The Cosmic Career Coach

Dear Cosmic Career Coach,

I have a colleague, a Leo, who is causing lots of problems in our small office. Always the comedian, he is so busy "entertaining" us with his weekend exploits, career conquests and other various stories that he is rarely at his desk long enough to check his email! The rest of us are picking up his slack and becoming increasingly resentful. How do I get him to settle down so we can all get some work done?

—Resentful in Redmond

Dear Resentful,

Your astrologer sympathizes. Beneath most Leos' air of entitlement is a dirty secret, which is a load of self-doubt. Unlike the other eleven Zodiac signs, the average Leo doesn't feel the right to exist. Leos need to earn attention and get feedback and reinforcement—good, bad, or otherwise—in order to feel like they have made an impact on those around them. Many of them use the "entertaining" you describe to gain attention and, they hope, love.

As long as you're laughing or nodding patiently, your Leo cohort will keep giving the people what (he thinks) they want.

Since you're his peer and not his superior, you can't force him to settle down, and tattling to the boss doesn't make anyone look good. What you can do is shift how you supply him with attention. Next time the Leo approaches you with a tall tale, redirect him to work like this: Hey, I'd really love to hear about your (date, car wreck, political opinions, breakfast cereal) but I'm in the middle of this project we're doing. Why don't you tell me about it at lunch, when we've got more of this done? I'll be able to focus then.

This technique will show the Leo you accept his personality, but more importantly it teaches him he can entertain you only when work is on track. Share this strategy with work peers, and soon your coworker will be zipping through the backlog of work. After all, once he plows through his to-do list, he can get back to center-stage.

Famous Leos: Barack Obama, Gillian Anderson, Helen Mirren

Hot Careers for Leo

• Advertising
• Art & Design
• Marketing

Dear Cosmic Career Coach,

My boss is a Libra and it takes her forever to make a decision on big and little things alike. She has to gather everyone's input and gain consensus before deciding how to proceed. As an Aries, this drives me crazy. How do I get her to realize that she doesn't need everyone's opinion before making a decision?

—Impatient in Indianapolis

Dear Impatient,

What did you do in a past life, Aries, to land yourself a Libra boss in this one? Your boss will never shed her consensus-building methods, and you'd be ill-advised to battle her publicly. But before you pack up your cube, you have a few options.

First off, keep in mind that Librans are rational, fair people, and they respect others' efforts to be inclusive and empathetic. If you went to your boss and told her, in a very objective, impersonal way, that you feel your work-style demands more rapid decision-making, and that you'd be willing to present her with suggestions on how to speed up work functions, she'd listen without offense. After all, you're not only asserting your needs but possibly solving a problem you've identified. The result could be a new assignment or a modification of office methods. Librans, tacticians that they are, won't object to giving you a solo gig or expedited decision-making rights, as long as you act loyal and appreciative to the group as a whole.

Your other option: Quit. Brinksmanship—of a polite sort—does work with Libras. Get an offer, explain that you feel you have to take it due to work culture reasons, and see if Libra counters with something. If Libra doesn't, ask if you can keep her as a reference; she really will help going forward. If Libra counters, be prepared to accept a raise—then pursue the first step above.

Famous Aries: Al Gore, Jackie Chan, David Letterman

Hot Careers for Aries

• Management
• Computer Programming
• Nursing

About Jane Hodges, The Cosmic Career Coach Jane Hodges is a Seattle-based business writer. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, The Seattle Times, Seattle Magazine and many other publications. When she's not reporting on real estate or big business, she writes the "Seeing Stars" astrology column for Southwest Airlines' magazine, Spirit. She is also the author of Cosmic Grooves, a music and astrology book series (Chronicle Books/Rhino Records, 2001).