Don't let cattiness thwart you, writes Katherine Fielden.
I grew up believing the great feminist fairytale that young women just need a pinch of luck, a spoonful of talent and lots of hard work to achieve success in the workplace. If things went wrong, a fairy godmother would magically appear to set me on the right path.
Working in a large government organisation, I soon discovered a number of people making it their job to make my job harder; a surprising number of these were women. These included:
The big fat bullyThis girl is all-out mean. She undermines you whenever she gets the chance, so don't give her one. Prepare for meetings thoroughly. Network with colleagues who are bullied by her and ask them to back you up in meetings.
If she makes a disparaging comment, name her behaviour and then ask everyone to focus on the agenda at hand. For example: "Stacey, that's a nasty comment and not particularly helpful. But turning to the
outcomes that we need to achieve ... "
Often people higher up the chain have no idea how she treats others so a good tactic is to set her up to reveal her true self.
The nasty girl bossThis manager sees you as a threat. She takes credit for your work, puts you down and denies your requests for professional development. To achieve success under the arsenic boss you need to manage up.
If you work for a larger organisation, use the performance management system to negotiate agreed targets for your position. Get her to sign off on these and forward a copy to HR. Make quarterly appointments to review your performance against the agreed targets. Talk to other staff and find out if they are experiencing the same behaviours. If they are, document the worst examples and make a group complaint to HR.
Look for opportunities to work on cross-organisational projects to ensure your contributions are noticed by others. In the end your safest bet might be loathing her and leaving her.
If so, use the exit interview to record her nastiness and its organisational cost, for example: "I worked under Susan for two years. In this time I requested 10 professional development opportunities, which
were all refused."
The witchThis old crone has been in the organisation forever and don't you forget it. She knows where the bodies are buried because she buried them. She often says things like: "I had to work really hard to get where I am so I am not going to make it easy for you."
If she was your swimming coach she would use a bullwhip to make you swim faster. Sometimes bald flattery will work with this character, otherwise try to avoid putting yourself within her reach.
If she picks on you, ignore her behaviour and stand up for other colleagues getting the same treatment, for example: "Barbara, are you picking on Rebecca because she's smart or because you're threatened by her?" Find yourself a mentor and follow their advice about getting ahead.
History shows solidarity can be a driver for change. Stand up for your colleagues, male or female and treat everyone with courtesy and respect. Celebrate your achievements and loudly congratulate your workmates for theirs.
