Building A Career - How To Deal With People + Do's and Don'ts

How to deal with your colleagues is one of the most important topics. The learnings are applicable to not only your work environment, but also your private life. I will divide different the different "type" of people you have to deal with at work, because I want to emphasize the importance of each group

1. Peers

When I talk about peers, I mean colleagues that are on the same career level as you. Being popular is an enormous help, chances are that at some point one of your supervisors will ask your co-workers what they think about you. You are also most likely to share gossip with your peers, since managers usually don't engage in those type of conversations (if they are any good). However, you should be extremely careful about what you say to whom, it is best to assume that everything you tell that person will be passed on to someone else, so the best idea is to listen rather than talk.

2. Subordinates

At some point you will get promoted, or the company will employ an intern, that will be your "underling". Not only is it important to treat those colleagues with the same respect as anybody else, the way you treat them will greatly impact your chances in the company. Offer your help early on, especially when a manager or supervisor is around. Think about how lost you might have been when you startet out, and try to make them feel at home early on. Certainly, some of your once subordinate colleagues will move up the ladder quicker than you, they will remember how you helped them and return the favor.

You should be nice to dogs as well

3. Supervisors/Managers

Obviously, your direct supervisors are the most important factor when you are trying to move up the career ladder. When first meeting them, ask them right away about their experiences, if they have any tips and how you can the best asset to them and the company. Do the same with managers of other divisions/branches/stores/countries. Ask a lot of questions and be the most reliable asset to them that you can be. Answer every e-Mail, do any task and always ask them what you could have done better. Managers love people that work on self-improvement constantly. Your reliability will be one of the most important assets in future conversations.

4. Suppliers and subcontractors

They might not seem that important at first, but you'd be surprised how far you can get if all those people associated with your company are on your side. You don't have to engage particularly intensively with them, but small things matter. Great them with the same respect and kindness, offer them a coffee or some sweets, and engage in short banter if it is allowed and does not keep you from your work. Save their numbers too in case you might need them, imagine for instance a shipment being late, yet you know the logistician personally and can call them after hours to help you. Your managers will be blown away.

You can tell by the picture what this is going to be about: Do's and Don'ts in your new company:

DO:

• Build a network right away, talk to all the important, but also the less important people, you never know what contact might come in handy
• Be polite and nice (should be obvious right?)
• Try to learn something from everybody you meet, people love sharing their experience, don't hesitate to ask questions
• Help people out if your schedule allows it
• Learn to use all the systems and resources your company offers quickly
• Once you learned something, help out new employees as early as possible, even if you just started yourself
• Lead by example, it means a lot in companies

DONT:

- Don't say "I can't", say "How do I do this?/Can you show me?"

• Just like in school, there are "cliques" in companies. Don't pick a side, befriend all the people but don't just engage with one crowd
• Don't gossip and don't talk bad about anybody, what goes around comes around
• Don't be unreliable, never ignore anybody and do your work properly
• Stay away from drugs and don't go crazy on the booze, especially when coworkers and supervisors are present, whether it be in private or at a company party (especially at a company party)
• Don't hit on your colleagues. You can fall in love at work (I did), but you should be very careful
• Don't be too emotional, sometimes things don't work out the way they should, it never helps to be emotional
• Don't be impatient with people, not everyone learns fast and some people might need your help

Check out my other How-Tos and let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading!

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