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| NASA Romance Triangle Provides Wake Up Call on Office Romances |
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| 2/8/2007 |
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ROBIN'S PERSPECTIVE: With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the recent NASA love triangle story is a real wake-up call to everyone - demonstrating an extreme scenario of workplace romance turned to workplace violence.
NASA is calling for a reassessment of its psychological testing procedures on the theory that perhaps they missed some red flags with Capt. Lisa Nowak’s mental health. If you read Nowak’s bio, it is incredibly impressive, and apparently there was never even a hint of mental instability – before she fell in love at work. As the Nowak saga shows, all the intellect in the world can be rendered useless when overpowered by the emotion of romantic desire.
Nowak embarked upon a focused nine-hour car ride from Houston to Orlando (wearing a diaper to ensure she didn’t need to stop), where she assaulted her romantic rival, Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, with pepper spray in an airport parking lot. Nowak, Shipman and shuttle pilot Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, were involved in the most dangerous workplace romance: a love triangle.
Although sharing and teamwork are encouraged in the workplace, it’s still true that when Cupid figures into the mix, three is a crowd. The emotions of jealousy, anger, betrayal, rage and revenge make a deadly combination in the close quarters of the workplace.
If you or someone you know is experiencing the drama of a workplace love triangle, learn from the painful lesson of Capt. Nowak.
We all fantasize about how we’d like to get revenge against our romantic rivals, but is the object of your affection really worth tanking your career?
Do a reality check before your heart takes over your head. Walk away and find some way to redirect those competitive energies positively. If this love is meant to be, it will be – if not, another love will come along. I’ve heard it’s not easy to find true love in prison.
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