Oprah does 'The Ugly Cry'If you happen to be Oprah then professionally you’re set for life no matter what crazy shiz you pull. But can the rest of us get away with crying at work?
The conventional wisdom on this is no. It makes people uncomfortable, it's inappropropriate, and it can come across as manipulative.
In her new book, Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg admits to having cried on Mark Zuckerberg’s (nerdy, be-hoodied) shoulder and generally promotes the idea that it's okay for women to 'share emotions' at the office. Hmmm.
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Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In and Facebook COOI AM prone to occassional workplace weeping. Quietly... in the bathroom... during lunch... obviously. My GOD it makes me anxious to type that. Am I weak and pathetic? Am I letting down the sisterhood!?
In the future, instead of saying “Oh, I just have something in my eye!” I’m going to (maybe) say ”Obviously I feel strongly about this new inferior desk serious work-related issue .”
I’m going to acknowledge human emotion at the office and see what happens. Will it 'build deeper relationships' like Sheryl promises? I'll report back as and when it happens.
Where do you stand? Have you cried at work? Or do you consider it professional harakiri?
