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by Porscha Jackson (Author)
It's Me, Not You: How I Survived Toxic Work Environments, a nonfiction self-help book, covers a 10 year career span of dealing with challenges as a retail associate in a major department store to an executive management job. The author's account of her mistakes, joys and pains exhibit her vivid recollection of these pivotal career events she has chronicled over the years through etched memories and stored organizational emails dating over fifteen years. She uses her gift of storytelling, supported by scholarly research to add depth to experiences common to the budding professional.
The author's satirical comments coupled with personal reflection, makes for an honest conversation piece as she states her mistakes in the situation and provides alternative ways to help the reader to handle themselves should they experience a similar experience. The mix of storytelling, facts, and perception draw the reader into the story and make for an easy read that is sure to be used as a practical guide and source of entertainment. In 10 chapters, the author covers a wide variety of toxic workplace dynamics, such as: bullying, relational aggression, drama queens, liars, manipulators, age, race, gender, and pretty discrimination, accusations, misunderstandings, isolation tactics, jealousy, and insecurities. She also goes into the toxic personalities in the work environment and cleverly brings a 21st century refresh to the Negative Nancy and Chatty Cathy of the workplace, to describe the toxic behaviors she has overcome by introducing readers to the toxic personalities of Ice Queen, Squatter, Medusa, Pretender, Ringmaster and many more.
She discusses how in pursuit of her dreams, she overlooks the advice of others to pursue careers in entertainment where she meets the cons of the workplace in the form of Conny and Shaydee who ran illegitimate businesses disguised as agencies that preyed on young, ambitious women. She tells a myriad of stories of Liesa who cons an entire department and cleverly compares her con to the characteristics of a locust. After a brilliant explanation of how the spiritual forces of right and wrong is a constant struggle for human beings, the author culminates the toll of toxicity on a person in Chapter Nine.
Throughout the book, the reader experiences the memories right along with the author and experiences the authentic emotions and reactions. In addition to the toxic characteristics, the author covers the repercussions of lack of training, insubordination, enabling, ill-advised promotions, and office politics, and the importance of friendships in the workplace. From this book the reader will find a sense of community in knowing they are not alone. They'll also uncover how to handle toxic personalities and behaviors, understand why and how toxicity ruins a work environment, learn to go after their dreams, and understand what they bring to the situation must be proactive instead of reactive to be able to survive this environment.
