The worst advice I ever got was: “If people don’t like you, it means you’re doing your job.”

What a whole lot of BS.

When people don’t like you, it’s personal. They don’t like the person you are. But here’s the thing: in the world of work, that’s not what matters. Let’s be honest, most of us don’t even like most of the people we work with.

The real lesson should be this: you should be liked working with, even if people don’t like you as a person.

What does that mean?

- You put the team’s goals ahead of your own struggles.

- You don’t think you’re better than everyone else or that your situation is unique.

- You get things done.

- You don’t gossip, complain, or make excuses.

- You’re great at your job and not a burden on others.

As one of my GMs once said: “The best team players are those who do their job extremely well because that helps the team, moves things forward, and doesn’t drag others down.”

On the other hand, if you nitpick, blame, make excuses, or only see the faults in others while ignoring your own people might like you as a person, but they will definitely not like working with you.

And at work, that’s what counts.

So, ask yourself the question; Do people like working with me? If the answer is no you are doing a bad job.