Been Screwed-Over? Here Are 7 Survival Tips

It happens to all of us: Someone you trained at work gets the promotion you were promised; because you’re the youngest person at a work meeting, you never get called-on for your opinion; you’re a pretty woman who’s not taken seriously; there’s a co-worker in your work group who is a bully that no one wants to confront…

Recently I too got the short-end of the stick, and not for the first time in my career, mind you.

Count On 'What's In It For Me'

I’ve come to learn what so many already know, and that is this: The work world—and alas, one’s whole life—is not guaranteed to be played fairly. There is no promise nor guarantee that if you play by the rules and are a decent person, you’ll get what you deserve—joy, happiness and evenhanded treatment.

What I’ve learned over the years—and often forget (to my own peril)—is that the Prime Directive of ‘What’s In It For Me’ rules other people’s actions. People will always act to benefit themselves and/or help themselves, which means they just might have to ‘throw you under a bus’ to save themselves.

Important Lessons Learned

I’ve learned a few things over the years on self-preservation and assertiveness without compromising my moral spine. Protecting your own ‘sense of self’ and integrity is critical to being successful. Because, while the philosophy of ‘What’s In It For Me’ is always used by others, it can also be used by you. Which means, you could be the person (inadvertently) screwing-over someone.

As Friedrich Nietzsche says about the pursuit of justice, “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster…’

So how do you save yourself? By taking control of your destiny, or at least, work challenges. You must always find a way stand-up for yourself, advocate for your needs, and claim what is rightfully yours, all the while maintaining your moral backbone.

Here are a few of my ‘tricks to staying above the fray and out of work trouble…’

1. Keep your eyes and ears open.
2. Listen to work gossip but don’t become part of it.
3. Keep your true feelings and opinions to yourself, since you can’t know who you can trust.
4. Make alliances and become instrumental (or well liked) within a group of colleagues. Remember that there is safety in numbers.
5. Make sure your work and efforts are known throughout your organization or business area.
6. Take credit for your work. Note to women: Take credit for your work…and if you did it by yourself, then claim it.
7. Always know your ‘moral and ethical center core’ so when people ask you to bend, you know how far you can go without snapping your spine.

Guaranteed Path To Peace Of Mind

And keep in mind that being part of something meaningful is rewarding and being associated with people who value your unique qualities is a guaranteed  path to peace of mind.

And remember this, should you find yourself in a work (or life) situation that is unfair or when you have more bad days that good: “Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.” Marcus Aurelius

Ms. Kliger is an independent consultant whose firm, The Altos Group, LLC specializes in health-technology growth, real-world implementation, and ROI measures, metrics and clinical outcomes. She can be reached at Julie@thealtosgroup.com.