Teach Them “How To Treat You”

Posted by Nichelle Rae on May 2nd, 2011 in Blog, Career | 1 Comment

It’s a long standing self-help edict to…

Teach people how to treat you, by treating yourself well.

Okay, so we get that. We have. We do. It’s working. What about the workplace? Are you teaching them how to treat you? I don’t mean fussing out people who speak to you in the wrong tone or verbiage. I mean treating you like the up and coming career person that you are. How?

I don’t mean for you to walk around, folder in hand, shoulders back, head high moving through the office like a superior drone. No, I mean to carry yourself like the professional that you claim to be. You do this by cultivating self. Be a part of the process. Work on your project, but set meetings with co-workers on other projects to talk about what they are working on. Find out how they are dealing with deadlines, multiple changes, etc. Pay attention to what may be needed in the office and think of a way to fill a void, if not by you, maybe a different person in the office. Maybe there are duties being performed that have not been updated in a while, which are no longer useful.

We all know the drill: get a good job, work for 30 years, collect your gold watch and pension; but an engaged employee is never outdated. Be the employee you want to see around you. Be the person who you want working on your team.

I know I’m asking a lot since you haven’t gotten a raise since the recession started. You just made it, by your knuckles, during the last round of cuts, but this speaks to the person you are. This is more than your job, more than your company. This is how you are seen in the corporate world. You may not survive the next round of cuts, but by treating your career well you will quickly turn yourself around and into a new career someplace else.

I’ll be talking to you.

Nichelle Rae