Does your childhood behavior ever come back to haunt you? Do you find yourself playing out some of those same patterns in the workplace? I ran across this article on Time.com, Why Your Co-Workers Act Like Children which may help to explain how stress behavior in the workplace is more of a concern.

Sylvia LaFair, a Ph.D in clinical psychology has written a new book entitled, Don’t Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success. The central theme she shares with you is linking past family routed behavior to some of the most common patterns seen in the workplace. Do any of these sound familiar with you or someone else at work?

  • Super Achiever 41ek847vtbl_bo2204203200_pisitb-sticker-arrow-clicktopright35-76_aa240_sh20_ou01_
  • Rebel
  • Persecutor
  • Victim
  • Rescuer
  • Clown
  • Martyr
  • Splitter
  • Procrastinator
  • Drama Queen (King)
  • Pleaser
  • Denier
  • Avoider

Lafair shares stories and practical exercises to help you work through many of these patterns. Her three step process will empower you to make the changes you are seeking. Her steps are not that different than other kinds of self help books:

  1. Observe your behavior to discern underlying patterns
  2. Understand – probe deeper to discover the origins of these patterns
  3. Transform your behavior by taking action to change

While these steps may seem basic, it can take tremendous effort to be brutal honest about your situation. You may want to ask some close friends or relatives to help you with the assessment process. For them to feel comfortable giving you candid feedback, let them know you are trying to work on some important behaviors and their perspective will help you, not hurt you.

If you believe they are soft peddling their opinion, step up and ask some tough questions, again assuring them it is important for you to get to understand not only what is happening, but why it is happening.
51smk4rkpgl_bo2204203200_pisitb-sticker-arrow-clicktopright35-76_aa240_sh20_ou01_Once you know what the behavior looks like and understand why it is happening, then you can plan how to change it. Making plans and keeping plans are very different activities.

Steve Pavlina’s post 30 Days to Success, talks about how discipline and commitment are required to complete the 30 days of taking on a new behavior or activity. We usually don’t embark on this journey unless it is going to give us some level of benefit, and at the end of our trial period…we can always decide to do something else.

Steve’s post gives some clear examples of what he has done with this approach – check it out. Steve’s new book, Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth uses seven universal growth principles to achieve breakthroughs in many areas of your life.