My Crazy Office | K Squared Enterprises

My Crazy Office

My Crazy Office is a weekly workplace podcast dedicated to helping listeners navigate their careers. Executive coach Kathi Elster and career therapist Katherine Crowley combine their expertise to solve both serious and silly situations at work. Join Kathi and Katherine as they answer real workplace questions with solid advice and a side of humor. Do you have someone or something at work that’s driving your crazy? Send your questions to info@mycrazyoffice.co. (All submissions kept confidential.)

Opening your business tool box

January 30, 2012

Very often the situations at work that seem the most “broken” can be at least partially repaired by opening your business tool box.

What is that you ask? It’s the conceptual “box” that holds a variety of business tools; tools that can be used in business interactions. The average business tool box contains job descriptions, office procedures, company policies, meeting agendas, and all kinds of documentation. Your business tool box may contain emails, time sheets, departmental goals and employee evaluation forms.

You have a meeting with someone who makes you nervous? Open your tool box and pull out a meeting agenda. Preparing a list of the items you want to cover with this person will help both of you get more out of the meeting.

Is there a person at work whose behavior seems wildly inappropriate? Open up your tool box and pull out the documentation tool. Keep a clear record of your transactions — what the other person says, does and communicates to you. If you want proof of this colleague’s crazy behavior, documentation is the tool that will help you most.

What is your challenge today? Look at your business tools and see which ones can come to your aid.

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Adjusting your routine to feel better

January 27, 2012

I know, I know. You’re too busy and too tired to do anything for yourself. You don’t have time for exercise or relaxation or spending time with good friends. You don’t have the energy to do anything that would actually alleviate your stress.

You’re busy working longer hours, not taking lunch, eating take-out, staring at your smart phone, and crashing into bed after you pass out in front of the computer or the t.v.
Think again.

Just a slight adjustment in your routine could make a world of difference. It could be 15 minutes of exercise a day, or a brief morning meditation, or going to bed a half hour earlier, or walking to work instead of taking the bus. It could be one less cup of coffee, or bringing healthy snacks to work, or attending one spin class a week.

Whatever the change, commit to it, and build it into your routine. Don’t wait to be rescued. Only you can make the time to feel better.

Try inserting a small activity into your routine for 90 days, and see how you feel.

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30 seconds of gratitude

January 26, 2012

If you’re in a situation that is stressful or you work with someone who really bothers you, it’s easy to focus on what’s wrong, and difficult to remember what’s right. Gratitude can be a powerful weapon in the battle against emotional heartburn at work.

Not sappy gratitude for things you don’t really care about; Not imposed gratitude from someone else’s list (as in “you should be happy you have a job.”) What counts is True Gratitude for the people and things that you appreciate.

You know, that parking attendant who always greets you with a smile, or your favorite coffee bar. Maybe you’re grateful for an easy commute, or thankful for a favorite song that you hear playing.

Consciously practicing gratitude can alleviate all kinds of stress. Why? Because an attitude of gratitude puts you in the NOW. It allows you to pause and appreciate what is — instead of bemoaning what isn’t. And what we focus on does tend to build. Today, try just 30 seconds of gratitude. Just 30 seconds of appreciating what is good in your life. You’ll be glad you did.

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Keeping your cool

January 25, 2012

If someone says or does something that upsets you, it can be challenging to keep your cool. These days, many people are working long hours, performing several jobs at once, and sleep deprived. It can be even more challenging to stay calm under such stressful conditions. This is where conscious breathing comes in.

Whenever a person who tends to ruffle your feathers approaches, take a moment to catch your breath. That’s right. Just take a few slow, deep breaths and land in your body. Focus on the air coming into your lungs and going out of your lungs. Feel your chest fill up and empty out.

Then, as that irritant opens his or her mouth, take another deep breath and smile. Whatever they say…DON’T REACT. Instead, take another deep breath and respond with a neutral statement like “Is that so?” “Interesting,” or “Hmmm.” Then, breathe again.

The more you breathe, and the less you jump to defend yourself, the better you’ll be at keeping your cool.

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Self-promoters

January 24, 2012

Is there someone at work who is able to take credit for every little thing that happens? Is this person great at dropping the names of influential people; eager to announce his or her accomplishments in any public setting? Self-promoters can get under your skin and rattle your last nerve. Their overblown self-importance can really hook you.

Here’s something to consider. Is there something you can learn from this completely irritating person? Of course you don’t want to mimic their behavior, but could you adapt their ability to broadcast success?

You don’t have to become a sell-out or a braggart. You can share your accomplishments in a way that is consistent with who you are – send an email to your supervisor, prepare a positive report for a staff meeting, share the credit for a job well done with your entire team.

The point is to stop expecting your work to speak for itself while you quietly resent the people who happily advertise their wonderful selves. Take a lesson from your company’s shameless self-promoters. Find a way to showcase your accomplishments for others to see.

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