How you deal with the stressful or negative situations that come along with any work environment will go a long way towards determining how successful you are in your career. It isn’t just that it looks horrible when you fly off the handle or run around in a stress induced frenzy (though neither of those scream out, “Put this person in a position to take on even more responsibility since they are handling what they currently have so well”). It’s that staying calm brings out our best efforts. Now some may say that the pressure of a deadline makes them more productive and certainly it can focus you, but it can also result in you cutting corners and putting forth substandard work.
I’ve put together the top five things that work for me to stay calm and productive in the work environment.
Don’t feed into the negativity.
- There is an old adage and there are many variations of it but it goes like this… “You are the company you keep”.
- If you surround yourself with positive people you will find it picking you up.
- If you surround yourself with negative people who always criticize, condemn and complain you will find yourself doing the same. (And trust me that’s not good for your career)
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- I know sometimes when things don’t go your way at work it may seem like the worst thing possible.
- Is this really the worst thing to happen to you or are there bigger things to worry about in your life, the country, the world.
- When these things happen take a step back, think before you act, and try to put things in perspective. Is this really worth your time an energy? This brings me to the 3rd way to stay calm.
Focus on what you can control.
- Like I stated above, when you perceive something that happens to you as negative in the work place, don’t react. Take a step back and ask yourself, “Is this within my control or outside of it?”
- Focus on what’s important! The only things you can control are your attitude, effort, behavior, and actions.
- How you react to the negative situation will mean everything to your career.
Look at every negative situation in the work place as an opportunity!
- It’s easy to get angry, upset or frustrated when something doesn’t go your way. All of those emotions are negative and will drag you down.
- Try to say, “Instead of getting angry I’m going to look at this as an opportunity to prove to everyone that I’m adaptable, I am a team player, and I’m a go getter!”
- Think of how much better this will be received rather than the alternative.
If you must vent, vent to the right people.
- When you complain to a peer what does that accomplish? All it does is breed negativity and drag everyone around you down.
- Instead try going to your boss, or your boss’s boss and have a conversation about how this is effecting you. These are the people that can make things happen around you and if you present it in a professional and constructive way, most of the time good leaders will listen to your thoughts and opinions.
Bottom line is… I can 100% guarantee you that no matter how talented you are, how great you do your everyday job, or even how much potential you have, you will go nowhere in any company with a bad attitude. So try out these 5 things to help reduce stress in the work place and show that you can handle any situation.
Please share your thoughts and questions below and I will do my best to respond to all of them.
Dale
A Workplace Playbook 
Excellent article and simple, but not necessarily easy things to do to manage stress and handle difficult situations. Think is important to understand ourselves first as that will help us make the right choices handling the many different situations or circumstances life will throw our way. It is that Emotional Intelligence thing that can help us to better implement the great suggestions provided on the article.
Great read and thanks for sharing!
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Dale, thank you for sharing, it is a timely reminder for all. The most important thing I have learned in my career/life is the only thing you can control is your personal reaction, behavior & attitude. I chose a long time ago to let know one steal my joy. I wake up each day to be thankful and to help others. I have faced many stressful times and personal loss in my family over the years and it is what makes me the person I am today. Each experience is like a building block, it is best to learn and grow though each one. It has made me stronger and to embrace each day. I recently told my team that it is important to surround yourself with a circle that lifts you up and to always lift others. Thank you for caring enough to share this important message!
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Handling a personal bad attitude requires a serious amount of self awareness. Being able to accept constructive criticism is no easy task. We all might not want to admit that we all will face this at one point in life. How we choose to mange ourselves reflects our leadership. “tough situations build strong leaders”
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