OFFICE POLITICS

    AOL.com

    Why the Incompetent Get Promoted

The Most Toxic Types of People to Avoid at Work
How to deal with complainers, gossipers and bullies.
U.S.News
Apr 21st 2015 8:25AM

By Robin Madell

Anyone who has ever worked in an office knows there's more to succeeding at your job than just doing the work itself. A big part of almost any position involves "relationship management" – in other words, knowing how to get along with different personality types.

But being a team player and navigating office politics can only take you so far. Even experienced employees can quickly feel like they're drowning in quicksand when working with toxic people. "When you are dealing with a toxic personality, it's like being close to an electric fence – it can be hazardous to your health," says Linda Swindling, author of "Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers: How to Negotiate Work Drama to Get More Done."
Search Jobs
In Partnership With
careerbuilder
While it's impossible to avoid all difficult people at work, learning to recognize common problematic personalities can be helpful, and in some cases, it can save your career. Once you know the type of person you're dealing with, it's easier to shift gears from "business as usual" relationship management to specific strategies that can minimize the damage such people can do to those around them when left unchecked in the office.

Here are telltale signs of three toxic types of people you may encounter in your company and how to deal with them most effectively:

Constant complainer. Negativity is draining and depressing, both for the person complaining and those around him or her. While there are certainly plenty of legitimate issues one might complain about at work, beware of people who seem perpetually dissatisfied and are constantly kvetching about issues at work that can't be changed.

While you may initially feel compelled to lend an ear, associating yourself too closely with this personality type can mark you as one of the same, according to New York-based clinical psychologist Michael Brustein.

"If you join in negative talk with the depressed complainer, other colleagues may notice your dissatisfaction and be repelled by you," he says. "If complaining continues, it won't be long before your supervisor or boss becomes aware, which could be drastic."

Instead of showing sympathy or chiming in, Brustein suggests trying to avoid constant complainers. "This often can be done simply by not complaining, since complaining is their major method of connecting and relating," he says. "If you cannot avoid them, be friendly and cordial, but keep the conversation light."

Boundaryless BFF. It's nice to have allies at work, and over time, some colleagues may consider themselves to be friends as well as co-workers. But when a peer or boss comes on too strong and quickly in the friendship department, see it as a red flag.

Certified etiquette instructor Callista Gould warns that when starting a job in a new workplace, the first person who wants to be your best friend may not be genuine. "Beware the office gossip who takes a personal interest in you," she says. "That person may be mining for information to be used against you."

Tara A. Goodfellow, managing director of Athena Educational Consultants, notes that the same type of "too close" personality can be seen in some supervisors who want to be pals with their direct reports, grabbing lunch every day and hanging out together after hours. "This has become more challenging with the oversharing of social media and more of a blended work philosophy," she says. "It can really strain the professional relationship over time."

To handle personalities who are too chummy at work, she recommends keeping your own boundaries strong by limiting the outside-of-work activities and including others in the plans, like by setting up a monthly full-team after-hours event.

Office bully. According to 2015 research by Connectria Hosting, more than half (55 percent) of all professionals surveyed have been bullied by a co-worker, and 65 percent say they have "dreaded" going to work because of a colleague.

While you may not recognize the signs of bullying in the office as easily as you do on the children's playground, bullying of adults is very prevalent and can damage a professional's esteem and performance quickly. The Workplace Bullying Institute describes bullying as "a systematic campaign of interpersonal destruction that jeopardizes your health, your career [and] the job you once loved." Common experiences include being constantly undermined in meetings and told your work isn't good enough no matter what you do, as well as being yelled at and ostracized by others.

WBI recommends a three-step target action plan to defend yourself against bullying. First, name this type of harassment for what it is – bullying or emotional abuse – rather than pretend it isn't happening. Second, take time off to recover from the effects of bullying before you launch your counterattack. Third, expose the bully to your employer using a business case based on the costs of bullying to the organization. This worksheet from WBI will help you determine these costs in language that speaks most loudly to employers.

"Unfortunately, co-workers and colleagues that could be hazardous don't come with a label," Brustein says. But knowing the personality types you're dealing with just may help you handle those in the "toxic" category before they hurt your career.
More articles from U.S.News

Curren Events

Now is a good time to get started on some important year-end financial tasks. Wouldn’t you rather enjoy the holidays with family and friends than scramble to meet

Click Here!

Here’s a list of 10 smart money moves to consider—some that need to be addressed by December 31 and others that are an important part of a year-end financial check-in.

Most of them can be accomplished quickly, but the benefits can last a lifetime.
1.     Size up your portfolio.

This year’s stock market swings may have changed your mix of stocks and bonds. You may need to bring your portfolio back in line with a diversified mix that is appropriate

for your situation (read Viewpoints: “The pros’ guide to diversification”). For help analyzing your overall portfolio, choosing a target asset mix, and rebalancing your

portfolio to bring it in line with that target mix, use Portfolio Review (login required).
2.     See if you may be able to put any losses to work.
Ten things to do before year end

Tax-loss harvesting might sound complicated, but the principle is pretty simple. Offset your realized taxable gains on your investments (capital gains) with losses (capital

losses). That means selling stocks, bonds, and mutual funds that have lost value to help reduce taxes on gains from winning investments. (Of course, you don’t want to

undermine your long-term investing goals by selling an investment just for tax purposes.) Tax-loss harvesting needs to be done by December 31. For more information, read

Viewpoints: "Harvesting losses: One benefit of a correction."
3.     Give to a charity or your family.

Give to others. Charitable donations are an effective way to reduce your taxable income when you itemize on your tax returns. If you’ve been meaning to make a donation

and want to lower your tax bill for 2015, be sure to make your contributions by December 31. Now is also a good time to clean out a closet or basement and donate clothing

and household goods. Remember to get receipts for non-cash donations.

Give to family members. You are able to give up to $14,000 a year to as many individuals as you choose without paying gift taxes, which helps reduce the amount of your

estate. You can give cash, stocks, bonds, and portions of real estate. You must do this by December 31. Read Viewpoints: “Getting serious about your giving?”
4.     Bundle your tax write-offs.

One way to maximize the value of tax deductions is to bunch two years’ worth of itemized deductions into a single year, especially if you expect your income to be higher.

For example, if you have unreimbursed work expenses that you incurred early in the year, you might be able to pull next year’s expenses into this year and double up your

2015 deduction.

Consider making an extra mortgage payment or prepay taxes (state and real estate) to allow additional deductions. For tax-deduction tips, read Viewpoints: “Tips for

deducting more at tax time.”


5.     Max and match: Reduce your taxable income and save too.

Click Here!

 Even if you contribute regularly to your 401(k) or 403(b), take a few minutes to see whether you can make an additional contribution before the end of the year—especially

if you aren’t on track to contribute the full amount your employer matches. The maximum you can contribute in pretax dollars for 2015 is $18,000, or $24,000 if you’re

age 50 or older, and contributions must be made by December 31, 2015.

You may be able to reduce your taxable income1 by making a contribution to an IRA or spousal IRA. While you can make an IRA contribution for 2015 by April 18, 2016 (the

tax-filing deadline for 2016 due to a federal holiday), doing so now will give your money more potential to grow in a tax-advantaged way. The maximum contribution is

$5,500 per person ($6,500 if you are age 50 or older) or 100% of employment compensation, whichever is less. For age-based tips on retirement savings, read Viewpoints:

“Retirement roadmap: rules of the road.”
6.     Use the money in your flexible spending account.

There are two types of flexible spending accounts that allow you to set aside pretax money and then reimburse yourself, with calendar-year “use-it-or-lose-it” deadlines:

health care and dependent care. The U.S. Treasury Department has relaxed the rules a bit this year. Employers can allow participants to carry over up to $500 in unused

funds into next year, so make sure your balance doesn’t exceed that. Some plans allow you to submit 2015 claims until March 2016—check with your employer.
7.     Do a financial reality check.

Understanding how you are saving and spending can be a valuable step to helping put your financial house in order. You don’t necessarily need to manage every penny.

Consider our guidelines: Not more than 50% of your take-home pay should go to essential expenses, 15% of your pretax income to retirement savings, and 5% of your

take-home pay to short-term savings. Use our saving and spending checkup to see where you stand.
8.     Check the beneficiaries on financial accounts.

When reviewing your investments, also make sure you have designated a beneficiary for each account. This can be as important as writing a will, but it isn’t as complex. It is

especially important if there have been changes in your life, such as a birth, a death, or a change in marital status.

One important point to keep in mind is that retirement accounts pass directly to named beneficiaries, rather than becoming part of your estate. This can provide significant

tax advantages for your heirs.

If you are married, keep in mind that most employer-sponsored retirement plans automatically designate your spouse as the beneficiary unless you name another

beneficiary and your spouse has consented in writing. For more details, read Viewpoints: “Five ways to protect what’s yours.”


Click Here!

 9.     Go for tax-free growth: Consider converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.

Who wouldn’t want the tax-free growth potential and withdrawals in retirement that a Roth IRA offers?2 The problem is, not everyone can contribute to a Roth IRA because

of income limits. But you may be able to convert existing money in a traditional IRA or other retirement savings account into a Roth IRA. Because pretax contributions and

gains in a traditional IRA are generally considered taxable income when you convert, later in the year is a good time to take a look. That's because you have more

information about your taxable income for the year, which may enable you to convert a more targeted amount to ensure that the income from the conversion doesn’t bump

you into a higher income tax bracket.

If you don’t have an existing traditional IRA, you may want to open one, make a nondeductible contribution, and convert it to a Roth IRA before it accumulates any earnings.

That way it would not be considered taxable income. See if a conversion may make sense with our Roth Conversion Evaluator.
10.     If you’re age 70½ or older: Take your minimum required distribution.

Beginning when you turn 70½, IRS regulations generally require you to withdraw a minimum amount of money each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts, like

traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans, or pay penalties of up to 50% of your minimum required distribution (MRD).3

If you reached 70½ this year, you have until April 1, 2016, to take your 2015 distribution, but it still might be a good idea to do so before the end of this year. Why?

Because if you wait, you’ll have to take two distributions in one year (the grace period applies only to your first distribution, so your 2016 MRD will have to be taken before

December 31 of next year). That could push you into a higher tax bracket for 2016.

The 20/60/20 Rule

Some times situations, people and groups break down into three observable groups that can

analyzed and quantified, this is what “they” use to classify many of use.


                     THE 20-60-20 RULE


THE BOTTOM 20% OF PEOPLE HAVE NO CLUE, THEY BARLEY MANAGE TO GET TO WORK ON TIME. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AND IN EVERY FACET OF LIFE.
     
THE MIDDLE 60% WANT A CLUE, THEY WANT AND TRY TO DO WELL AND TO BETTER THERE SITUATION BUT THEY GET  FRUSTRATED AND SOMETIME FAIL. FOR THE MOST PART THEY ARE HONEST AND HARD WORKING.

THE TOP 20% GET IT. THEY NO YOU ONLY GET WHAT YOU GO FOR AND THEY HAVE SPECIFIC CARRIER AND INCOME GOALS TO MANAGE THEIR DIRECTION IN LIFE, THEY NO HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE THEY ARE WINNERS AND YOU CAN SEE IT, THEIR LIVE HAVE PURPOSE.

Essential money skill 3 Values and Morals

We are all taught right or wrong from the time we are children to the moment we leave the safety and protection of a safe environment to the hostility of reality in the  world. I had an interesting conversation about which ideal was the more important in teaching  children about handling themselves in the outside world, nature or nurture? So what is the nature ideal? It refers to to a individual's innate qualities, what is programed into our genes the physical and personality traits regardless of where you were born or raised and family and biological factors. Now for the nurture ideal, what is it and what doe's it bring to the table for an individuals characteristic's. Nurture  refers to your personal experiences, your childhood and how your were brought up. A person can be born with good genes but if not nourished properly may acquire physical and or mental deficiencies, and failure to develop as expected, this may lead to corruption in social or environmental factors.

There is always a price to be paid either for doing what is right or what is wrong. The hope is that positive behavior will bring positive results and rewards but negative behavior will bring correction and penalties or penalization. The aim is to change behavior to a more socially accepted parameter where the individual's actions will fit in with others and complement the populace as a whole hopefully moving the evolution ball down the road for the better. But history teaches that there will all ways be those whom desire power not for the good of the many but for the profit of the few and will have no hesitation to take  any foothold of power to accomplish there objective. A man once said all it takes for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing. In each of us there is a struggle going  for control, the good honorable  and just desires and the selfish, self serving ideas fighting for control of you personality and emotion and actions and the only way you will understand this conflict is to be honest with yourself.

This personality conflict is symbolized in the picture of the yin-yang symbol where half of the circle is black and the other is white but even in the two there is a spot of the other color therefore showing the balance that is necessary for everyone to have a healthy and productive character which should give you positive actions. It is all ways to an individual's best interest to try to do the right thing because it is much easier to reach you goals by being positive than trying to get there by using negative or   unscrupulous action's but many will try and many will fail this is the nature of human beings. I am not judging or putting my own doctrine out there I am only stating the obvious because there are some who will say  the opposite to get there own agenda thru.

There are some human activities that are inspired by emotions and desires, understanding them will give you the capacity to understand peoples motives and reasoning for why people do what they do. The emotion of love is the most powerful of the emotions, whole civilizations have been made and destroyed for this one emotion. It is believed that the human race itself is created and protected for this one emotion. Truly love is a very powerful thing and must be respected as such. The desire for sex is  a part of the desire for love but more of a physical expression, some become confused and blinded by  the feeling of this motivator and think this is a means of itself to and ends but sex is meant to be a outward expression of love and a means of reproduction and regeneration. The act of procreation has been manipulated and twisted by those would would push their own agenda for personal gain, power and recognition.  Another very powerful motivator of human activity is the desire for money and material gain. During the stock market crash in 1929, people lost all there life savings business's collapsed and people were jumping out of windows and committing suicide because of fortunes lost and life styles that would be no more because of economic collapse. Many could not take the lose and forfeited their very lives for there misplaced ideals. The desire for self-expression and freedom of body and mind was and still is strong a motivators of the twenty first century. Also the perpetuation of life after death is a major contributor to the naming of grand building streets and monument to the gratification of ideals and society's. The emotion of fear is a powerful and important motivator because it not only has a negative effect but also a positive effect as well. Let me explain positive aspect of fear is it will cause not to take any unnecessary action like walking out in the middle of traffic because the fear of getting run over by an automobile is present or getting into a relationship with someone who you no nothing about, but fear for the most part has a more prevalent negative side that is the killer of many hopes and dreams and once you identify these cause you can take action to eliminate them thus freeing yourself for achievements. These cause are; the fear of poverty, the fear of criticism, the fear of ill health, the fear of loss of love, the fear of loss of liberty, the fear of old age and the fear of death. We can go on naming specific fears but these are the most basic that cause most people to lose faith and give up on their hopes, dreams and goals.

The only way to to truly take the high road that leads to honor is to develop an unbreakable faith. A assurance that you are made in the image of most sovereign  creator who cares  about you and what you do, and to have enough faith in yourself to trust and believe. In closing my final thought is to be aware of books and ideals that reduce God's moral rule's to an easy formula. We are given a great gift the gift of choice, we can chose right from wrong good or bad love or hate. We are more than animals and insects whom follow their instincts to survive or perish, we were given the ability to reason and judge so I implore you to use it wisely for the greater good of all.

Essential Money Skill 2 Save it

      SAVE IT                                                                                                                    reusable facemask

OK, we have covered that you need to find ways to make money and control the money you make, simple huh? Well if it was so simple you wouldn't be reading this and seeking help just like me I personally am always looking for a better way and something I can adapt for my nee

I was going to start out by saying, “let us look into nature for more examples of saving and redistributing resources but in all honesty I just couldn't go there. Let's talk planer, you have come up with a budget that allows you pay your bill and have something left over so what do you do? Run out and spend the surplus? NO! The first thing you do is start a saving plan, look for somewhere to store your money, not CD (certificate of deposit) that come later. Look for a saving institution that will give you the highest rate of return on your money, check out credit unions they have good saving plan, what you want to do is build a nest egg that will carry you if you have and immediate or emergency need, the standing rule is three to six months of your pay. This is not easy but worth aiming for, if you take ten percent of your gross take home pay and divide that into different areas of saving that should help you build you nest egg, you don't have to put the whole ten percent in that one account but that's a good percentage to shoot for.

Another good point to no is that if you qualify for a 401k thru your employer get in as soon as you can, many employers have matching programs, this is free money so go get it, you can find all kind of information in most financial institutions but the buck stops at the IRS so check their website first www.irs.gov very helpful website. Start slow when funding your 401k or IRA until you have the swing of things use two or four percent of the ten percent you set aside. Another note for you to understand is that ten percent is the amount that you are paying yourself first! It is vital that you understand this, this money is not for entertainment, this small percentage is what will fund you nest egg and set the stage for you to have funds to invest for profit. You can borrow money to invest but like the song say's GOD BLESS THE CHILDTHAT'S GOT HIS OWN, and this is a sure fire way to get it, you just have to discipline yourself and have the desire to get in done.

There are two very powerful allies you have on you side in this endeavor, COMPOUNDING AND TIME. The definition of compounding say's; The ability of an asset to generate earning, which are then reinvested in order to generate their own earnings. In other words, compounding refers to generating earnings from previous earnings. This is also known as “ compound interest”. Now imagine doing this with a sum of money for threes years, five to ten years, even one year. I am not going to give you any numbers that is for you to figure out I am just giving you the concepts of ideas.

So now hopefully some time has passed and you have save some money to work with. You should have several pools (accounts) designated for specific purposes and needs such as. A retirement account which can consist of a 401k or IRA (wroth) or investment account just for the retirement age. Next a saving/emergency account, these funds should only be used for immediate needs, like auto repair's appliance replacements unforeseen home repairs, you can even divide the two saving and emergency so you have more control of the money and what it is used for. *note whatever you designate each account for you must stick to it for it to be successful, and now the investment account. You want to get this one as good as you can because this account is the one you are hope to show profit from and one that can become a vessel for accomplishments or can crash and burn losing all your money. In using this account as in all the other accounts you acquire you need to do your homework but in this one it would be to your best interest to study everything you can about investing such as “investing for profit” “return on investments”, “minimum risk”, “high risk”, “business structures”, you don't have to have a masters in business, but it is to your best interest to be knowledgeable if you want to succeed. You can always just stick with first few accounts mention and you can be fine. Remember all of this funding is to come from the 10% of your net income that you will pay yourself first. It may seem a little hard but practice practice and when you think you understand practice some more. This will not happen over night and you will need to discipline yourself and be patient. Remember the longest journey start with a single step.

 This can be used as the basic framework for any savings plan for beginners and young people who have not had any real training in financial matters. The main two factors you need to focus on are coming up with a good plan for yourself that fit's your needs and stick-ability (see it through to the end).