We’ve all encountered the 'overcompensator' throughout our lives, although many times they were mislabeled as overconfident or arrogant. Understanding that the base for this behavior is lack of self esteem, is what helps me ‘keep calm and carry on’.
The more you know, the more you have control on how you feel and act. This is my workforce cheat-sheet checklist:
Leaders, managers and HR have an obligation to the company as a whole, and to the employees they hire in specific, to take action. You spotted the difference, what can you do?
1. Stop enabling this behavior. When unwanted behavior is left unhandled, miscommunicated, untimely attended to, or ignored, a spark of distrust begins to surface and spread.
2. Labeling and rewarding a percentage of “Key/Star employees”, is easily interpreted as ‘favoritism’.
3. Enforce documentation processes. A colleague once told me she documents her work in such a way, that anyone could pick up where she left, if she randomly got hit by a bus. A bit morbid, yet great approach.
Spotted this and ready to take action for immediate change? If you’re looking for a straightforward, creative, modern approach, let’s chat.
-E