How to Survive the Office Jungle

Terror walks the halls of many offices and I, for one, have decided to take the bull by the horns. Now, I will admit that I do have age on my side; therefore, a lot of younger bosses might find me a bit intimidating for that reason alone. However, that doesn't mean that I am always confident on the inside. Here are a few tips that I have found work miracles, and make your work day a much more pleasant experience:

1. Posture. Stand up straight, pull in your abs, keep your shoulders down and back, and hold your head high, neck relaxed. If you have developed poor posture, do yoga or Pilates. You can also practice walking around with a tray on your head and, when you have succeeded in good posture, the tray will stay on your head. At one job I had, coworkers who did not know who I was, stepped aside and smiled at me, as they thought I was the president of the company. I was her executive assistant! Good posture implies a sense of confidence.

2. When your boss decides to raise his or her voice to you, rise to the issue. What I mean by that is, if he or she is standing up and you are sitting down, stand up, slowly and not with aggression. If your boss is sitting down and you are standing, sit down on the nearest chair. Remember we are all on equal playing fields as we are all humans. Some may have more education than you, or have worked their way up the ladder faster than you, but never feel that you are any less of a person than the one yelling at you. Equalize the issue by staying at the same level.

3. Mind-gamers are the most difficult. Think Miranda (Merril Streep's character) in the Devil Wears Prada. Mind-gamers are the ones who will verbally give you a task to set up, and then blame you for setting it up in the first place. As they didn't write the instructions, you have no proof of being asked. For instance, an attorney I knew once asked me to reschedule a teleconference "very early" the following morning. I was new and did not ask if very early to her meant the same as very early to me, and I scheduled the conference call at 10:00 a.m. I advised her of this change and she said nothing. When she arrived at 10:45 a.m. the following morning, her client had already called and I asked her if she would like to reschedule the call. She turned and said, "I have to drop my boys off at 9:00. I can't possibly take conference calls early in the morning." And walked away. Fortunately, I was only filling in for her secretary and I simply rescheduled it, feeling very grateful I wasn't there full time. But some of you are stuck with such impossible bosses. If you can, insist on getting the instructions in writing. Keep notes of everything you do and, very important, keep any notes your boss has passed on to you. Don't succumb to tears, ever. Keep your sense of humor and remember this person is simply a stepping stone, whether to your next paycheck or to a higher position in the firm, it is only temporary. If it is that impossible, leave. And never express emotion in an email at the office.

4. Above all, maintain your sense of humor. Remember when you have to deal with seemingly impossible people, they are very self-absorbed and hardly ever think of you. You are both strangers, and thrown together to maintain a team. It is very difficult not to take things personally from nasty people, but try and distance yourself from their temporary negativity and ill humor.

5. Breathe deeply and remember...you are cream and cream rises to the top.