! Yet, it is so important to have, to move business forward and be successful- to evoke the creativity among staff and motivate them to be the best version of themselves (after all, they spend almost 8 hours of their daily life with you!). I mean, as a manager/ supervisor, do you enjoy thinking for your staff and coming up with all of the ideas yourself? Isn’t that frustrating altogether?
Further, how do we convince the people we do business with of the quality of our people? The quality of our people is really a reflection of the quality of our leadership! Ever thought of it that way?
We need to shift with the changes in the world and adopt a growth mindset. We need emotional intelligence and to broaden our vision as more and more people are becoming qualified and exposed to a healthier way of living and being.
Not just in business, parents fail to look at their children with an eye of growth. They fail to recognize the changing demands in communication with children that they continue to play the role of a ‘quarrelsome’ and ‘controlling’ parent throughout their children’s lives- even after their children get married! This way of being causes so much division and broken relations that we are not working towards changing because we are somewhat oblivious to it.
Nevertheless, if you are an employee feeling victimized at work to this extent, please note that there are options available to you to protect yourself from absorbing such negative energy. You can still be the light in your space and learn effective techniques to constantly raise your vibe to withstand taking on the words and actions you are exposed to- because repeated exposure to such behavior will impact you unconsciously and, manifest in your own words and behavior later.
On the other hand, if you are in a power position and you feel as if you have no control over your automatic behavior which is damaging your relations with your staff, then you too have options available to you. It is nothing for you to be blamed for or ashamed of. It’s a common issue where persons have not learnt how to unlearn their programming and create healthy boundaries in the roles they play. It’s a matter of getting clear on the image you want to project in that role and the outcomes you want to achieve. Rather than spiral down this road, create a negative impression/image of yourself and, damage relations with people you have to associate with in business, get help. Get emotionally intelligent and work on developing your professional skills. You won’t be disappointed in this journey!
Employee or employer, we can help you at Revive. You have attracted such a situation in your life for a reason. Learn what you need to learn and grow past it to live as a more abundant version of yourself. Get clear. Get aligned. Get results.