The Reality-Based Rules of the Workplace: Know What Boosts Your Value, Kills Your Chances, and Will Make You Happier / Cy Wakeman

Q & A with Cy Wakeman, author of The Reality-Based Rules of the Workplace

Cy Wakeman

You can have peace, sanity, and happiness at work, and still achieve amazing results that don't have to come at the expense of your personal well-being. It's a concept that is taking over the world.

Most managers lie-not because they are bad people, but because they believe their employees can't handle true, honest feedback. For this reason, you can't expect accurate assessments from your manager. You can (and should) use your manager as a source of input as you evaluate your own value.

When you take responsibility for calculating your own value regularly, it becomes highly unlikely that you will get surprise negative feedback during your annual review. Taking personal responsibility for your value returns the ownership to you. I have found that this is the key to personal happiness. It helps you know what levers to pull to see the change you want in your life, without relying on others.

Emotional expensiveness has a multiplier effect. One person's emotional expensiveness creates drama that affects everyone, making it a greater liability. When you think about the people that exhaust you, does it really matter how good they are at their jobs? Not typically. We would rather work with someone who is easy to work with and doesn't drain us emotionally. Organizations are no different.

Once you know how leaders in organizations actually determine your value, you can take steps to improve that value. Rock star performers who constantly hone their skills and stay drama-free get noticed very quickly. If that doesn't happen, they are incredibly marketable. Really good people who have options are bound to be happier than less-than-stellar employees who allow their skills to fizzle out and become engrossed in stress and drama.

Fans of Reality-Based Leadership will see that I've provided a road map for everyone on how to be one of the favorites. The rules of the game have changed, and I've helped to demystify those changes as they relate to being a valuable member of any organization. In The Reality-Based Rules of the Workplace, I help readers understand that I am on their side. I want the world to be a happier place, and it starts with taking personal accountability.