Y
ou have bad luck. You keep get-
ting sanctioned, you never get
the good projects, or you have
really warped teammates. Or maybe-
-just maybe—it is not them, it is you.
Here are 5 ways to tell if you are the
problem.
You have had multiple
micro-managing boss-
es.
We all know that micro-managing
bosses exist. But, if you have had two
or three in a row, there is a real possi-
bility that they are not so much micro-
managers as they are managers who
recognize that you need to be micro-
managed.
Some employees are sloppy with their
work.
You get punished for
behaviour your col-
leagues get away with
If you show up for work 15 minutes late,
the supervisor issues a query, but if
your colleague gets in 20 minutes later
than you do, no one says anything
to her. Sometimes that is an example
of managers playing favourites, but
sometimes it is an example that the
employee is clueless as to the effects
of her actions.
If your manager is punishing you for
behaviour that your teammates do
as well, it is highly likely that he is
attacking this behaviour because you
are doing something else wrong, like
missing deadlines, holding up other
people's work, or ignoring customers.
Check and see what problems are
caused by your mistakes.
Your team-mates never
want to eat lunch with
you
•
Do you "order expensive" and
then split the check evenly? Do
you order fresh fish, wine and piz-
zas while your co-workers order
sandwiches and water and then
you say, "Hey, let us just divide the
bill evenly; it is easier."?
•
Are you a whiner? Yes, misery
loves company and coworkers
frequently complain to each
other at work, but the topics
are generally limited to topics of
shared misery--the bad boss, the
crazy deadlines, etc.
•
Are you a bit gross? Do you chew
with your mouth open? Pack
lunches that are excessively smelly
– e.g. fufu; locust beans, etc?
You
had
multiple
encounters with dif-
ferent chauvinists
We all know that these people exist,
but it is not ever-present. If you are
constantly encountering. Sometimes
people are jerks. Sometimes you are
getting "picked on" because you are
a low performer. Sometimes people
mean no offense when they say things.
It is a better idea to assume that
people are not being chauvinists, but
are rather acting in good faith. Try to
assume this going into your relation-
ships with other people. If your man-
ager corrects you, honestly evaluate
if you need correcting before jump-
ing to the conclusion that you are
being singled out because you are
not young.
Everyone you work
with is really stupid
Now, there is a really good chance
that you will work with one or two
people who are dumber than an ass.
But, if everyone is, you may need to
rethink your definition of stupid. Are
you defining these people as incom-
petent because they disagree with
you? It may well be that they just dis-
agree with you.
Are you defining them as not so bright
because they do not understand
what you are saying? Is it possible that
you are not a good communicator? Is
it possible that you do not understand
what they are saying, and not the
other way around?
Whenever, there is a problem at work,
you need to look at the possibility that
the world is not out to get you--that
you just may be the person who needs
to change.
April - June 2015 •
The Lion King
• 41
Productivity |
Feature
The ‘Me’
Check
By Durojaiye Olalekan
