Got wine?

Er, we mean whine. (And yes, since 5 o’clock is approaching on a Friday evening, it’s definitely on the brain).

One of the most popular blog posts today on Forbes relates to “The First Rule of Management: No Whining.” Although it’s geared toward managers and positive leadership (one manager in particular had a no whining sign in the office!), we can all benefit from this lesson. After all, at one point or another there’s been a whiner in the office that negativity typically spreads to other colleagues as well. Read more

Let’s face it: When a new editor-in-chief or anyone at the top of the food chain comes into play, there’s likely to be a reorganization. Or maybe it’s year-end and the powers that be decide it’s time to shake things up a bit. Whatever the reason, reorganizations are not uncommon in the workplace. In fact, they’re practically inevitable.

According to a piece on Forbes, there are a few survival tips when things get turned around without your control. For starters, Ron Ashkenas explains the sense of confusion and disequilibrium is par for the course. In the piece, he writes:

“Imagine if someone suddenly rearranged the clothes in your closet: You’d probably feel disoriented or uncomfortable when you went to find something. It’s the same with reorganizations: The established patterns for getting things done have been rearranged. You have to develop new routines, adjust to a revised cast of characters, and even deal with “survivor’s guilt” if any of your colleagues lost jobs or were moved elsewhere. So the starting point for moving forward is to remember that the distress is normal, and your colleagues are probably experiencing those feelings as well.”

So, now that you realize discomfort is a given, the key component is figuring out where you not only fit into the new structure but how you can be successful in it. For instance, maybe the social media team was reduced so now you’re responsible for posting all of your pieces to Twitter and Facebook. Although it may create an additional daily few tasks, just think of the way you may rethink the way you create headlines to make them clickable and user-friendly.

For the last tip, Ashkenas points out taking a view of the new organization. As per the piece, he writes, “Often when the structure changes, key processes need to be rewired. Consider this as an opportunity to influence others in your value chain so that the entire end-to-end process becomes more effective.”