Never Complain About Your Boss or Client
Although venting your true feelings might feel good at the time, it’s not worth losing a job or a client!
Anytime you speak at work, you should assume that your words will be shared with everyone. So you should never tell anyone that you think your boss is a jerk.
My friend Karen DeSemple of Eternal Maternal told me this story: Karen was Joe’s assistant and she was traveling with a new employee, Sharon.
“Sharon went on a tirade for about 30 minutes about all the things that she didn’t agree with and about how she wasn’t going to do what Joe had dictated. Little did she know that Joe was the first person I told!” Turns out Sharon was only with the company another month—what a surprise.
Besides being vigilant about your comments to others, you also need to think about the comments and messages that you post online. Venting your frustration about a client on an online support forum is the best way to lose that client.
Remember: The web is a public place, where everyone is watching!
Lesson learned? Although venting your true feelings might feel good at the time, clearly it’s not worth the potential fallout.
Women at Work image from Shutterstock
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.
