Forming A Posse At Work

Do you have a posse? You know, friends that you hang with -- I certainly do. They're faithful friends that share your life and all that you love. Well, the best thing I did at work was to realize that I could benefit from forming a posse at work too.
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Do you have a posse? You know, friends that you hang with -- I certainly do. They're faithful friends that share your life and all that you love. Well, the best thing I did at work was to realize that I could benefit from forming a posse at work too.

The Urban Dictionary defines posse as "your crew, your hommies, a group of friends, people who... have your back". What a perfect term for what you need at work. This is more than the typical networking stuff where you collect business cards at social events. Your posse will team up with you to get issues resolved, brainstorm ideas, and use your connections to help each other. In a work environment where you might not know who to trust, your posse always has your back.

Sounds great, right? But it takes the ability to develop a connection with people who are trustworthy and share your goals. How do you do that? By being someone they respect. I was lucky enough to get connected with really great people. But, it wasn't as much what I did -- it was what I didn't do that mattered.

If you want to work well with others, gain their respect, and eventually form a posse -- here's what to do:

Don't think too much of yourself: Having an ego and constantly remind everyone how great you are does not win friends or build trust. Egos can get in the way of relating to others and accepting responsibilities. People with big egos are endured -- and just barley tolerated.

Don't be rude: Bullying people, criticizing them, telling rather than asking, not saying thank you, what else? Everything that you were taught not to do by your mother should also not be done to people at work. Treat people with respect because they're human beings.

Give people credit for their ideas:
Whether you know it or not, people pay attention to what you're saying about them. Representing someone's work as your own is bad enough. But you must also give them credit for their ideas. They're watching you and will resent you if you don't. And, they will also make sure everyone knows that you stole their idea.

Don't allow yourself to be rolled over: Eventually you'll run into a situation where you have to stand your ground. You can't let everyone else have their own way. Of course, you'll be friendly and fair -- but you also have to be firm. People will respect you for it and come to know what to expect. It gives them a feeling of security.

Don't be emotional:
Remember that when you're on an emotional merry-go-round, your coworkers are on that ride with you. Crying, getting angry, or becoming easily frustrated or defensive won't get you liked. Instead, people will walk on eggshells around you and avoid you.

Don't throw others under the bus: Don't blame others for mistakes unless you can't get around it. Most of the time you don't have to say how a problem occurred -- you just need to make it right -- even if it's someone else's fault. If you blame others you look like you're not taking responsibility. If you're working with someone who is constantly not performing- that's a different matter. Speak to them. Be direct, make suggestions and help them improve.

Do these things and you'll find that people are attracted to you and want to form a connection. It will be easy to for your posse of a few people who think alike, can learn from each other, and have each other's back. For me, my posse has a long history together -- through several different companies and quite a few years. I trust them with my life.

Have you got a posse a work? How did you get together? How have you helped each other? Let's give each other ideas to make our work environment better!

I'd love to hear your stories and what you did, so please visit me at www.FirstClassWoman.com. Join the conversation and see the great links to other inspiring websites; sign up for the newsletter and please share this blog, my website, FB and TWTR links so that we can inspire and provoke the conversation.

Enjoy and Keep Rockin!

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