Career Intensity by David V. Lorenzo, Business Coach and Advisor

February 9, 2006

Sex and Your Career

Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

I wish I had a dollar for each time this scenario occurred:

Boy meets girl in a work setting. There is an obvious physical attraction. Boy and girl “bump into each other” outside of the office. Flirtatious social relationship follows. This leads to wild, passionate, freaky, circus-like sex. Weeks pass and one party becomes disenamoured with the other. Relationship ends. Depression, anger and poor work performance follow. Awkward situations become the norm. Somebody gets fired.

Why do we get involved in sexual relationships with people in our work environment? After all, it is almost always a poor business decision. Here are some reasons why this happens:

Power is everything in the work environment. Many men (and some women) live to feel powerful. Sexual conquests, especially in a work setting, provide this feeling of power.

Work success breeds confidence. Many people who have never been particularly smooth in dealing with members of the opposite sex suddenly have a new-found confidence when they become successful at work. This confidence leads them to run around like dogs in heat.

Risk heightens excitement. People are often drawn to risky situations like moths are drawn to a flame. The emotion and passion of the moment get the best of them and they make a decision that feels good at the time but hurts their career in the long run.

This is a topic that can definitely be explored in greater detail. Look for additional posts in the future that discuss this issue.

Filed under: Career Limiting Behavior
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[…] MSN Careers has a bit of a different take on this topic than I do. Last week I posted my thoughts on office romance. In short, I said it was bad for your career. Careerbuilder (through MSN) gives you things to think about if you are going to find love in the next cube. They say: […]

Pingback by Career Intensity Blog - David V. Lorenzo — February 13, 2006 @ 22:57
[…] Sex in the Office Sex and Your Career […]

Pingback by Career Intensity Blog - David V. Lorenzo — February 14, 2006 @ 06:26

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