VH1’s The Gossip Game follows seven urban media professionals, as they navigate their way through the New York entertainment industry. From Hot97 to The Source magazine, these women are on top of their game. However, there is a lot to be learned from how these women interact with each other both personally and professionally.
Here are five business tips from this week’s episode of “The Gossip Game.“
1. Reduce and manage work-related stress.
Stress at work takes a toll on productivity, and also one’s mental, physical and emotional health. To cope with work stress, and to maintain focus and perspective it’s great to de-stress on a daily or even weekly basis. Although incorporating a stress relief routine in your workday requires time and effort, Kay Foxx was able to connect with her girlfriends to participate in an exercise aerobic class. It’s important to realize that the ability for a professional to manage stress can mean the difference between success or failure.
2. Relationships are key.
Everyone knows the age old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.†Business isn’t just business. Business is dealing and interacting with people on a daily basis — even as a business owner. Everything an individual wants to achieve in their career or through business is achieved through a relationship. In this episode Kim Osorio “schooled†Ms. Drama on importance of not burning bridge’s in the industry, “Relationships are everything. You need those relationships to get you in the door.†An element of success is being able to leverage powerful business relationships. Unfortunately, Ms. Drama seems to keep bridge burning.
3. Be innovative.
If you want to take the next step in your career, it’s important to search for new work experiences that will contribute to your life and career goals. Your experience will ultimately serve as your resume or “product.†Sharon Carpenter showed viewers in this episode that it’s important to be creative and innovative in order to take your career to the next level. For her, she desires a journalism career that expands outside of hip-hop, and in doing so she sought to do a hard-hitting news story that showed diversity and authenticity. Savvy professionals build their careers in the same way innovators build businesses.
4. Rebrand yourself if necessary.
Sometimes you may find yourself in a position where you want to regroup and successfully chart a new path or course for your career. Or the uncertainty of your current job situation, may also lead to an attempt in trying to revamp your career or transition into new one. Ms. Drama found herself in the same boat. The hip hop blogger was determined to start a new campaign to rebrand herself and her image with a photo shoot and editorial magazine feature. However, when you map out a strategy to rebrand yourself, make sure it is consistent with your personal goals and where you see your career in the future. Kim Osorio expressed, “You have to have the work to back it up.â€
5. Keep your personal business to yourself.
Your personal business is personal because it belongs to you. In business, you must separate your personal and professional life. JasFly had a personal conflict with Ms. Drama and ultimately discussed the situation with a business colleague that they shared. Discretion should be used when discussing personal matters (or gossip) with people who are not directly involved in the conflict. Although it may seem as though the person may be a business ally or friend, the information can later be used against both parties. People fail to realize that your words are what people will judge you by. Be cautious about the information that you share with people in business.