But that\u2019s not my job<\/em><\/strong>\u201d\u2026to most genuine requests.<\/p>\n Unless you intend to buy your way to the top, it\u2019s just not a wise thing for a person with career ambitions to say.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n But just as I advocate going out of your way, where possible - or necessary \u2013 to help out, I do NOT believe in the use of pretence. In other words, trying to curry favour by being a yes-man, or acting subservient, is not worth it.<\/p>\n
Most straightforward minded people will see through such actions, and instantly conclude you\u2019re not being sincere. That\u2019s likely to colour their perception of any other thing you do subsequently. <\/p>\n
Even when you do something useful, with no hidden motives, they\u2019re likely to read meanings into your efforts. You would be second guessed \u2013 a lot\u2026and it can become quite painful.<\/p>\n
A Reputation That Makes Others Unwilling to Trust You Will Be Costly<\/strong><\/h3>\nDo not do anything to make people start questioning your motives at work. <\/em><\/p>\n Carefully evaluate any activity you wish to engage in, before you take action. Weigh the pros and cons, to see if going ahead will be justifiable, and beneficial to the company. <\/p>\n
Consider any potential misinterpretations of your intentions that could occur. Ask a friend if you lack knowledge, insight or experience to do this as thoroughly as is needed. Doing so can save you pain!<\/strong><\/p>\nHere\u2019s why\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n My experience in organisational settings taught me that \u201csilent\u201d (and sometimes not-so-silent) rivalries of all kinds exist. It could be between individuals, groups or even departments. <\/p>\n
An employee wishing to flourish in the workplace must learn to navigate those \u201cmine fields\u201d of mistrust and suspicion, in carrying out his\/her duties. <\/h3>\n
No matter how neutral you act\/feel<\/strong>, if rivalry exists between your boss and another departmental head, for instance, you must exercise caution. <\/p>\nLet\u2019s say you have a skill you\u2019ve actively put to use to improve your department\u2019s performance. <\/strong><\/p>\n The other departmental head could request your help in developing similar solutions for her section.<\/p>\n
Being a naturally team minded player, with the interest of the company at heart, you could say YES. <\/strong><\/p>\nAnd it would normally be the right thing to do. <\/strong><\/p>\n However, doing so and especially going ahead to use your skills to develop those solutions for your boss\u2019 rival could spell trouble for you later on.<\/p>\n
How?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Well, your boss could interpret your action as a betrayal of sorts. What\u2019s more (and worse!), s\/he could actually conclude you did it deliberately, or that you\u2019re siding with his\/her perceived rival.<\/p>\n
Now, understand this. <\/em><\/p>\n At your level in the organisation, you may not be able to see what \"prize\" your boss and his\/her rival are \"chasing\". <\/h3>\n
They could both be eying a single top management opening. Despite knowing they both need to work for the overall company\u2019s interest, their personal ambitions could drive them to not <\/strong>cooperate as well as they could. <\/p>\nIn such instances, if your boss discovers you, a subordinate, helping \u201cthe enemy\u201d, s\/he could get upset. <\/strong>Some of the bosses can do this subtly. <\/p>\nInstead of making a scene, s\/he could make life difficult for you as a punishment. <\/em><\/p>\n Others simply let their emotions fly\u2026such that a casual observer could ask: \u201cBut why does the boss always speak or act harshly towards you?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n I say all these based on personal experiences and observations. <\/p>\n
Final Words: Avoid Interpersonal Complications - Like The Above Mentioned \u2013 Altogether!<\/strong><\/h3>\n Depending on how well managed a company is, a subordinate being victimised may - or may not - get \u201csaved\u201d from it. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s always better, to smartly evaluate potential implications of your intended actions, before <\/strong>you take them. That way, you\u2019ll be better able to steer clear of sticky situations, that could derail your career ambitions in the long run.<\/p>\nKeep the above in mind, as you seek to make useful impact to advance your career at work!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ambitious career persons sometimes get carried away by their desire for career advancement. So they do things more to impress decision makers, than to make useful impact in the workplace. Unfortunately, many end up sabotaging the careers they seek to progress in the process. This article offers ideas to help you avoid such a fate. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,266],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-employeescareer-persons","category-my-dn-travel-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":1344,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3012\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}