It’s very easy to think that you and your colleagues will be friends-after all you spend so much time together-but that’s not always the case. Don’t let someone else’s bad attitude or poor treatment of you or dismissal of your accomplishments undermine your achievements.

In today’s episode we’re going to talk about how it’s business, not personal when you’re in the workplace.I wish someone had taught a class on “how to separate business from personal”. I would have signed up for that class and been in the front row! When I started in NYC at the #1 newsmarket in the world, I was naive. I thought everyone would be my friend. I assumed if I was nice to someone they would be nice right back, but when I was climbing the ladder not everyone was nice, there was a lot of competition and I realized not everyone wanted to be my friend. It was kind of a rude awakening for this Canadian born and raised girl.

I learned pretty quickly that nice actions aren’t necessarily reciprocated and that the environment was competitive. This is why you need to speak up for yourself, make note of your achievements and don’t be afraid to let others know what you have accomplished and what role you played in the completion of a project–you need to be your own best advocate!

The Truth is, you and your colleagues don’t have to be friends. In fact, when a colleague is treating you badly, ask yourself, “would I even want to be friends with this person outside of work?” If the answer is “no” then keep repeating… It’s business, not personal.

If you have confidence in yourself and you have honed the ability to speak up for yourself you can let comments and treatment at work roll off your back because you know you are amazing! If someone diminishes your role in a project, let the team know how much you contributed. If there is a chance to take on a larger role, step up. Remember, too just because it’s business, not personal, that doesn’t mean you can’t congratulate colleagues for their wins. You can be the person who lifts others up even if they don’t return the favor.

If this all feels totally out of your comfort zone right now, don’t worry. Tune in to the episode where you’ll learn about my 5 step plan for how NOT to take things personally.

5 step plan for how NOT to take things personally.

Point 1: Drawing a line between personal and work and sticking to it.

Point 2: “No” is a complete sentence.

Point 3: Dealing with customers that lash out.

Point 4: It’s okay if your colleagues don’t like you or approve of you.

Point 5: Speak up for yourself and not assume others know your side of the story.

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