ARTICLES BY SYLVIA LAFAIR

Last week as I went through airport security, waiting for my husband who was getting the grand pat down for the zillionth time since his hip replacement operation eighteen months ago, I was musing about how we normalize the abnormal Going through security, checking for vials or sharp objects, or whatever, is now a common way of life

Have you ever been treated unfairly at work Were you ever asked to do more than your fair share

Ever listen to people at a crowded restaurant during week day lunchtime Often you hear conversations that are variations on the theme of “My boss is a ----“

Anyone ever tell you “You are so irrational” or maybe “You’re so predictable” How about ever hearing “Women are so irrational” and “Men are so logical”

Vampires are takers They cause workplace conflict as they smile and wipe the blood from their mouths

You know the saying about “when the going gets tough…

Before I tell you what the latest survey on workplace peeves is, take a minute and think about what bothers you the most with your colleagues at work I’ll start with mine

In “Don’t Bring It to Work” there are lots of examples of how a system works One of the most interesting comes from nature

There has always been workplace conflict – well before the recent economic crises, the intensity of information technology, and the coarsening of society had a chance to influence our work environments Depictions of workplace tensions are common in literature – for example, in Shakespeare’s Richard III, Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, and Melville’s Moby-Dick

Did you ever wonder when you “throw something away” where “away” is Follow, in your mind, a cardboard box or a soda can from wastebasket to recycle bin to landfill

Change is hard It’s hard in the best of times and hard in the worst of times

This is for those of you lucky enough to get a job real soon Advise for others of you who are wondering and worrying if and when a job will come your way go to my blog “On the Leading Edge of Change”

Dealing with difficult people at work is at the top of every complaint list from every office in every country on the planet Guess that means it is an international problem

Love it or hate it, it won’t ever go away No, not the angst of those extra 10 pounds; what I’m talking about is conflict

A recent study by Duke University professors indicated that men with square jaws and a strong physical presence won the “beauty” contest or should I say, the casting call for what “real” leaders are meant to look like I wonder if this research will start executive males sprinting into plastic surgeons offices for a chin redo

I have been reading the responses to the Wall Street Journal article about workplace behavior It is so interesting to look at the pendulum swings from “it’s all about making money” to the plaintive cry from every leader “Why can’t we all just get along

Did you ever learn to play chess Not the most popular game for this century when we move at the speed of light

Jack was a boss who loved to let his leadership team tussle with issues and come to him when they had solved the problem Often this worked

While most of us will give lip service to feedback there is a deep tendency to shrink away from being told anything that smacks of negativity Out loud we usually say “Thanks for telling me, I’ll look into your comments” while internally the thought is: “Who do you think you are, that’s just the way I am

I was at a client’s company last week and heard a brief hallway conversation as I was waiting for my lunch appointment The gist of what was said sounded like two people in a war torn country

We all wish everyone could leave their problems at the office door and just get the work done Most of us also wish we could help when an employee’s personal situations get out of hand

In a recent article in Fortune Magazine (January 18, 2010) there is a sad, disturbing story about a billionaire who has a pattern of battling with his “exes” in court; ex-employees, ex-associates, and especially ex-wives (there are four of them to date) A pattern is a behavior that repeats and repeats in many different situations

When you’re down and out, or at least down for the count, what do you do Think about it for a moment - everyone’s been there