We’ve all seen those episodes of the Real World where one 19 year old girl yells at another 19 year old girl with the words, “Don’t talk behind my back. Say it to my face.” This concept has always boggled my mind. If you’re mad, yes, there’s something to be said for saying it out loud, but there’s also something to be said for taking some time, talking it out with someone else, and approaching a situation more calmly. Well, in the words of Kathy Griffin, “My mother raised me right. I talk about people behind their backs.”
There’s an epidemic in the office pool in this country – email bitch-blasts. How many times do you find yourself angry, feverishly typing an email and pressing send hastily? I hope not a lot. But there are women (and men, I suppose) who do it all the time. And when you receive these emails, they cut you, they hurt, they make you feel stupid and inadequate. But no matter what the cutting email is about, it’s not you, it’s them.
When you’re angry, don’t send a bitchy email. In fact, don’t send an email at all. Walk away, talk to someone else, and take time before you fire back about a situation. It’ll make you more poised and certainly eliminate someone thinking you’re a bitch.
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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