Can You Find a Way to Like Everyone at Work?

Common wisdom states that there are those people we like and those people we don't. After all, who can be expected to actually like everyone all the time? When it comes to the work environment, most of us have learned to accept that we will have our friends and our "favorites" and then there will be those people who we just can't get along with. What if you DID find a way to like everyone at work-even the most unlikable, undesirable coworker? Do you think your work world would change if you could feel positively about everyone?

It may seem like an incredibly tall order to expect to like everyone but when you think about it, you might find that your negative feelings toward one or more people in the work environment are actually holding you back and influencing the overall work culture and/or energy of the workplace. One of the realities of work is that we do not often get to "choose" who we work with. This means that if we can find a way to not only tolerate, but to LIKE everyone, we may find the entire work environment moves in a more positive and productive direction.

On a personal level, learning how to get past differences and to find positive, likeable traits in everyone can be a huge benefit. Many of us would like to honestly tell others that we can "get along with anyone" but is that actually true? We have likes and dislikes built into us from an early age and we have probably received social support for liking some and disliking others. It is almost as if we are hard-wired by this society to gravitate towards our favorites and shun or look down upon those who we can't manage to like. What would happen if you find something likeable about everyone at work and were thus able to be pleasant, productive and efficient no matter who you were working with or around?

For those individuals interested in advancement opportunities or in management, the more people you can manage to like the better your ability to supervise and work with a variety of individuals. As a manager or boss, it can be detrimental to have favorites. You need to be able to fairly supervise and work with everyone on your team. Learning how to get past dislikes and discomforts and to actually enjoy working with everyone just makes you a stronger, more valuable team player (and you will feel better about the time you spend at work too!)