10 Lessons For Getting Along With Your Co-Workers We Learned From "Parks and Recreation"
Treat 'yo self to better working relationships.
Image via Complex Original
Parks and Recreation, one of television's funniest programs, returns to NBC this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET for their sixth season. We all know that the show provides us with some of the most GIF-able quotes around and perhaps the most expansive comedic world since The Simpsons. Beneath the laughs and thinly veiled political commentary, there are lessons to be learned. The co-workers in the Pawnee Parks Department have a level of camaraderie only reserved for TV workplaces, but in our real world, far less humorous jobs, we can still apply many of the lessons of Leslie Knope and company. Every employee of the Pawnee Parks Department has their own approach for weathering the monotony of civil servitude while maintaining a positive relationship with their officemates. From Ron Swanson's gruff detachment to Leslie's clingy warmth, everyone working in that office has a method for avoiding madness. Even if the environment at your job feels more like working under Tony Soprano than Chris Traeger, you can still find a few takeaways courtesy of everyone's favorite local government team. Here are 10 Lessons For Getting Along With Your Co-Workers We Learned From Parks and Recreation.
Ron Swanson: When in Doubt, Do Less
If there are two things you know about Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) it is probably his love for meat and his passion for woodworking. If you know a third thing about Ron Swanson, you know about his fiercely libertarian distaste for government. Ron's ideal government is no government at all. As Ron once said, "It's never to early to learn that the government is a greedy piglet that suckles on the taxpayers teat until they have sore chapped nipples." Since Ron would prefer a government that does nothing, that's exactly what he does for as much of his work day as possible.
Even if you aren't a government employee, a policy of inaction can help you succeed in the workplace. Ron Swanson knows that if you do nothing, people aren't going to get angry with you. It seems that in every other episode, Leslie does something to anger the citizens of Pawnee, leading to an absurd and exhausting town meeting. Whether she is enabling a porn emporium or stripping the citizens of their God given right to 512 ounce sodas, she leaves a trail of dissatisfied constituents in her wake. Swanson's approach may not win him many awards, but he is usually left alone to meditate on all things masculine in peace. While Leslie is out putting out fires, he's lounging at his desk whittling. Which option sounds better to you?
Donna Meagle: Keep the Personal Personal
We learn a whole lot about almost everyone's personal life on Parks and Recreation. Even the supposedly secretive Ron Swanson has shown us his woodshop, his messy romantic history, and even his alterego Duke Silver over the years. The one member of the Pawnee Parks Department who keeps a low profile is Donna (Retta). Though we know that Donna likes to treat herself and has a taste for sinewy men, we don't know much else. She has a condo in Seattle. She rolls a Benz. She loves Twitter. But, what other details do we know about the enigmatic Ms. Meagle? Donna sometimes drops small tidbits about her life, but generally, she keeps her work and home life separate. While the rest of the Parks Department has had to struggle to redefine their work relationships as friendship has periodically gotten in the way, Donna has always known how get shit done, even if it means hurting some feelings. Sure, she is known to attend a Christmas or bachelorette party with work friends once in a while, and she certainly isn't above treating herself with Tom, but she is a woman who knows the difference between co-workers and friends. Take notes.
Jerry Gergich: Find Fulfillment Outside of the Workplace
Towards the beginning of Parks and Recreation's run, you couldn't help but pity Jerry (Jim O'Heir). Every time you saw him, he was spilling food on himself or deleting important emails. As the show has gone on, we've learned that while Jerry might be one of the least competent employees in Pawnee history, he has a reason for his plucky attitude and permanent smile. Not only has Jerry thrown himself into several hobbies including piano and painting, but he also cares deeply about his family life. At Jerry's Christmas party (in Season 5, Episode 9), we learn that Jerry has a beautiful wife and three lovely children, and they have a harmonious and fulfilling domestic world. When Jerry finally retires from the Parks Department (Season 5, Episode 20) after forty years of work, Tom quickly learns just how hard it is to be the butt of office jokes. Jerry found a way to weather the slings and arrows heaved at him by fate and his co-workers by responding with unrelenting positivity and a focus on family. If work totally defines you, you won't look forward to your time outside of work, and your time inside work probably won't be all the great either. So, do yourself a favor and recommit to finding that ever-elusive work/life balance.
April Ludgate: Chill Your Way to the Top
Sometimes the best way to rise through the ranks is to relax. The calm (some might say numbly disinterested) personality of April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) has been the key to her success. April began her journey through the ranks of local politics as an intern. Her complete lack of dedication caught the eye of Ron Swanson and by season two she was a full time Parks Department employee. After a brief retreat to Venezuala, April worked on Leslie Knope's campaign and took on more responsibility at the Parks Department, before landing a gig in Washington, D.C. Despite April's incredible amount of moving and shaking, she has been sure to maintain her blasé attitude. Appearing disinterested will make your co-workers feel as though you pose no threat to their job security, and might get you promoted faster than the go-getter in the next cubicle. Chipper, diligent employees make an immediate impact, but jaded, relaxed employees last for the long haul.
Tom Haverford: Don't Be Afraid to Explore New Opportunities
Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) doesn't hate his job at the Pawnee Parks Department, but he aspires to much more. He is always developing new schemes in hopes that he will be lifted out of the drudgery of his day-to-day and into the hallowed halls of true baller status reserved for the likes of Mark Cuban and Diddy. Though his most recent venture, Rent-A-Swag, has been successful so far, his side hustles have been marked by failure. Some of his worst ideas have included a department store with a guest list, phones that smell good, and Snake Juice. Though Haverford's record as an entrepreneur has been spotty to say the least, his dynamic energy has kept him popular around the office. Rather than spending his time complaining about his job, like so many of us do, he does his work while daydreaming of someday moving on to greener pastures. No one likes a complainer, but everyone likes to be around people striving to move on to bigger and better things.
Andy Dwyer: If You're An Idiot, Be A Lovable Idiot
Every office has that guy who is, umm, mentally deficient. They can't make spreadsheets. They throw out ideas that have nothing to do with the task at hand. They can't even operate the coffee maker. Though the office idiot will annoy you from time to time, you only really hate this guy when they think they're smarter than they really are. When you encounter an arrogant boss that actually knows nothing of the business you're in or a cocky hot-shot intern who speaks with the confidence of someone with forty years experience, you start to daydream about taking them behind the office woodshed and putting them out of their misery. If they own up to their stupidity, that is a completely different story. Generally, people like helping those who admit they are out of their depth. Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) doesn't know very much and isn't afraid to let the world know it. When he is wrong, which he often is, he shrugs it out with a smile, and is eager to listen to smarter voices. It is never fun to be the dumbest person in the room, but don't make it worse on yourself by acting like you are the smartest.
Ben Wyatt: Keep Your Nerdiness to Yourself
Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) is high in the running for the nerdiest guy in the history of the world. The nationally ranked Settlers of Cataan player is at his most effective in the workplace when he keeps his nerdlike tendencies to himself. Whether he is arguing over who is the best Star Trek captain, berating interns for their poor choice in fonts, or discussing the plotting of Fringe, Wyatt always loses the respect of his peers when he waxes nerdy.
Everyone is a nerd about something. Whether you can quote every line of Battlestar Galactica or you've memorized the stats of the top scoring fantasy running backs dating back to 1994, you probably geek out over something the wider world couldn't care less about. If you can't fight the need to share your knowledge of experimental jazz with your co-workers, deliver your insights in small chunks at appropriate points in the conversation. If your co-workers want to hear more, then, by all means, drop some more knowledge on them. Unfortunately for you all you dorks in the audience, the odds are good that they won't.
Chris Traeger: There is Power in Positive Thinking
A positive attitude is a great way to motivate your co-workers and ensure that you are well-liked around the office. Though Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) clearly suffers from OCD along with a number of other potentially more destructive mental challenges, he is beloved among his co-workers. The secret to Traeger's successs has been relentlessly positive feedback. Traeger cheers even the smallest of accomplishments from his least effective employees. What happens when Trager is forced to deliver bad news? He doesn't; he has his subordinates do it for him. Even when he delivers negative feedback, like after Ron's failed attempt to host a bar-b-que, he does it as cheerfully as possible. You likely aren't as fit as Traeger, nor as good looking, but we can all take a lesson out of his book and turn our co-workers frowns upside down. You don't need to be born with a rare blood disorder to view every day as a gift.
Ann Perkins: Don't Be Afraid to Make A Change
Sometimes, to get along with your co-workers you have to find new co-workers. Most of the Pawnee Parks Department employees have spent their entire careers working their way up the civic ladder. Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), on the other hand, has changed jobs almost as often as she's changed boyfriends over the years. She's been a nurse, a PR director, and a campaign manager during the course of the show. They say that no one ever said that they wished they had waited longer to quit their job, so if you are dissatisfied, it might be time take the Ann Perkins route. If you don't feel like being at work, then it might be time to find new work. In life, you don't have a team of writers to move you around in an attempt to make you more interesting, so you're going to have to write your own future.
Leslie Knope: Be Thoughtful, But Not Too Thoughtful
It is important to be considerate of your co-workers. Bringing in baked goods or springing for pizzas once in a while is sure to put you in your fellow office dwellers' good graces. There is, however, such a thing as being too thoughtful. Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is aggressively considerate of her co-workers. Her kindness towards her officemates often results in her inserting herself deep into the personal lives of those around her. Too often, she ends up attending their awards ceremonies, providing input on their romantic lives, and showing up at their homes uninvited. While Knope doesn't kill the rest of the Parks Department with kindness, she does smother them in handcrafted scrapbooks.
Even though the most intensely crafty among you still aren't likely to make calendars and quilts for your co-workers, Leslie can still be a lesson to you. It's easy to turn a thoughtful gesture into a move that blurs the lines between co-worker and close friend. No one wants to have to tell a co-worker, "You don't know me like that," so don't force the issue. It's good to do nice things for others—just make sure they're an appropriate reflection of your workplace relationship.