 Women
& Attitude - Surviving In The Workplace - Part 1
By Sophia Ajaz of Worthy Words Work It once was said that women
should be obedient and shouldn’t have an attitude. Well, this may have been
true very many years back, when father, husband, brother or son earned and
took care of the family. Now, women are in every field and are doing as much
and more than men. They are not only the homemakers, but businesswomen and
entrepreneurs too. The tag “women don’t have balls” doesn’t exist anymore,
for women have brains to survive in the jungle out there. And it is this
power along with the attitude that keeps them fighting fit and staying ahead
in competition. Attitude matters and more so in today’s women’s lives. If
you have an inherent attitude, you have nothing more to imbibe. But if you
don’t possess it, don’t worry. Life offers much to learn. Following are a
few of the ways to make people notice you and say, “Atta girl!” So, right
ho! Here we go:
Try That “Extra Hard” - Remember when you wrote school or college
finals. There was the feeling of competition; to succeed and to score the
top marks. It’s the same here. One has to try hard; that “extra hard”. If
someone else in the office or in business is good, know that you can surpass
them. First, notice where they excel. Then, apply your natural self to that
and see where you can improve.
If someone tells you that this is not up your alley, prove to him or her
that there is no such alley. You can do everything, almost everything, if
you apply yourself to it. And you sure would if you have a point to prove.
You are not a Super Woman, but you are a go-getter. And this attitude of
trying and achieving can never be beaten by anyone, unless others are one on
top of you. But how can they be when you are miles ahead?
Tackle Those Obstacles - Life is made up of challenges and obstacles.
If you are positive, you will think of these challenges in a positive way
and learn to face them instead of avoiding them. For they will test your
capabilities and you may emerge a better and victorious person.
A supervisor of one of my friends always cut her hours, and particularly
hers out of everyone else. It hurt her financially as she was an hourly
employee and her esteem was low when her colleagues worked more hours and
she was sent home. One day she fixed an appointment with the supervisor and
discussed the matter with him. This frank talk made both realize where there
was a communication gap. The supervisor appreciated her bold approach and
acknowledged her good work. Needless to add, work relations improved for
her. So, if we keep to ourselves and do not take that “step”, nothing is
going to be achieved.
Remove the cobwebs from your mind. Keep everything in perspective and go all
out to deal with a tough situation. Remember tough situations do not last,
but tough people do. And you are the toughest. You can tackle anything. So
what are the obstacles?
It’s All in The Mind - Really, it is. We are what we think and our
thinking can change our life for the better. There is no fixed pattern for
anyone in life, it is how well or positive one thinks and then takes action,
which decides the future course for that person. If you are inundated with
negative thoughts, you are as good as finished. Instead of giving way to
negativity, give way to positivity, which raises productivity. And by
productivity I mean growth, both physical and mental. If you are in a
positive frame of mind, you can inspire those around you, be they your
staff, co-workers, subordinates or your boss. Consider how everyone will
want to work with you because of the good feelings you provide. This
cultivates good relations and you know how extremely important that is. You
are truly a survivor, so never be without a positive mind.
Circumstances, Environment and Situations - Well, these words make
us. They actually describe us. Our heredity is nothing before the testing
field of these words. If we can survive the toughest of circumstances and
situations, we have conquered it all. How we adjust to our circumstances and
deal with situations makes us whole.
The tougher the situations, the better we come out if we know how to survive
them. In the most trying of situations keep your cool and never give up. You
will always stay ahead if you know never to lose your temper. There is no
one as cool as a cucumber as you. With this attitude, you will never look
back for the future is rightly yours. And you surely want that, don’t you?
Flexibility, Malleability and Elasticity - No, I am not asking you to
be a jumping jack. You have a good nature, all right. But what if the
situation demands that you have to take an altogether different course to
deal with it? Would you say that you can’t do it as it is not your nature?
No way. You would change according to the situation to deal with it
appropriately.
If you have a malleable nature, one would approach you more freely. But if
you are rigid in your beliefs, you have closed the prosperity and
communication doors for you forever. And you wouldn’t want that. If a
customer expects better service and you provide that on your own, then the
customer goes away happy, and the company benefits. But if you say that
company rules do not permit this and you lose the customer, then what? Think
about it. It’s better to change yourself and gain a precious customer.
Watch for Part Two in the upcoming May/June issue.
Sophia Ajaz is a journalist, writer & teacher. She is a
competent speaker & holds classes in the same. She owns Worthy Words Work.
Sophia can be reached via email at
worthywordswork@hotmail.com
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