Are You Seeing Green?

ARE YOU SEEING GREEN?

If you have ever been jealous of someone at work or if you have been the object of jealousy, here are some tips for dealing with the green-eyed monster.

Advice for People Who Are Jealous

• Work on your own self esteem. People are jealous because they feel some inadequacy within themselves. Learn to be comfortable with who you are and determine to be the best you you can be.
• Look at what other people are doing right and see if it is something that you want to emulate. If, for example, you have a co-worker who is excelling because that person is willing to take risks (i.e., manage a high-profile project), maybe that is something you should consider doing. If, on the other hand, someone is getting ahead because (s)he is doing something unethical, that is not a behavior you should model, nor is that someone you should be jealous of.
• Water your own brown grass. It has been said, "If the grass looks greener on the other side, water your own brown grass." Instead of being jealous of someone else, take stock of your own career and see what you can change. If you feel that your career is stuck, consider career coaching as a way of helping you identify your career goals and devise a game plan for how to reach them.

Advice for Those Who Are the Objects of Jealousy

• Acknowledge that you can't be friends with everyone. Some people will dislike you no matter what you do. Some people you need to avoid because they are toxic for you.
• Recognize your strengths and be comfortable with who you are. You can be happy even when others are jealous of you if you like who you are and you are making a contribution to the organization using your unique abilities.
• Surround yourself with positive people. You can choose to associate with people in the workplace who believe in you and who like you for who you are. You can also choose to be around people in your personal life who are in your corner who may counterbalance any toxicity that you have to deal with at work that comes from negative co-workers.
  

Cheryl Palmer is an Executive Career Coach at Call to Career, a professional career coaching and resume writing firm based on Silver Spring, MD. You can email her at cheryl.palmer@calltocareer.com.