The other day Anonymous, my buddy Andy and I were having breakfast at a fast-food restaurant when a voiceover came over the PA system. It was the CEO of the company and his team giving us the business card of one of their top employees. As an employee, they could talk to our manager about jobs and promotions, so it was nice to see them on a staff page with pictures. And then it happened: The CEO came up too close for me to ignore! I’ll never forget how he said in his English accent “Hi there! My name is Warren, and this lunch is for you!” And then he stuck out his hand and said, “Here’s your badge. You take this card home with you next week.” I was speechless! But not by Warren – The badge actually made me GIRL HATER.
What could possibly make a woman such a jerk?
When you encounter a woman who’s extremely rude, spiteful, and mischievous, you have a few options. You can ignore her or walk away from her and try to get along with her in a professional capacity. Or you can take the next step and go to the here-and-now and blast away the moment like there was never a wrong thing said.
The point of badges is to have some emotionless, cold-hearted man act like you’re important.
You’re probably going to get a lot of attention if you report everything they do to the company. But their goal is to make your job as a manager as easy as possible. They don’t care if people on the outside think they’re superintelligent or amazing – they just want to do their job and make sure their employees do the same. The only person who has the right to fire a manager is the employee – and they shouldn’t have to prove anything by looking at your job title. However, there’s no telling what kind of person you might be. Some employees may genuinely be stuck in a rut because they don’t want to get on the wrong side of anyone or cause any damage.
Most customers will go with the least aggressive option.
There’s no shame in being a jerk, but some people genuinely are. Others will try to downplay what they’ve done or said to make you look like they didn’t mean it. And then there’s the “I just don’t feel like doing this anymore” kind of jerk.
Even casual friends and family can be jerkies.
You’re probably going to be the target of at least one or two crude comments in your life. And then there’s your kid. Some kids are mean, some kids are scary, and some kids are just plain stupid. Some people will genuinely be “sick” or “diseased” or “mentally ill” or “mentally retarded” or “mentally disabled” or whatever term they’d use.
How do you fix a jerk?
If they’re being really mean to you or making comments that make you feel uncomfortable, try talking to them about it. Explain why you feel that way and try to get them to put their feelings into proper context.
A few steps from the badge back home
Once you get a sense for who your real competition is, you can start making a plan to get there. Make sure you’re on the same page about how you want to conduct yourself as a manager. Develop a good working relationship with your HR manager. Ask her what steps she recommends for hiring the best people, and she should be able to provide some helpful context for how you want to run the business. Set and maintain a healthy work-life balance. You don’t have to take a full night’s sleep during the day just to take care of your needs. You also don’t have to be at your desk for six hours straight. Don’t be afraid of a lightning rod. When someone really gets into something, it can be really interesting to watch their reactions and see how they react to different types of people.
Step 1: Talk to your employee and explain why they’re in your office
If you have an employee who is constantly bragging about what they do for a living and who constantly gives you private messages while they’re on the phone, you’ve got a problem. It’s important to let your employees know why they’re on the phone with you and what they need to do so that they can put their stuff in order before they get off the phone. The best way to do this is to take the employee’s phone number and put it on paper with the number and name of the landline phone already included. Then, take the employee’s phone and hand it to the manager when the employee gets off the phone. When the employee gets back to the office, write the employee’s number in the HR system and give it to the HR manager when the employee is back on the phone. This should be the last step in the hiring process.
Step 2: Take the employee’s phone number and write the employee’s name in the HR system and give it to the HR manager when the employee is back on the phone
Back at the office, find someone you trust to take the employee’s phone number and write the employee’s name on paper. This person can be a manager, a manager of HR, or a friend. Call the employee’s work or home phone multiple times during the day to check in on them and try to make arrangements for them to pick up the phone when they get off the line.
Step 3: Give the employee’s phone number to the HR manager when the employee is back on the phone
After the employee has hung up the phone, call the employee’s work or home phone several times during the day to let them know the conversation was successful and they can pick up the phone. If you have an office manager or HR manager who rarely gets a chance to talk to an employee, you can always call and set up an appointment to meet with the employee after the meeting.
Step 4: Make arrangements for the employee to pick up the phone when they get off the phone
After the employee has hung up the phone, call the company office and arrange for the employee to pick up the phone at the office. This can be any time after 5pm. If you have a home office manager or business manager, you can always set up an appointment to meet with them after the meeting.
Step 5: If you have to take a night off, use your best judgment
After you’ve taken care of the details of the day, make sure you have your assistant take the night off so you can have time for yourself. If you have any extra energy or wanted to get out of bed, take a quick break and take a long hot shower to rid yourself of all the stress from the day. You can also try out some slow, deep breaths to help get some tension out of your body and help you relax.
Step 6: Eat lunch
Eating lunch is the best way to get your mind off the day and help you relax. A light snack with a protein and a few healthy fats can help you feel good and energised for the day ahead. If you’re not a big fan of Key Lime pie, try other flavours such as refrigerator lemon, chile verde, or coconut. And don’t miss out on any of the amazing flavours that are aimed at making you feel great!
Step 7: In the morning
If you’re feeling a little tired or want to get some fresh air, try heading to the mountains for a quick walk or run
