DON'T LET THE BOZOS GRIND YOU DOWN.

• Author: Gochnour, Natalie

The energy vampires at work might be sucking the vitality away from your company culture. Don't let them.

We've all experienced it: a boss, a coworker, a friend, a family member, or some other person who grinds you down. They use their negative energy to thwart, hurt, offend, or stand in the way of your peace and progress. In extreme cases, you may even struggle to pick up the pieces and stand your ground.

I'm fond of a saying coined by Silicon Valley marketing expert and author Guy Kawasaki. Writing to entrepreneurs he coined the phrase, "Don't let the bozos grind you down." Mr. Kawasaki's message was directed towards business start-ups, but I like to apply the phrase to everyday life. Too often we let people who don't have our best interests at heart bring us down. I call these people "bozos."

ENERGY VAMPIRES AT WORK

Note the use of the verb "grind" in the phrase "don't let the bozos grind you down." The people I'm talking about wear you down inch-by-inch and moment-by-moment. It's not a one and done deal, but rather a long, milling process. You feel yourself being ground through a millstone, often not realizing what's happening or how best to stop. By the time you reach the other end, you are nothing like the way you started. Now, you are worn, used, and compromised. Your aspirations have not been reached, despite your best efforts and you're left asking "why?" with a nagging feeling that something went wrong. Life should be different.

I know what you're thinking: so what's the business connection? I can think of several. We know culture makes a huge difference in the health and success of organizations. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella feels so strongly about this point that he wrote about it in his recent book Hit Refresh. He said the "C" in CEO should stand for culture. It's difficult to create a great culture with a bunch of bozos running around.

We also know our experiences with friends and family can impact our business and work success. It's difficult to be at our best in sales, customer service, a strategy session, or leadership position when we feel anger, abuse, or heartache in our personal life. Bozos can wreak havoc with our professional productivity and effectiveness.

HOW TO HANDLE THEM

So what do we do? Bad people exist and we...