Lessons from the Workplace

When we go to work, we usually want to have an idea of how we want to "play the field" in the workplace. Times can be difficult, or perhaps, times can be filled with suspicions. Regardless, there are times when you need some wisdom and need to apply it to your situation to succeed in the workplace. When you apply these lessons to your life, you will see how much more content you will be with yourself and your life. And because of that feeling of content, you'll be more content with others! You create your own experience as you go along so why not make more successful experience by applying some of the wisdom below!

I.
Never Work with Friends

Working with friends can be the worst decision you can ever make. I have been there I know. I write this essay at a time towards the eventual end of my employment were my friend and I have worked for over a year and half.
There have been secrets that my friend has not told me until now meanwhile he has known since the beginning of my employment at this workplace. This will happen to you if you act differently or go out of uniform with work ethic. Managers might use this knowledge for friendship to try and divide and conquer in order to make things more manageable and easier to control people. Divide and conquer even friendships and turn it into a mess. This is one reason why you should not have friends work with you!
There has been envy where I work. I have seen and continue to see me left in second place while a certain group of co-workers including my friend as the first. I have had a great friendship with my friend it was mutual we called it. Now that mutuality seems to no longer exist. The secrets and the friendships with others have modified what the mutuality between us had used to be. Working with friends always cause envy especially if one is rewarded and the other is not rewarded or even punished.
There have been misunderstandings. Of course when you play the "phone game" you hear a different message than what it was and you take it personally. This is what is bound to happen at work. A friend of yours may ask someone to tell you if you "Can You Come Up and Help Me?" and your friend's message may come out differently and say "I WANT you to come and Help me." Well the former sounded much nicer than the latter and may tick you off more. These misunderstandings may cause arguments and erode at your friendships.

II. Passing Judgment to Quick Is Wrong

Passing judgment on people to quickly can be devastating and can cause more problems for you. One such example is when you hear a lot of good and praise over a person. After they had left though what you discover is that this person was no saint in fact the only reason why he was so good was that he took the credit of others.
Never misinterpret information and never go just by wind of gossip and praise. For sometimes the most praised person is the least worthy of praise. Find out the truth about someone especially if they have a lot of praise and respect. Work with them and talk with them to break the ice and hang around them often but do not start becoming "chummy" with them until you are sure they check out.
If at anytime you see some real selfish intentions developing within such people think before you act because, you do not know how they might act and what they might manipulate others to do. Do not react the way they want you to. For example, I see everyone else becoming really "chummy" with a particular person at work and that person used "common ground" and "teamwork" as a way to lie and make himself look good. I tried to interact with him in so many ways that I thought we had common ground but it turns out he disliked me and used that "common ground" to give a false boost in morale so I put out more.

III. Be On Your Side with Support of Others

Yes, it's possible to be on your own side with the support of others. Everyone does it they work hard and build a positive reputation for themselves and get more out of what they want and too advanced further down the line.
With the concern of being on your own side you really need to just look out for yourself because, in the workplace after all is said and done they only person who cares more about you is you. Therefore, you need to be more responsible and productive when at work in order to maintain your own side. If you stick on your own side people have better respect for you because, your self-sufficient and rely only on yourself.
How one has the support of others if they are on their own side may sound tricky but it is not at all tricky. Share the credit and do not step on anybodies toes. Sharing the credit in the work make you as an employee look good in front of your co-workers. This is highly respectable to your own image you project out to the workplace.
The term "Do not step on anybodies toes" is a simple term meaning not get people mad at you when something good or bad happens! You do that by helping others and sharing the credit instead of hogging the credit. Learn to give because, your success depends on the success of others. An example of this would be when a group of people work together and one person takes the credit when the manager commends a great job. Than the next big project comes along and no one helps him because, he will only take the credit for others work. It would be in that moment that; that person realized how important his success depended on the success of others.

IV. Admit Mistakes by Action

Its one thing to admit your mistakes and never do them again, it's another thing to admit your mistakes and continue to make them. In the end if you follow the latter you will look like a contradictor and hypocrite and as we know these hypocrites are only out for there own selfish gain or ulterior motive.
Admit your mistakes verbally and through your work ethic. If you were supposed to clean up one night a week but did not clean up at that particular night than admit to that and clean up for two nights instead of one night the following week. That way you people and your manager will realize that your apology was sincere and to show the sincerity you helped out more than what you usually would.
Actions speak louder than words as the old saying goes. You can say "sorry" that is the easy part it's making sure you know why you are sorry and prove you wouldn't do it again. This shows you are smart and you know what is going on. Sincerity in action after a mistake in the workplace is a really good reason to apply to your way of doing things to cover yourself from any mess you make.

V. Everything is Perspective

This is probably the most important word of wisdom of could share with you. As the old saying goes "A murder can make heaven out of hell and a saint can make hell out of heaven." It's a matter of perspective. There is good in a bad situation and bad in a good situation.
Some people are afraid of change. I say embrace change because, nothing last forever in the workplace or in your own personal day to day lifestyle. Learn to adapt to change see were your weakness is when change comes and strengthen it. At one point your greatest weakness can be used to your greatest strength. Perhaps you are unable to work machinery but manage people and when your company undergoes changes your position is lifted more so to management than hard work.
Learn to see the good in the bad by looking at something that is lost and look at the negative side to when that lost thing when it was there. Than you can see that it can be easier on you to handle bad news. However, just as it is important to see the good in the bad, you must discern what bad can come out of the good. If you gained something new your position maybe taken or at risk for that new thing or person even.
Another thing is to put whatever happens into proportion. If you're under a lot of stress everywhere you go put your problems into proportion. So people stress themselves over even the littlest details when already under a lot of stress! Learn to relax yourself and apply yourself just enough so you do not get into trouble when your facing a great deal of stress. This especially holds true for a job and not a career. A job is something you do for money while a career is something you do for your life!

VI. Create Common Ground

By creating common ground and having a good time working you will alleviate the boredom that is in work. People tend to get to wrapped up in something that they tend to forget life at the door. You need to smile unless you believe your job is like that of a sweatshop than perhaps it is.
Create conversation and show some humor just be smart were you apply that humor. Keep yourself cool, calm and collected when there are jokes being made. No one wants to hear some inappropriate joke and you're left with awkward sound of crickets when you try to crack a joke.
Another thing does not talk about work to much. You're their and to have your complaints floating around and about makes you look bad. Talk about anything other than work after all you're their and so is everyone else no wants to be reminded of were they are. If you are a skilled conversation maker than people will always want to come back to you and they will tell you more about work than they should.
Through there big mouths and whispers of others of what goes around in the workplace you are in the position to make a wiser choice and decisions in the workplace and because of that fact that people tell and open there mouths constantly about work you will have power own the job instead of the job owning you.

VII. Be Balanced

When I say be balanced I mean take all that which is written above and balance it out where you work. Do not be hateful but do not be mushy like. Do not try to trump something or someone up because, you will give them more attention. Do not be a submissive slave or second but instead be strong and smart and be the master of your own life wherever you are. An example about balancing out is that I said earlier do not take gossip seriously but than seem to contradict myself and say be willing to listen to what people say. Balance it out believe things less extravagant and be more skeptical towards more extravagant things. Balance out everything above in your life and when at work and you will see how happy you are.