Have you ever been in a meeting where you saw another person clearly undercut their co-worker so they would look better than them? Likely, we’ve all seen it a bunch of times and it makes us nauseous each time it happens. We might have even been on the receiving end of this and so put back by it that we didn’t know how to respond in real time. It’s a terrible feeling. CEO, Jim VandeHei calls these people the “Wannabes”. They are so ambitious, or insecure, or both, that they will take credit, put down someone, cut a corner or even misrepresent something just so they can get the upper hand or get ahead. We can forgive those that are immature or haven’t been taught better, but if we don’t nip this in the bud then these people could tend to grow up into Weasels (which we learned about yesterday). You might be reading this and saying, “Why do we always have to be ones who step and up and don’t let these people get away with their behavior?” Well, we don’t have to do anything. But, if we want a healthy workplace that we want to be in, then we all have the responsibility to point out what isn’t right and isn’t working for us. It’s the adage, “See something, say something”. If we have the courage to do so, everyone around us will be happier, ourselves included.
We are all ambitious. I’m not sure there is anything wrong with wanting to progress and achieve in our careers. Where things do go wrong is when we let that become the driving force within us and we put aside our values, principles and true inner purpose, just so we can get ahead. This is a slippery slope that can start with the small and then one day turn into the big, so it is imperative that we are always checking ourselves to be sure that our motives are pure well before we take actions that are self-serving.
Reference: James 3:16 (New Living Translation)