10 Tips for Playing Well With Others at Work

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I thought that your interview/work tips series was wonderful. Very informative and gave me a lot to think about. I've printed them out for our children to read as well, this applies to everyday life as much as the workplace. We need to take each of the items you listed in your entire series and apply them to ourselves. We can not be responsible for the actions/reactions of others; only of ourselves. Thanks so much for this, we found it very interesting and helpful.

Valerie of GA 8:49AM March 19, 2010

1a) Give people a heads up if you need to speak with them. Simply showing up and expecting them to drop everything they're doing right that second is rude.
2a) Make an honest effort to be a clear as possible when saying something.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that you shouldn't give someone a hard time just for having trouble explaining something. But I've known people who will be intentionally vague because they don't feel like they should have to explain or clarify anything.

RP of GA 5:07PM February 05, 2010

I agree with Joanne of WA -- it's very possible for ingenuity and courtesy to peacefully coexist. There's no reason for it to be an either/or proposition.

Melissa of WI 1:36AM February 01, 2010

You can still be kind and civil and be a boy (or girl) genius. In the big picture, there are very few projects that need immediate action and barking unless you're a cop or something like that. My favorite co-workers are efficient, get-things-done kind of people who are still nice. Paves the way for a nicer world.

Joanne of WA 9:21PM January 30, 2010

I would much rather work with the pain in the you-know-what genius star performer. I've always gotten along with my coworkers, but the ones I most respected were the ones who knew what they were doing and didn't waste time on distracting workplace niceties. Real genius is hard to come by, and if someone really is great at what they do, then we should all stand back and try to learn from them.

Melissa of MN 8:23PM January 27, 2010