How to Get on With Your Colleagues is written with psychology pieces to describe people’s behavior. Some sections of the book were dismissive of poor behavior, suggesting that the reader pacify one’s actions because of their co-worker’s possible background. However, it does help readers understand that when approaching harmonious or agitating situations, everyone has their own history, personality type, and personal life. By navigating through this book, the reader too can uncover the reasons behind some of their methods of approaching things. Thank you to The School of Life for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you think that people can be categorised into personality types, then you will find this book informative.

Me? I'm not sure people can be so easily put in a box like that. For example, I may be a peaple pleaser in some situations, or with some people, or because of the project I am working on; at other times,I may not be a people pleaser and be willing to stand up and argue for my opinions on a piece of work.

This book encourages you to place your colleagues, (and yourself) in a box, so you can predict behaviour. That works sometimes, but we should always bear in mind that personality types are much more fluid than we realise - so put a colleague in a box, but leave the lid open as they might move to another in different circumstances or with different people!

Having said all that, it's an interesting and thought-provoking read that will open your eyes to your colleagues behaviour.

Although it took just a few hours to read this short book, I feel its impact will last for years to come. I found the entire concept of the book fascinating.

I found it interesting to read about the shifts in the working world, how work has gone from being primarily physical to overwhelmingly mental. These days, the wellbeing of a company depends on whether employees feel heard or if the manager feels they have a sense of purpose in their role. The concept of the book is to use psychotherapy as a way to cope with the complexities at the office.

Despite feeling mature, How to Get On With Your Colleagues lets us know that we may have the emotional age of five in relation to communication, but seventy-five in relation to empathy or self-control.

The first chapter to really resonate with me was the one about people pleasing. "The people pleaser at first appears to be the ideal colleague and human," the book states. It resonated because I got to know not my colleagues, but myself. I am a people pleaser through and through, and found it so interesting to read about myself because I imagine that's how my colleagues perceive me. What I liked most about this, and other chapters, was that they included the origins of a particular personality type, and also ways forward.

This chapter helped me a lot, because as I got to know myself, I started to think about the changes I need to make to get past this roadblock. I also found myself resonating with the procrastination chapter, which I think everyone will relate to.

The book also covers gossip, paranoia, panic, over-optimism, and many other areas and personality types we will encounter in the office. I loved the depth of each chapter, and how I could relate each one to various people that I work with, making it ever more realistic and easier to put into play right here, right now. I felt like the words I was reading, and the exercises I was completing could be put into action immediately.

To conclude, if you work with anyone other than yourself, this is a book work picking up. Actually, even if you work alone, remotely, the book might still resonate since you'll be sure to learn a bit about yourself, too.