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I am so glad that we are one day away from the work week and a long Easter weekend. I don’t know about you but I have been extremely busy this first quarter of 2018. I started a new job in January as the program manager for this huge project at my company, and also moved recently to a new apartment. There has been several big life changes that have happened lately and I have just been going with the flow and trying my best with each and every day that passes. Lately I have been instilling a more structured morning and evening routine that has tried to get me in a mind set to kick off and end my day with gratitude, wisdom, and most of all lessons learned. As I stated in this post I always try to make my day a success, and realize that failure does happen and it is sometimes hard to pull your self back together. We are not always in a chipper mood, and not everyone is going to like you all of the time I have realized. This is a lesson that my mentors have taught me from the very beginning, and I am starting to fully understand what this means. Everyday we are put in tough situations, but it is how we handle them which makes the world of a difference. I have shared some of my tips that have been helping me, and I hope you are able to use them too.

Tips for Handling Tough Situations

• Listen Closely: This is one tip that we could all use a little more guidance on throughout our work day and life in general. As human beings we sometimes think we hear certain things or we hear what we want to hear. This misinterpretation can be a vicious cycle where it becomes a game of he said/she said. If you stop to listen closely before speaking, your response might be completely different as you will be dissecting on how exactly to respond to the situation as well.
• Don’t Interrupt: I don’t know how many times I have been in meetings or talking about something and someone immediately starts talking in the middle, and keeps on going without even saying excuse me. This to me is one of my biggest pet peeves. If you need to say something that can’t wait until the person is finished, then at least say excuse me. This small little etiquette lesson can save lots of heartache and honestly annoyance from other co workers as well in future meetings or conversations.
• Remain Calm: Many of my co workers have told me that I tend to be pretty good at this. I can’t tell you how many times in presentations the audio would not work, the laptop died in the middle of my presentation, or any other unplanned event. It is so easy to show it on your face and freak out a little, but I urge you not to. If this happens just continue to operate as if nothing happened. Only address the issue for a brief moment and pick yourself back up and continue to go. If you remain calm and it does not show on your face, then others will have so much more respect for you as well.
• Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up: This can be one of the most awkward things to do in the work place. Sometimes you just want to agree and nod your head or not say anything to ruffle any feathers. I don’t think this is a good approach at all, because you will never get the respect that you need and deserve if you conform to  everyone else’s opinion. If you do not agree with something or want to change something, then address the situation and have a conversation with that individual and what the issue is. If you never address it then it will never get resolved. We sometimes live in fear of voicing our concerns because we are too afraid of how the individual will think about us, or how the situation will turn out.
• You Can’t Please Everyone: If I could think of one tip that is probably the hardest for me to grasp it is this one. I am such a people person and honestly talk and smile and have conversations with everyone that I see at work. I would never want anyone to not like me, but I have to be ok with the fact that is life and we can’t please everyone. Not everyone is going to like the way you run projects, how you conduct meetings, or even the group you work in. That is ok and you have to be confident with this tip and still work just as hard every single day. You need to still have the best attitude and the same respect to everyone, but know that some people you will just never win over and that is alright.
• Try Not to Show Your Emotions: I have worked with people that are extremely passionate about certain topics and it is easy to know what will set them over the edge. I appreciate their enthusiasm and passion, but sometimes we have to realize that our emotions in certain situations can get in the way. We have to control them and especially in a professional place like work. I would be lying if I said I have not been extremely passionate about something in a meeting before. There has also been 2 times that I have cried during a one-on-one meeting as well that was very passionate. We are with our co workers at least 40 hours a week and coming up with extremely important decisions and the stress and anxiety can sometimes just get the best of us. Putting your emotions aside when needed and acting in a professional manner is always going to be the best thing you can do. I am not saying don’t be passionate, but also realize when you are thinking with your emotions instead of your intellect.
• Make Sure You Have the Facts Right: If there is a problem that someone has come and told you or some very important information that you have received, make sure you have the facts right before repeating it. I have been bad about this before and it all goes back to listening closely and asking questions if needed. Too often people escalate things that they think are issues, and they actually have the facts completely wrong. This can take a lot of effort and coordination and make you look bad at the end of the day. In a work place there can be gossiping or the telephone game where statements get all misconstrued. It is best to confront and even better to get the facts in writing if this an important decision.
• Do Not Feel Inferior: I work in an environment where it is primarily middle to upper age men. They have all been at the company and as working professionals a lot longer than I have even been alive. There is tribal knowledge and wisdom that they share throughout the organization. I am a millennial woman working in a technology department. Do not ever feel that based on your age or lack of “years” of working that you are inferior to anyone else that you work with. It does not matter how long you have been working or what your gender, race or ethnicity is, you should feel confident and ready to handle any type of challenge. It can be easy to feel inferior to those who have been working for a long time and have more experience, but what actually qualifies as experience anyway? Is it how many different situations you have been in and that qualifies as knowledge? Or is it more about how you respond and your new innovative approach to a situation? There is so much that everyone can learn from each other here in the work place and that is the most exciting thing. As long as you are doing a great job with respect and integrity that is all that matters anyway!

I hope that these tips help anyone that might be in a similar situation. These are all things that I handle on a weekly, if not daily basis. We all encounter difficult situations every single day in the work place. There are several different ways to respond, but it is how you respond that ultimately outlines your success and how you will be viewed by others. Do not think that your boss or the greatest leaders have not gone through these exact same situations. We have all been there and will continue to be there throughout our career and everyday lives. It is all about your attitude and when you do the right things and stick to the ethics and are accountable for your actions then everything else will work it self out.