Workplace Poker: Are You Playing the Game, or Just Getting Played?

When it comes to employment there is no luck, good or bad. There are no accidental circumstances. There are no victims. Everything happens for a reason. And just because you are surprised, or are treated unfairly, does not mean that you can abdicate your own responsibility for the situation. You have made choices. And even when you felt that you we

The problem itself may be somewhat (or completely) out of your control and you may not feel as if this situation is exactly a career booster. It may not be. But your reaction to the situation can definitely provide acceleration, and that is where you have complete control. Instead of focusing on what happened TO you, focus on what you did (or faile

TAKE THE HIT AND GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE Acknowledge Your Failings: You don’t have to shout them from the rooftops, but you have to at least be honest with yourself. When you haven’t lived up to your full potential, “take the hit” and admit your failing. Don’t beat yourself up, just admit your error, learn from it, and make a commitment to do better

There is a degree of deep confidence you see in people who are fully aware of, and comfortable with, their own faults and failings. They are “comfortable in their own skin” so to speak and we often find ourselves drawn to them, at ease around them, because there is no pretense, no bloated ego, and no self-loathing. The closer you can get to this pa

You have to be a dispassionate observer of workplace behavior. Think of yourself as a corporate Jane Goodall, observing the office chimpanzees in their natural habitat.

We want to do and be and experience many different things, and generally our strongest motivations at any given moment focus on what we are lacking or feel unlikely to achieve.

One of the best ways to read people and minimize your own emotional/judgmental reaction is to be a third party observer rather than engage directly. When you are personally having a conversation with someone it can be very difficult to stay fully engaged while at the same time being somewhat distant and objective. Over time, as your observation ski

At work there are no friends or enemies, just imperfect people trying to do their jobs well.

Shouldn’t doing an exceptional job be enough? Unfortunately it’s not. The hard truth is that you must learn to do a great job AND navigate the complex human dynamics.