Mean Girls at Work

Women are the worst.  The only time I let a woman into collaborating on a big book project, she blew it up.  Men are easier to read, easier to work with even when they are difficult.  I’d rather work with a tough man than a tough female any day. 

All that being said, women make up over 50% of the population and over 50% of the workforce.  It’s inevitable that better women will rise and I’m glad of it.  But we might be seeing some new tricks that require smart responses and that’s what  Mean Girls at Work is all about.

Try this little Mean Girls quiz.  What should you do when Mean Girls:

·          Exclude you from important emails

·         Gossip about anyone and everyone

·         Make you look bad by failing to meet deadlines

·         Need too much personal attention;

·         Communicate in an unprofessional manner – or maybe choose not to interact with you at all!

Wow!  Stunning – you mean there are actually serious professionals out there who will do this?  I’m shocked.  The authors offer detailed strategies and tactics for each of these behaviors and further, they divided the population of Mean Girls into these segments, for each of which they offer various prescriptions – Meanest of the Mean,  Very Mean, Passively Mean, Doesn’t Mean to be Mean, Doesn’t Know She’s Mean, She Brings Out Your Mean, and Group Mean. 

Mean Girls at Work offers 70 distinct nightmare scenarios ranging from a colleague excluding you from a meeting to coworkers spreading lies about you.  Each scenario describes a behavior, how the recipient of this conduct might feel, what shee’ll be tempted to do in reaction (but shouldn’t!), and what she needs to do to stay professional and manage the situation.  The authors’ memorable Three Steps (Don’t Go There, Go Here, and Going Forward), will empower women to support each other in succeeding at work – maybe – and help them to troubleshoot any stressful situation involving a female boss!, colleague, employee, or client. 

These battles don’t have to drain all your energy, nor do they have to end badly.  We’re looking for understanding, a practical approach, and workable solutions here.   Not a bad start.

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