Building tough skin at work – resourcesfortyouth.ca

Happy Wednesday!

I’m a Cancer, I tend to err on the emotional side of things, and I also prefer my skin soft (no pun intended). In high school, I was a nerd (albeit a stylish one), and although I was no punk, I was busier defending my grades than my tough kid reputation. Fast forward a few years (emphasis on a few), turns out thick skin as an ambitious, driven career woman is just as important, if not more, than brains (albeit pretty ones)…

Growing a tough skin at work is not just important, you won’t survive without it, let alone strive. Put in more realistic (and somewhat graphic terms), if you wanna make it as a career woman, you’re going to have to learn to dish it and take it right back, all the while maintaining your professionalism, composure and perfectly tight bun on Developing a thicker skin at work is not just for those of us who strive in more male-dominated fields, such as STEM fields for instance. Neither is it reserved to those at the top of the corporate game. From the administrative assistant to the CEO, women’s career paths are paved with minefields of all kinds. For most of us, it’s a fight-or-flight scenario, except the second option is no longer viable:

1. Get your facts straight! A large portion of the criticism you’ll face at work is merely someone else’s subjective opinion of you. Learn to distinguish fact from interpretation. Any criticism, remark or attitude not objectively based upon the quality of your work or character is NOT based on fact, and thus should not negatively impact you!

2. Check yourself…before you wreck yourself! Building a tougher skin also has a lot to do with knowing oneself. What sets you off? What types of remarks or attitudes cut you to the core? What do you react to, and what leaves you indifferent? Know your triggers, both internal and external, and build a strong barrier to negativity!

3. Feedback is Queen! In the commercial world, the customer may be king, but in your career, feedback is the Queen Bee! Learn to value and receive feedback as a positive enhancement to your performance. Think of it as a competition with yourself! If you can work on every item of feedback you receive and improve on it, you’re better off for it!

Got tough skin at work?

The Corporate Sis.