Taylor Tobin via Fairygodboss
In an ideal world, our promotion potential would have less to do with our personalities and more to do with our objective work performances. However, human nature makes that a somewhat unrealistic goal. Certain personality types tend to receive better work opportunities than others…and these six frequently find themselves overlooked when advancement possibilities arise.
1. The Chatty Cathy
Of course, strong communicators frequently receive positive attention from their supervisors. However, if your definition of “good communication” involves spreading rumors and spending your free time gossiping with coworkers, that attitude won’t present you as a desirable candidate for increased responsibility (and increased pay).
2. The Doormat
While effective employees seek to accommodate requests from their managers whenever feasible, pushovers who take on more than they can handle and who fail to speak up when they’re overwhelmed don’t appear especially professional to company decision-makers.
3. The Negative Nancy
Employees who constantly reject their colleagues’ suggestions, who complain on a regular basis without seeking to improve their situations, and who rarely have a positive word for anyone or anything in the office aren’t likely to earn the high opinions of their managers, which makes promotions rather unlikely.
4. The Damsel In Distress
An important part of being a good “team player” involves taking responsibility for your mistakes and viewing your weaknesses through a realistic lens. If you present yourself as a constant victim, always blaming others for missed deadlines or sub-standard work performance, you’ll have a hard time winning the trust of your colleagues (and, by extension, of your supervisor).
5. The Rage Monster
Temper tantrums really aren’t acceptable courses of action from anyone over the age of five…but some employees fail to realize this truth, instead opting to unleash their anger on their innocent coworkers. Managers with serious temper problems create a culture of fear, which typically proves toxic and doesn’t yield optimal results.
6. The Know-It-All
Employers certainly seek out knowledgeable workers with an interest in learning and sharing information. However, if you find yourself regularly correcting coworkers unsolicited, insisting that your ideas and strategies are far more enlightened than those of your colleagues (without any direct evidence to back up that belief), and generally making it obvious that you consider yourself the smartest person in the room, you’re likely to alienate both your direct coworkers and your supervisors, weakening your status when the time comes to award promotions.
A version of this post previously appeared on Fairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards and career advice.
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It’s interesting to me that half of these personalities have feminized names. Chatty Cathy, Negative Nancy, Damsel in Distress… This write-up comes across biased in a trite way.