Unhappy at work? Try this

Have you ever been at a job you hated?

Had a manager you didn't like?

Had coworkers you think are incompetent?

Wanted nothing more than to pull your hair out and curse at everyone around you?

Don't worry.

The majority of candidates we've run searches for feel that way.

Here's my take

Empathize with your manager (and/or coworkers):

Don't empathize with them because they "deserve" it.

They may very well be "in the wrong"

But the only chance you have at influencing people around you to change their behavior is by listening to them first.

Think of who has the highest ability to control what you do.

Is it people who talk at you?

Ignore you?

Never make you feel heard?

Or is it people who understand you?

It's probably the latter.

Before you can influence anyone, you need to make them feel heard.

This applies to negotiating with your employer, interviewing well with new employers, convincing your boyfriend to finally buy you that necklace you've always wanted, etc.

Here’s a link to one of my most favorite reads over the last few years that talks about this: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NiCEEUO2-38pIVGM7nrnpGRykbbtv2xuqLoKW50ZzLw/edit