In the workplace, you are bound to come across people that are hard to work with. People you may not like at all. But part of growing up, excelling in your career, is learning to avoid the drama, and be the bigger person.
Whether you're 22 or 42 - the best skill you can have as a professional is professionalism. The ability to separate yourself from those who succumb to the immaturity and the drama, that's such a skill in the world.
Throughout my years as a boss babe, I've certainly fallen into the trap of letting the drama get to me and participating in the madness. But as I've grown and advanced, I'm developed a bit of an artistry towards handling these less than ideal situations.
Let's talk how to develop and maintain that kind of mentality.
Mind your own business.
First and foremost, work is not a social community. It's important to have good working relationships and even to maintain strong friendships with a select few of your coworkers, but work is a business. Your number one purpose is to do what you were hired to do, develop your skills, and contribute to the success of your company. That's it. When drama is happening around you, when you hear the gossip, the immature behavior, do not engage. Mind your own business.
Learn the art of the brush off.
Chances are, at some point, someone is going to try to pull you into the spectacle. Learn to artfully comment on the situation without taking sides and make it clear you're uninterested in involving yourself. Don't get sucked in. Remind yourself that your number one role is to spend your time doing your job. I you're constantly finding yourself approached by the office drama queen (or king) - be slow to respond, continue emailing, be uninterested. The art of the brush off is being able to get the point across that you're not interested in joining the circus without having to blatantly say "go away you're the worst."
The rule of words.
I have a rule that I live by at work. I don't say anything to anyone that I wouldn't want to be said to someone else. I own every single thing I say about someone and to someone because I've been careful about how I speak to other people and about other people. I've put my foot in my mouth in the past and had to own up to things I should not have ever said. And that's not a good feeling nor a good professional look. Think before you speak, keep personal feelings out of it, and remember that business is not the place to regret what you say.
Keep your goals in mind.
The person who gets promoted, who excels in the work place - is the person who does not engage in the theatrics of petty behavior. In 2017, company culture is a priority and if you're catty, gossiping, and constantly speaking about others in a negative way - you're not promoting a positive culture. No matter how good you are at your job, if you create a disruption in the company culture, you will be fired. Your value is not greater than the good of the company. Constantly put your professional goals at the forefront. Your competition is yourself. Develop your plan with your manager and focus on that plan. Leave everyone else out of it.
Find your zen.
It's not always easy to bush off the drama. Sometimes it's difficult to deal with and harder to ignore. It's stressful, it's unpleasant, and unfortunately - it happens. When it does - find your zen. Take a walk, listen to music, text a friend. Do whatever you have to do to disengage from the situation and refocus back to your goals. We all slip up, we all succumb to the pressure sometimes - but being able to step back and get out of it before any real damage occurs is what separates the amaturs and the professionals.
Professionalism is so important to a successful career. As a manager, if you're not displaying a high level of professionalism and working to better your skills in this area, I'm not going to invest myself in you. You are not the future of the organization and quit frankly, you're not going anywhere in life until you grasp this. Professionalism takes a lot of self reflection and commitment to growth. You will never stop developing this talent. 22 or 42, it's your greatest asset and you should consistently be looking to take it to the next level. Don't ever let yourself forget that work is a business, it's not a social setting and it's not high school. Save the shenanigans for your personal life because the professional world doesn't care.