The pundit Tucker Carlson from MSNBC talks to a lot of interesting people on his show. Carlson is known for wearing bow-ties, angering John Stewart from Comedy Central, and being very conservative in his political views.
However, he also speaks to people like Julie Jansen who wrote the book You Want Me to Work with Who?: Eleven Keys to a Stress-Free, Satisfying and Successful Work Life, No Matter Who you Work With.
Excerpts from the interview are available at the MSNBC website and Jansen dispenses her key tips for Carlson.
For example, she says that "sucking up" to a boss who doesn't care for you may not be the best answer. She suggests it may be better to figure out why that manager seems to dislike you so much.
Much of what Jansen says is similar to what others have said about dealing with bad bosses and co-workers. She states that if your manager is disrespectful to you, you need to figure out if it is a pattern just with you or part of their overall personality. She also advocates talking with these people and explaining why you feel they are disruptive to the work place.
Finally, Jansen says employees need to take a more active role in their own career advancement. She suggests that bragging to your boss about your accomplishments - and backing those up with facts - really can help you move up the ladder and get you a raise.
Whether or not Jansen's techniques really make a stressful working environment easier to live with or not remains to be seen, of course. At the very least, however, some of the tips might make you bolder and more confident. And that surely can't hurt.