5 Reasons Why YOU Should Swallow Your Pride At Work

1– Take Your Ego Out Of The Equation

No matter what you do, swallow your pride. Rarely will it get you anywhere. Confidence is one thing, but pride is a nasty element to the human condition. Do everything you can to take your ego out of the equation. We’re talking about work here, the place where you come to do a job, earn a paycheck and go home. Is it really worth all the emotional effort that will come with including your feelings?
Let your work speak for you. Let your silence be a sign of your maturity. Get back to work and let the gossips do the gossiping. In the Army, part of our evaluations include statements about our character. Allow yours to be “character is above reproach” and you won’t have many problems. Keep your mouth shut, be nice and establish a reputation for walking away from gossip and other office drama

2 - Mind Your Business

 One of the most effective methods of getting ahead at work is to simply mind your own business. I want you to think about all the times where you have had some sort of embarrassment in your life. Can you remember a few times? Go a step further and think about ways you could have avoided that. Most of the time, in my experience, an embarrassing situation can be avoided by simply staying out of it! Avoid the rumor mill and don’t contribute to stories that you hear that don’t involve you.

Use caution even if those stories involve someone that you care about. Suppose you hear something about your spouse and you tell them. Did they already know? If not, you’re probably about to ruin their day. Ever heard of the phrase, “don’t shoot the messenger?” Well, get your body armor on, because you’re about to get shot! You’re going to take the full brunt of the impact of what you’re telling the other person. If it doesn’t affect them in a major way, like criminally, then you may want to consider minding your own business. Little rumors always get bigger when they have time to ferment. Just let it die!

3 – You Won’t Win

 Think about the earlier scenario. What if it was you and you WERE late on the report? Do you really want to go out there and be the moral crusader of the office? Do you really want to be known as a confrontational person? Instead, simply close your door and turn off your ears for a little while. Get back to work and make sure that you never have another late report.

Trust me on this, you won’t win through confrontation. You will only win by your performance, not by your arguing. If you have to fight the rumors, then you have already lost. Let the rumors die by working hard and giving no cracks in your performance armor. Make those stories seem unbelievable by your massive work ethic. You’ll make them look like a fool! Remember the classic line by Frank Sinatra, “the best revenge is massive success.”

4 – Likeability Always Works

 Are you the type of person that everyone waves at as you walk by? Would you consider yourself as a respected member of the team? Being liked and being respected are buzzwords that have lingered for a very long time. Which one are you? Both? Neither? It’s important that you know how others perceive you, especially in a leadership situation.

Being respected and not liked is a very poor position to be in. Transformational leadership requires you to be highly respected, but likeable. No, I am not saying that your subordinates should be spending time in your office casually talking about everything under the sun, but I am talking about being approachable and well known for your ability to take care of your people. If you can manage both of those titles, you will do very well in your career.

5 – Avoid The Stew

 Finally, one of the greatest reasons for you to take your ego out of the equation at work is simply your well-being. Have you ever been really mad at someone? Ever been mistreated or potentially abused in some way? It doesn’t feel good, obviously, but what can you do about it? Can you go back in time? No, of course not. Would an apology from them really make that much of a difference in your life? Probably not, and you’re probably not going to get one.

No, you must manage your reaction. We all know what it is like to “stew” after we feel someone has wronged us or an unfavorable situation presents itself. It stinks and we don’t like the yucky feelings that we get. However, those yucky feelings are YOUR fault! You have the power to eliminate those, because you CHOOSE to feel that way. I promise you that you have the power to control how you react to something. You have the power to keep going and keep working hard at your job. You have the power to overcome all the negativity in your life. It all starts with the decision to take your ego out of the equation. You can do it!

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