• Home
  • About
  • Contributors
  • Write for Us
    • Submit Your Content
  • Discounts & Resources
  • Education
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Women on Business

Business Women Expertise, Tips, Advice and More to Build Winning Careers and Brands

You are here: Home / Communications / The Easy Button

The Easy Button

March 9, 2009 By Chrysty Beverley Fortner

Even though there really is no “easy button” in business, I bought four of them on Tuesday at the office supply store.  Why?  Because sometimes I need a distraction to remind me that I may be the one making things difficult.  It’s my new “distractor” that makes me giggle when I hear it say, “that was easy.”  But here’s why I bought them in the first place.

I sat in my boss’s office on Monday after being called on the proverbial carpet.  He wanted to know why I was so volatile–so emotional the prior week.   The truth of the matter was that I had taken it upon myself to carry the weight of the entire staff on my shoulders.  I assumed the role of cheerleader and problem-solver all by myself.  And being the cheerleader for an entire staff is exhausting.  No wonder I was tired.  Anyway, the boss man asked me one simple question that instantly put it all into perspective, “who asked you to cheer everyone up?”  I slid back in my chair dumbfounded and smiled, then he smiled.  “No one, not one darn person” I replied, and that’s when I discovered my “easy button” powers.

The rest of my day involved some skipping and humming.  I had assumed tasks that weren’t really mine to assume.  I felt the burden of personalities and problems that weren’t mine to feel.   And now that I was relieved of my fictitious duties, I was liberated. I decided to back up my new found freedom with some questions to ask myself when I “get wrapped around the axle” again:

  1. Am I responsible for anyone’s actions or behaviors?
  2. Is anyone responsible for mine?
  3. Can I minimize the drama by recusing myself?
  4. Did anyone ask me for my help?

These are very simple questions, but sometimes after painful evaluation, we find that we are part of the problem not the solution.  It is humbling, but until we get distracted long enough to see things for what they really are, we are desperately in need of our own personal easy button.  The four I purchased last week are constant visual reminders.  And lucky for me, they have an audible reminder that reels me in as well.  They’re scattered throughout my office because I don’t want to forget this lesson.  Hopefully I will wean myself down to three soon.

None of us are immune to office politics…unless of course, we work from home.  My advice is this:

  1. take a step back whenever possible instead of diving right in to the mosh pit of office gossip
  2. insulate yourself whenever possible from the bad moods and personalities of the people around you
  3. develop your own “distractor” causing you to pause before reacting

It’s not rocket science, but I’m a 20-year professional who still gets stung by the gossip bee every now and then. Having an out-of-the-box plan in place beats not having one at all. And if you really get in a bind, I’ll have an extra easy button for sale in a few weeks.

Chrysty Beverley Fortner

Relationship Builder, Public Speaker, Business Developer, Team Motivator, Project Coordinator, Creative Writer, Event Planner, Marketing Strategist, Change Implementer, Experience Enhancer!

More Posts - Website

Filed Under: Communications, Management, Uncategorized, Workplace Issues Tagged With: business women, chrysty fortner, office gossip, office politics, Women On Business

Comments

  1. Scarlett de Courcier says

    March 9, 2009 at 7:38 am

    Very true. It’s far too easy to assume all sorts of duties you don’t actually have; I think it’s a trait women are particularly prone to. I love the idea of easy buttons! What a great way to remind yourself that life doesn’t need to be so hard as we sometimes make it.

  2. Casey Dawes says

    March 9, 2009 at 11:46 am

    Brilliant. Of course, it’s far easier in some ways to look at what everyone else is doing rather than looking at something in ourselves that we need to take care of. So, another question to ask yourself when you are focusing on other people, “What truth am I avoiding about myself?”

  3. Chrysty Fortner says

    March 9, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    Thanks for the feedback and thoughts. There usually is an underlying truth. I’m new to this and appreciate your input. C.

  4. Catherine Cantieri, Sorted says

    March 9, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Excellent advice, and advice I think can be applied to any relationship, working or otherwise.

  5. LaptopBags says

    March 16, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    Excellent article. Thanks for posting this.

Sponsors

DHgate - Do business with China wholesalers online

Freebie!

Join Us!

Recommended Reading

ultimate guide to email marketing

Awards & Recognition

Categories

  • Board of Directors
  • Books for Businesswomen
  • Business Development
  • Business Executive Team
  • Business Travel
  • Businesswomen Bloggers
  • Businesswomen Interviews
  • Businesswomen Profiles
  • Career Development
  • Communications
  • Contests
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Customer Service
  • Decision-making
  • Discounts & Offers
  • Education
  • Equality
  • Ethics
  • Female Entrepreneurs
  • Female Executives
  • Female Executives
  • Finance
  • Franchising
  • Freelancing & the Gig Economy
  • Global Perspectives
  • Health & Wellness
  • Human Resources Issues
  • Infographics
  • International Business
  • Job Satisfaction
  • Job Search
  • Leadership
  • Legal and Compliance Issues
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Networking
  • News and Insights
  • Non-profit
  • Online Business
  • Operations
  • Personal Development
  • Politics
  • Press Releases
  • Productivity
  • Project Management
  • Public Relations
  • Reader Submission
  • Recognition
  • Resources & Publications
  • Retirement and Savings
  • Reviews
  • Sales
  • Slideshow
  • Small Business
  • Social Media
  • Startups
  • Statistics, Facts & Research
  • Strategy
  • Success Stories
  • Team-Building
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Women Business Owners
  • Women On Business
  • Women On Business News
  • Women On Business Offers
  • Women On Business Partners
  • Women On Business Roundtable
  • Women on Business School
  • Work at Home/Telecommute
  • Work-Home Life
  • Workplace Issues

Authors

Quick Links

Home | About | Advertise | Write for Us | Contact

Search This Site

Follow Women on Business

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Women on Business · Privacy Policy · Comment Policy