10/25/2011
What Halloween
Characters Do You Have At Work?
By Andy McCabe, Psy.D.
They�re all around us, all the time, but we don�t recognize them
because they wear business suites, sport jackets, dresses, high
heels, or maybe sneakers and dungarees. They�re the men and women we
work with who are hiding their true identities in the workplace.
Let�s see if we can figure out who they really are.
The
Fairy Princess: She�s beautiful and knows it; because of her looks
and beguiling smile, men bosses look the other way when she comes in
late or doesn�t pull her fair share. If her boss is a woman, she may
be in the deep end of the pool without her water wings; however,
often she�s so good at manipulating that, if she can find a chink in
the woman�s armor, she and the boss will become best buds.
The
Frog: The Frog is usually a man, and as annoying as a pesky mosquito
on a hot summer night. He just doesn�t go away! Questions, stories,
and yes, like the frog � ribit, ribit � he repeats himself. You�re
busy, have lots to do and you see the frog coming but there�s
nowhere to hide. Ouch! You know it�s going to be painful so you head
for the men�s or ladies room and pray he�ll be gone when you get
back.
Richard Nixon: He talks, seemingly without taking a breath, in a
monotone voice that would be perfect for hypnosis commercials. He
thinks he knows everything and that you want to hear him blab on and
on about himself and how brilliant he is. Double ouch! If you have
the misfortune of sitting next to him at a wedding, within minutes
you will want to kill yourself.
Lance Romance: If Lance and the Fairy Princess ever married, they�d
never get to work on time because they�d spend too much time
fighting over the mirror. He�s smooth, charming, good looking and
like the Princess, he knows it and does not have to follow the rules
meant for mortal men. In his mind, he�s a god and should be treated
as such. No hair on his head would dare be out of place and he can
climb mountains without getting wrinkled or sweating. If he�s single
and the boss is his wingman, you might want to buy the large bottle
of Advil or look for another job.
General George Patton: Usually a guy, but some women could also wear
this costume. Neat, polished, no nonsense, he strongly believes
smiling, or laughing, at work should be avoided and he lives in the
past: the days of glory. When the ships were wooden and the men were
iron. As opposed to today�s iron ships and wooden men. He likes to
reminisce when you have a deadline and alligators chomping at your
ankles. If he�s the boss, you smile, nod appropriately, and know
you�re going to have to stay late because he�s enchanted by the
sound of his own voice.
Calamity Jane: Nice person and a good heart; however, she�s an
elephant in a china shop. When she enters the room, the anxiety
level increases because you know something is going to go wrong,
very wrong. The one time she uses the copier, it blows up and you
have to evacuate the building. Once she flushed the toilet and it
wouldn�t shut off. The entire third floor flooded. She�s always
apologetic.
The
Ghoul: He or she is the walking dead. They hate their job, life,
their spouse, children, Mother�s Day, apple pie and anything funny!
They don�t walk, they shuffle and never smile. Their skin is so
white, they look like they were just released from an extended
prison stay, and they usually wear the same clothes: they think
nobody notices. The Ghoul has actually died on the job long ago and
hasn�t had an original idea since sophomore year in high school.
So,
do you recognize one or more of the Halloween characters hiding out
where you work? If you do, make sure you give them a piece of candy
and wish them � Happy Halloween!
Andy McCabe, Psy.D.,
graduated from the Rutgers School of Applied and Professional
Psychology. He is a life coach and has presented programs on stress
management to educational, health, law enforcement and corporate
groups, as well as for the United States Navy. He is the author of
The Gifted
One: The Journey Begins, available at
Amazon.com and
other fine booksellers.
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more info
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