Have you ever had a co-worker who is so nice that he or she gets on your absolute last nerve? Maybe it doesn’t bother you all the time, but if you’re having a particularly rotten day that co-workers’ upbeat attitude can really be annoying. Or, are you the super nice one?
People describe charming as being gracious, attentive and taking a genuine interest in the people around you. But, at what point does charm turn into shameless self-promotion? Grace into sucking up?
Don’t offer assistance without being asked. Far from making you seem ingratiating you set yourself up to be used. Eventually this becomes the norm and all it will accomplish is growing your resentment.
It’s good to smile when interacting at the office, but having a fake plastic smile plastered on your face will make you seem aloof and vacuous. If you’re trying to get ahead ‘not present’ is the last thing you want to appear.
Having good posture is a great thing; it helps you look confident, taller, and is excellent for your back. But, walking around like you have a pole attached to your back can make you seem stiff and unapproachable. Relax. Just a little.
Interest in your fellow workers is not a bad thing, but listening to every detail of how sick their cat was (had to spoon feed it medicine) over the weekend can get old. Do yourself a favor and keep the personal questions to a minimum.
While charm and grace in the office place can be a positive, and putting a brave front in the face of disaster is admirable; it’s not healthy for you or the co-workers around you to hold all of your frustrations in all the time. Pressure will build up and eventually you may blow like a soda that’s been shaken hard. It’s much better to let off a little steam here and there, instead of blowing up at your boss over your forgetting the new TPS policy.
Say it with me; everyone has bad days. Days when they wake up late, spill coffee on their new blouse, and get stuck for hours in a traffic jam only to realize they left the oh-so-important presentation at home and will have to turn around and be even later getting into the office.
It’s okay to be human. Scream a little in the car, and then fix your smile and head inside. Be charming, just not all of the time.
Patrick Hopkins holds a B.A in Journalism and currently writes for eDrugstore.MD, a safe pharmacy for consumers to obtain a Viagra prescription and other safe FDA-approved medications such as Cialis online. Patrick uses his journalism skills to cover big pharma news he shares on the eDrugstore.MD Health Blog.
