How often have we heard “It’s nothing against you, it’s not
personal—it’s just business”? But in fact, at work it’s never just
business—it’s always personal. In this groundbreaking look at
what’s really going on from 9 to 5—the crying, yelling, and
bullying, as well as the friendship and laughter borne of creative
collaboration—journalist and former corporate executive Anne
Kreamer shows us how to get rational about our emotions, and
provides the necessary new tools to flourish in an emotionally
charged workplace.
With women now the majority of the workforce and the lines
between office and personal life blurring as never before, the
dynamics of work have shifted profoundly. It’s Always Personal
combines the latest information on the intricacies of the human
brain, candid stories from employees, and the surprising results of
two new national surveys, reported here for the first time, which
reached out to workers from all walks of life about their emotions
on the job.
Both timely and crucial, It’s Always Personal also reveals
? a neurological understanding of the six main emotional
flashpoints: anger, fear, anxiety, empathy, joy, and crying
? an exploration of why we as a society self-defeatingly regard
displays of emotion in the workplace as shameful, and how the
different emotional rules applied to men and women affect our
modern notions of gender equality
? evidence that suppressing emotions can actually have a negative
impact on companies’ bottom lines
? a step-by-step guide for identifying your emotional type:
Spouter, Accepter, Believer, or Solver, with appropriate tactics
for dealing with that style in a complex work environment
? Emotion Management Toolkits that provide the means to cope with
specific emotionally challenging situations
An innovative study of gender, emotion, and power, It’s Always
Personal is an essential companion for everyone—managers and
employees alike—navigating the often confusing and challenging
realities of the contemporary workplace.