The world is full of people that want to start a business, but few of them move past the dreaming stage. They’re caught up in the idea rather than the action, and they forget the hard work that goes into making a business happen...
Read MoreYou’ve probably heard people use the term “unicorn” in a business context. This means a privately held start-up whose value has grown to at least one billion American dollars. Think Airbnb, Uber, and so forth. There is no doubt...
Read MoreThe best side hustle you can start in 15 minutes is blogging. It can be writing, making videos or speaking about topics you love through a regular podcast show. All of these acts are a form of blogging. 15 minutes is not long...
Read More
“What nine months of attention does for an embryo forty early mornings alone will do for your...
Read MoreMeditation was first developed in India many years ago (around 5000-3500 BCE). It took quite some time to become popular in the western world, but today, it is celebrated as a therapeutic tool to ease stress, anxiety,...
Read More
BY ANGELINA ZIMMERMAN @Effervescent4u Many of us understand exactly what it feels like to start...
Read More
Dan Schawbel , CONTRIBUTOR I interview business leaders, celebrities and authors. Opinions...
Read More
Ask The Insider columnist Ashley Lutz answers all your work-related questions, including the awkward, sensitive, and real-world ones. Have a question? Email [email protected].
Dear Insider,
I recently left my job of several years to take a much more senior position at a new company. I was excited to start my new gig and run the show.
On my first day, I met my new colleagues. One person in particular stood out — a woman I used to casually date last year. She wanted more, I didn’t. Things ended badly. We (thankfully) don’t have to interact much on a daily basis, but we’re constantly running into each other. I worry that she’s telling colleagues about what a jerk I am.
Before I started this position I was excited to hit the ground running. Now the awkwardness is distracting. I don’t know how to proceed.
Sincerely,
Cringing At My New Job
***
Dear Cringing,
What you described is a worst-nightmare scenario for many people. You were looking forward to a new beginning, and now you can’t escape a ghost from your past.
The good news is that it doesn’t sound like this woman is your direct report, so there’s no need to get higher-ups involved. This unfortunate situation is between the two of you. I doubt she is thrilled to see you either. The worst (the feeling of seeing this person for the first time at work) is behind you.
Now is the time to clear the air.
I would ask your former flame to coffee. Apologize for how things went down between you two, and make it clear that going forward you want a cordial relationship as colleagues. Email works too, if you’re more comfortable with that.
If she is a reasonable person, she should accept your apology and move forward in a professional manner.
You can’t control what she tells people, but you can make a good impression on your colleagues by being friendly and reliable. Show your chops at work and showcase the skills you bring to the table.
Their impressions of you as their coworker’s jerk ex-flame will fade and everyone will forget about it in no time.
Good luck at the new job!
***
Ashley Lutz is a senior editor at Business Insider answering all your questions about the workplace. Send your queries to asktheinsider@businessinsider.com for publication on Business Insider. Requests for anonymity will be granted, and questions may be edited.
SEE ALSO: Help! I fear my coworkers are judging me for refusing the ‘more hours’ mentality
Follow Us: On Facebook
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Don’t let ‘jerks’ ruin your day — here’s how to overcome their bad energy at work
Read More
As one of four siblings in the Chicago area, Susie Romans was always looking for a way to make a buck.
“Growing up in a lower-income family, if I ever wanted anything, it was up to me to make it happen,” she says. “I realized a…
Steve Blank is a legend in Silicon Valley.
With four IPOs and eight startups under his belt, students and budding entrepreneurs frequently seek him out for advice, including what to do with their careers.
But one thing Blank has learned from working in Silicon Valley since 1978 : building a startup or becoming a consultant isn’t a hard choice. If you’re cut out to be a startup entrepreneur, you already know it.
On-stage at the Startup Grind conference in Redwood City, California, Blank told the audience about the question he gets most often as a professor during the courses he teaches at Stanford, Berkeley and Columbia.
Students often come to him torn between a great job offer at McKinsey or wanting to work on the startup they’ve been doing with their friends on the weekend, Blank explained.
“My advice is always to take the job,” Blank said.
Those who need to ask, he explains, have already made their decision — the startup life is not for them.
“McKinsey is the world’s best job. Startup is the world’s best calling,” Blank said. “A job and a calling are not an equal choice.”
Being an entrepreneur is a calling unlike others. You have to be crazy, you have to be willing to work in the shower or wake up in the middle of the night to jot down notes, Blank explains.
If you’re not already “all in” on the startup, says Blank, then it’s probably not your calling.
SEE ALSO: How 3 guys turned renting an air mattress in their apartment into a $25 billion company
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: The one Samsung Galaxy S7 feature that blows the iPhone out of the water
Read More
Networking can be difficult and time-consuming, especially early in your career. But graduating from a school with a solid alumni base means diving straight into a built-in network of professionals.
The Princeton Review compil…
You must be logged in to post a comment.