Overview
Professional success depends on our ability to prepare ourselves mentally, communicate with others, work in groups, and recognize what makes good leadership. Last but not least, it depends on our ability to introduce balance into our competitive lifestyles. Business psychology addresses these problems and provides several strategies to successfully navigate both work and personal life.
Preparing for Success
The first step towards professional success begins with ourselves. Long before we answer an ad or get ready for an interview, we can prepare ourselves for workplace challenges. Physical appearance is only one hallmark of a successful professional. The most decisive factors are mental and emotional readiness.
The most salient way to prepare for success is by raising self-esteem. Self-esteem consists of self-efficacy or the confidence in one’s own performance and self-respect, which refers to feeling good about and liking ourselves. Research contends that we are not born with high self-esteem but instead are influenced by messages from our early childhood. It is thus crucial to learn how to enhance self-esteem.
Negative messages early in life can significantly influence the development of our self-esteem. However, it also takes hard evidence to permanently integrate beliefs about our personal competence. This can be achieved through setting and completing a number of small and reasonable challenges. Thus, positive feedback, praise and encouragement should always be coupled with substantial evidence to back it up. Otherwise, we run the risk of developing an inflated ego. When our deceptive ego beliefs are unmasked, it is substantially more challenging to rebound gracefully from the fall than building genuine self-esteem from the beginning.
Self-esteem is so crucial because it directly affects the way we relate to others. People who feel positive about themselves are more likely to feel positive about others. Thus, in order to become effective communicators when need to practice trusting in and feeling positive about ourselves.
Another way to prepare for success is to remove roadblocks, such as procrastination, which decrease our personal productivity. For example, we delay telling a superior that we are interested in a new, challenging position in the company. However, our superior never even considers us because we fail to speak up, and eventually chooses someone else.
We’re also procrastinating when we go through excessive preparation before getting a project started. Perfectionism, fear of negative evaluation and not wanting to deal with unpleasant and/or overwhelming tasks are all reasons why we procrastinate. However, procrastination itself originates from a deeply ingrained pattern of self-defeating behavior. Some people know they’re procrastinators while many engage in this behavior unawares. The key is to learn and become aware of this problem behavior. It is impossible to make progress if we don’t know what needs to be fixed.
Several strategies can help counteract procrastination, such as creating momentum, rewarding oneself with positive reinforcers, breaking tasks into manageable chunks or getting the most unpleasant tasks out of the way immediately.
Last but not least, we need to be aware of our attitudes. Accomplishing goals becomes much easier when we have a set of clear expectations toward our needs, desires, and possibilities. For example, we may do poorly on certain tasks not because we lack aptitude but because we fear our own success. Many people fear success more than they fear failure and set themselves up for negative outcomes. Once we understand the reasons behind our fears we may be able to change our thinking and embrace a different course of action.
Communicating with others
Our fast-paced world revolves around sharing information. The exchange of information between people is commonly referred to as communication, and the successful mastery of this skill determines largely our professional success.
Businesses have long sought to find ways to keep job performance high while simultaneously providing job satisfaction and security to their employees and one thing to do that is to improve on how both leadership and subordinates handle communication. It is often assumed that people lose jobs due to lack of competence or intelligence, however, interpersonal clashes are some of the number one reasons for firings.
Business psychology provides strategies to deal with the human side of the workplace experience. Thus one of its main concerns is teaching techniques for more effective interpersonal communication. A first step toward improving communication is to understand what influences behavior in the first place. For example, a supervisor may be harsh and critical with subordinates, but friendly and engaging with upper management and customers. This is only one of many difficult situations in which professionals are called for sensitive judgment and interpretation of behavior that is less than beneficial to our work environment. This particular example shows a supervisor who displays a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality.
The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality drastically switches behavior according to context. The scenario is one of many possible interpersonal difficulties encountered in the workplace and the script according to which the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality acts is called a “game”.
Games have a recurring and usually recognizable pattern which engages people to behave in predictable ways . Mind games usually aren’t played for fun or sadism but contain hidden motives. The person instigating the game may not even be aware that he or she is playing it until confronted. These dysfunctional behavior patterns often share common denominators such as lack of assertiveness or personal power. People, who aren’t clear about their own expectations towards themselves and others, and how to meet those needs, are more likely to use dysfunctional ways of dealing with their environment.
Self-awareness thus aids us in taking another person’s perspective. In groups as well as during one-on-one encounters, we need to be able to reference another person’s viewpoint before we can persuade, counsel or generate useful ideas.
Communication skills are essential to navigating our fast-paced, culturally diverse environment. In order to communicate effectively, it is helpful to know the steps that constitute the information sharing process. These steps include ideation, encoding, transmission, receiving, decoding, understanding, and ultimately action and feedback.
The conception and framing of a message happens during the stage of ideation. Once the message is purposefully thought out, it is encoded into a series of communicable symbols – gestures, writing or sounds. A message can be transmitted through writing or orally. Receiving the message happens when the party intended to get the message pays attention to its arrival. The receiver then begins decoding the message, both the symbols by which it is sent and its content. After decoding the message, the receiver should understand its purpose and content. The receiver then has a chance to act on the message. The receiver does this essentially by repeating the previous sequence of steps. The communication process is thus cyclical in nature.
In order to communicate effectively, it is also important that we know something about the person with whom we are communicating. Language barriers, personality style or gender differences are just a few of the obstacles that can interfere with effective communication. Difficulties arise when a message is complex, clashes with the receiver’s mental set or is emotionally charged. Most people operate from quid pro quo stance and as such are always on the look-out for what’s in it for them. Understanding the receiver’s motivational state is thus crucial. If we understand the other person’s primary need, we can frame our communication accordingly.
For example, a male supervisor with an open-door policy is listening to the complaints of a female employee who is the only minority in her department and the only person with English as a second language. She shares her worry that some co-workers have been deliberately sabotaging her in getting her work done. She explains that some of her co-workers did not seem to like her from the start, for no apparent reason, and are constantly making verbal jabs about her personality, dress, speech or work habits. The supervisor replies by saying “Well, have you talked to your co-workers about this?” When the female employee replies in the negative her superior follows up with “Get back to me when you’ve talked to them. This might just be a misunderstanding.” The female employee leaves the office devastated and confused.
Cultural and gender differences account for the communication problems in this example. The employee acted in a stereotypically female way by trying to avoid open conflict with co-workers and instead, directly taking her complaint to a superior. Also, she may come from a culture where it is expected to consult a higher authority instead of discussing interpersonal problems with fellow workers. The superior’s shortness made her feel invalidated.
The male superior, in turn, reacted stereotypically male by immediately generating a solution. He thought he was being professional and efficient by providing an immediate answer and by avoiding a potentially lengthy and emotional conversation. However, he completely neglected to hear the employee’s real needs, which were validation, empathy and moral support.
Meta-communication is one way to circumvent communication problems. It can be used between two individuals but may be especially useful when communicating to an entire group of people. To meta-communicate means to communicate about one’s communication. For example, a new employee who is usually cheerful and expressive is coming into work close-faced, quiet and non-participative. She explains that a close relative has suddenly died and she is responsible for the funeral preparation. Using meta-communication she also explains that it may take her a few weeks to return to her cheerful and talkative old self. She is taking responsibility by providing her boss and co-workers with a chance to understand and empathize.
Working in Groups
When working with others, it is important to distinguish between a team and a group. A group can be any number of people that gather together with a common interest, formally or informally. A team, however, consists of people with complementing skills who are chosen for a certain project.
Before tackling a project, a team needs to set clear roles and expectations. It is impossible to work together when each team member is confused about their role in the process or when the goal to be accomplished is unclear. For many modern day work projects, skill requirements change constantly. It is becoming a norm for new job descriptions to be created along the way. However, even with expected fluctuation, it is crucial to determine as many specifics about the outcome of a project beforehand.
Brainstorming is a great technique for gathering different ideas from different sources at the same time. It is often used in the beginning phases when projects are vague and team members are getting to know each other. The nominal group technique “calls people together in a structured meeting with limited interaction”. This technique is useful when handling sensitive topics and when people don’t know each other well. The limited interaction creates an atmosphere of safety. Judgment is suspended and people feel free to share to their true thoughts. The structured discussion afterwards ensures each person gets a turn and each idea is given appropriate attention.
In general, no individual should dominate a group or meeting. However, assigning a team member to lead discussions can keep meetings progressing smoothly. Effective work groups are characterized by the right mix and size, enriched job design, interdependent tasks and rewards and a feeling of empowerment. The most important quality of a team member is the ability to adhere to group norms. This shows we are willing to be part of the team and count everyone as equal. Building good relationships with team members also includes taking interest in their personal lives and showing appreciation for their work. By doing favors and keeping our promises we demonstrate that we are dependable, trustworthy and agreeable. We can appreciate diversity by being aware that differences exist and by fine-tuning our perception to subtle differences.
Leadership in the Workplace
Leadership is the process of influencing others to achieve certain objectives. We often refer to leaders and managers synonymously, but the two roles are not the same. Leadership constitutes only one part of many managerial activities. However, management is associated with multiple components such as planning, organizing, controlling and leading.
Therefore, managers are not automatically leaders. Managers who primarily handle planning, organizing and controlling are sometimes referred to as administrators. They meet clear and defined objectives, but do not necessarily influence people or morale. Leaders are people who inspire and pave the way. People follow them willingly because leaders communicate an inner vision that others can relate to. Leaders can be found at every level. They do not need to occupy managerial positions. A leader’s influence can be felt through face to face interaction or from a distance.
Keeping Balance in our Lives
If not counteracted, work-family imbalance imposes a major life stressor. Consequences of imbalance include job dissatisfaction, life dissatisfaction, marital conflict, and a general feeling of loss of autonomy. On an individual level, work-family imbalance makes people feel like slaves.
Psychological stress can produce physiological, metabolic, and behavioral consequences.
One prominent theory holds that stress is the result of situational appraisal. This means stress is dependent on an individual’s perception of a situation as stressful or when the demands of the particular event are perceived to exceed the available resources. This can happen fairly often in a job situation. An example may be intersender conflict in which two or more senders give you incompatible directions.
Specific situational circumstances such as an atmosphere of high achievement, social evaluation, and little or no controllability contribute to stress perception. This is in line with social self-preservation theory which suggests that humans are vigilant to threats that may jeopardize one’s social values, esteem, and status. Role ambiguity, a condition in which a job holder receives confusing or poorly defined expectations can contribute to such a state of anxiety. Studies also show that stress plays an important role in the onset and development of psychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia.
Evidence suggests that the prolonged secretion of glucocorticoids is responsible for the damaging effects of long-term stress such as growth inhibition, steroid diabetes, and high blood pressure. However, the most serious consequence of long-term glucocorticoid exposure is its destructive effect on neurons in certain locations of the hippocampal formation. Changes in the hippocampal formation are associated with loss of memory and other cognitive functions.
Most workplaces include at least some of the factors that create high stress such as atmosphere of high achievement, social evaluation and often limited controllability. Wellness programs in the workplace can make a big difference in promoting better health, productivity and job satisfaction for employees. Workplaces that provide on-site daycare, flexible work hours and dependent-care options can also help counteract work-family imbalance. Even if our workplace does not provide programs, we can take countermeasures. Families should conference regularly to plan out holidays and important events . Plans can be committed to paper, spreadsheets or refrigerator boards, and should be revisited on a regular basis.
Partners should communicate openly and appoint regular couple time. Planning date nights or meeting for lunch helps create space in which to open up and discuss concerns in a relaxed atmosphere. Some workplaces allow employees to downshift. Downshifting allows us to forgo heavier work responsibilities in exchange for more family time. For example, a father cuts down on weekend overtime to attend his daughter’s ball games. A mother declines a promotion which would require her to travel out of state and work inconsistent hours.
The birth of internet corporations such as Google, Inc. allowed many people to work from their homes. Working from home enables parents to spend more time with family, to save car expenses, to avoid the hassle of a long commute and the ability to stay in one community. However, some of the challenges of working from home include setting appropriate boundaries. Thus, one way to counteract imbalance is to create a buffer time between work and family. Buffer time helps us relax by creating a mental distance between work and home.
The journey towards professional success begins with self-awareness. We cannot work successfully with others without first understanding and appreciating ourselves. Once we know how to prepare ourselves mentally, we will be able to communicate with others, work in groups, and recognize what makes good leadership. Last but not least, we learn to balance the differing demands of public and personal life. Becoming a thriving professional is an interactional process which takes time and practice, and requires proficiency both intellectually and emotionally. Our success depends on our ability to integrate all of the areas discussed.
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