They won’t all like you

A simple truth: in a professional setting – you won’t like everyone and they won’t all like you.

You know this, of course you do. But you can still struggle when a relationship with a colleague or boss or client doesn’t flow the way you would like it to. And of course, difficult relationships can affect your career.

So. Here’s what to do if you’re dealing with a difficult connection at work:

See potential

Clearly, not every professional relationship promises life-long friendship, but every single one absolutely does offer potential – to learn, understand, develop, progress.

Instead of turning away from the connections that don’t feel great, it can be helpful to reflect on how those relationships can actually be of service.

Understand

If a professional relationship is impeding your work and hindering your progress it is important to do all you can to improve it.

You will need to get clear on what is actually going on and be honest with yourself about how you might be contributing [even unwittingly] towards the unhelpful dynamic.

Sometimes it can be difficult to make sense of your own situation while you’re in it – some top-notch, evidence-based coaching can really help.

Be open

In a difficult situation, it can be tempting to turn away, to pretend it doesn’t exist, to hope it goes away. But the thing is: it never does. The predicament invariably just festers.

It is far more helpful [and, let’s be honest, adult] to be open, to acknowledge the circumstances and to invite the other person in. Perhaps by saying: I’ve noticed that we might not be working together as well as we possibly could. I would like to improve that. What are your thoughts?

Tags: life-coaching, Melbourne