DISQUS

Sue Massey · 1 year ago

I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.

sparktalk · 1 year ago

Thanks Sue!

We are glad to have visitors like yourself checking out our posts. Please don't hesitate to let us know if there are any topics you think others might be interested in hearing about.

JT

Bosses Day is near · 9 months ago

I have had both good bosses and bad ones, if there were a good boss on 'The Office' the show would have to poke fun at someone else. In a way this show kind of reminds me of 'WKRP in Cincinnati', Interesting story by the way.

EmmaHamer · 7 months ago

JT: Reading your post reminded me of the 1937 quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." What this means in the workplace, in my opinion, is that you always have a choice as to how you are perceived. You can decide how to respond to negative stereotypes, how to behave when people disrespect you, and how to change the minds of corporate skeptics. This is true for management and employees alike; and doing nothing to correct the wrong impressions is a decision, too.

The often-mentioned "sense of entitlement" is one of the main "beefs" my executive coaching clients bring up when they talk about their staff's attitudes. While this may be in part a generational thing, it is common knowledge that "a sense of entitlement" is the source of a lot of whining in the workplace. "I put in my time, now I should get the promotion" or "How come so-and-so got into that choice project, instead of me? Management screwed up again".

The North American workplace, by and large, is a meritocracy. If you do your job well, exceed expectations, are pleasant to be around, have a positive work ethic, and can be relied upon to help your co-workers, chances are that your efforts will be recognized. You can accelerate that process by conducting a strategic Internal PR campaign, but it starts with your attitude. Nobody "owes" you anything, not even a job. So if you want to keep the job, start thinking about what you're doing to earn it. I wrote a post about this not so long ago, and just recently updated it: http://tinyurl.com/qupxf8

Love your posts, BTW - not a day goes by I don't check them out.

jmthurman · 4 months ago

J.T.,

As always, enjoyed this post!

The "Office Effect" sounds like another name for a widespread case of "victim mentality." Thanks for exposing it.

Best,
Michael
http://www.jmichaelthurman.com