Tame the Primitive Brain: 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work

Day 24

Open Your Heart

Be Available

One change always leaves the door open for the establishment of others.

—Niccolò Machiavelli

Today you’ll tame:

• The unthinkingly ungenerous among us

Out of the blue, and impolitely, the boss was told the day before the global off-site that she was being moved to another territory—essentially, demoted—and that she should tell her team at the meeting.

Understandably, upon hearing this news, her mood was dangerously dark, and she knew it would be hard to hide. Still, she made a decision that, for the good of the others, she would not talk about her deepest feelings about her demotion with them—much as she wanted to bitch and moan and generally alert them to how screwed up the company was for her, and in her view, for them too. Instead, she called her coach and offloaded on him.

She realized the only payoff for her from this was to be able to feel good that she had not “infected” her team with her bleak outlook, especially just before the trip. Besides, if she knew anything, it was that things, including how she felt, would change.

It was all too easy in writing this book to become very close-hearted about its content. I want everything in it to be mine, and so resist giving too much credit to the influence of others, those who have been major contributors to the wealth of wisdom and help I believe to be contained in it. It irks me somewhat to have to include the points of view on this subject of others, more clever or humorous. It is begrudgingly, ...