In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about the necessity of learning how to collaborate effectively with coworkers. We need to learn how agreeable we need to be in the workplace and understand how to adjust that for circumstances: turning it up to build social capital or down to establish boundaries. When difficult personalities cross the line, Cindy advises us on how to stay professional and reset boundaries. There will always be people we need to work with; this episode establishes how to do that smoothly.
People comprise parts of our team, our department, or client structure. We need to work with them professionally while also maintaining our sanity. The complexity of interpersonal relationships can make this tricky, but Cindy offers some tips on how to establish goodwill with deliberate small moves. This signals partnership without adding too much to our workloads. In the case of truly difficult coworkers, Cindy discusses maintaining professionalism without being a doormat or burning bridges in anger.
What kind of agreeableness suits the moment? We want to avoid the two extremes of being a people pleaser or an antagonist. Firm boundaries can help us stop the self-betrayal of people pleasing and taking on more work than we have time for. Professional pushback is not defiance, but a realistic assessment of what can truly be done in a situation. Cindy’s advice is to avoid indulging in revenge fantasies and de-escalate emotional situations with body adjustments, slow breaths, and achieving calm before choosing a professional action to take. Learning to work with people is often about self-regulation and quiet confidence as we navigate how agreeable to be.
Resources discussed in this episode:
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Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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