Six things that will inhibit your greatness this year
Well, we tend to believe that all/most human beings share the common innate need to belong as expressed by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. This is one of the deep-rooted human desires that also leads us to explore career opportunities. We feel at home when surrounded by people with whom we share common passions, knowledge, ambitions, experience, etc. And this is also one of the most important traits HR looks out for because you have to be a people person. However certain traits and habits can hinder us from mingling with peers and fitting in well inside the company. In our continued series where we seek to provide you actionable insights into how you can change your brand this year, let’s delve into these 6 cancers that can stop you from achieving your career goals. And remember- Opportunities are tied to people!
Cynicism
As described by Wikipedia, Cynicism is an attitude or state of mind characterized by a general distrust of others’ motives. A cynic may have a general lack of faith or hope in the human species or people motivated by ambition, desire, greed, gratification, materialism, goals, and opinions that a cynic perceives as vain, unobtainable, or ultimately meaningless and therefore deserving of ridicule or admonishment.
In simple terms, have you ever met those negative people in the office who just trash every idea or opinion? They seem to lock heads with almost everyone in the office. They walk around with an aura of doubt, not just about themselves but everything & everyone around them. Their skepticism is so profound that they just don’t believe a person can be nice well just for being nice! They can sometimes exhibit this trait by gossiping too much about management and their superiors, expressing frustration about every single thing in the office, and in extreme moments, even rebellion.
Friend, you are the company you keep. Surround yourself with positive energy always. Because attitude rubs off on people. And if you’re cynical, try to expose yourself to things that make you happy. Like kittens, puppies, funny clips on Facebook, attend a charity and see the good in humans and try an attitude of gratitude i.e. every day count 10 things you’re grateful for. And the greatest gift of all, HEALING. If your mistrust was caused by what someone else did to you, forgive them. You deserve better. Let it go. Let yourself go and see how far you will soar!
Criticism
Wikipedia- To criticize does not necessarily imply “to find fault”, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an object against prejudice, no matter positive or negative. Often criticism involves active disagreement, but it may only mean “taking sides”. It could just be an exploration of the different sides of an issue.
Rightly explained, criticism can be good or bad. The key here is the motive behind the criticism. Just like the cynical coworker, if your motives to express dissatisfaction with something or someone come from a bad place, then dude we got a problem! Or you’re just the guy who’s always criticizing others, this puts off other colleagues from engaging with you or sharing their ideas. Just like the Cynical, you become the negative person in the room or meeting. This can also harm you since your manager might also not feel the urge to share ideas with you. Again, think positive thoughts and before you critique someone, always ask yourself, “What’s the real motive behind what I’m about to say?”.
Comparing
Wikipedia- The comparative expresses a comparison between two (or more) entities or groups of entities in quality, quantity, or degree; the superlative is the form of an adverb or adjective that is the greatest degree of a given descriptor.
One of the causes of negative energy in a person is comparison. When you’re always evaluating yourself against your sister, coworker, classmate, mentor, etc, you’ll almost always fall short. This can lead to discouragement & even resentment where you start ‘hating’ on those who are doing better than you or trying too hard to be someone else. My favorite quote on this is by Bruce Lee, “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”
Competing
We all know this type. Everything seems like a competition to them. Even the smallest things. They will Tweet and Whatsapp about the smallest fetes. While a competitive spirit is good, we are discouraging the extreme spirit of competition that leads to hate or cutting corners. When you find yourself thinking of undercutting someone else’s success or even doing something illegal just to get to the top, then boy we have a problem!
I tend to think of myself as a competitive person. But maybe that’s ingrained in us from childhood in the exams we take and innocent games we play. They instill in us the feeling that #1 gets rewarded and no one else matters. Competition keeps you on your toes though. And it pushes you beyond limits known to you at times. For instance, a new position opens up after someone has resigned. Great huh? So how do you get this new job and outperform others? We believe you should make yourself knowledgeable about the role & responsibilities and even start showing your manager how you can execute them. Express GENUINE interest in the job and your capabilities to perform. Just focus on you and no one else. Just like a cheetah when it sees a prey. Go after your prey and don’t look at anything else. Competition can distract you from the real goal. Which is to advance your career through this opportunity. The goal is never to be better than someone else.
Complaining
A sister to the cynical person and the critic, the complainer will always find something to whine about. The best you can do to yourself this year is rid yourself of complainers. Again, misery loves company. You can choose to see dark clouds in the skies when others are seeing rainbows. It’s all between your head. Change how and what you think about!
Contending
Dictionary.com describes this as to strive in rivalry; compete; vie: to contend for first prize. 3. to strive in debate; dispute earnestly:
This is somewhat similar to competing but with more regard to argumentative people. You know them. The ones who can argue about Manchester United vs Arsenal all day. Vegan or Not. Fur or Not.And many other senseless debates. They find pleasure in arguing and proving THEIR point of view. Yours doesn’t matter. They have to win at the end of the day. Even digging up facts and celebrity sayings. HR looks out for team players. And this will come through even from the interview stage as we mentioned in our earlier article. Listening is a skill. Learn how to pay attention to people’s viewpoints. Understand where they are coming from. Figure out their personality types and hence the best way to raise your point across without seeming defensive.
#FromJobonicswithlove, let us know other topics/issues that are affecting you at work and we will be sure to highlight them through our channels.
Take charge of this new year and remember to be YOU!
Still looking for more? Check out https://medium.com/jobonics/3-things-we-wish-experts-told-us-earlier-about-finding-your-dream-job-9f2142f8087c
