Have you ever worked with someone who acted like their job title made them a superior life form?
You know exactly who I’m talking about.
The red flags of the “better than” complex are obvious:
🚩 The folks who won’t help with customer service issues because that work is “beneath them now.”
🚩 The managers who don’t bother learning their team members’ names.
🚩 The directors who dismiss ideas from “lower-level” employees.
This “better than” complex is the workplace equivalent of wearing a self-important “Don’t You Know Who I Am?!” sign around our necks. In my workplace consultations, I’ve seen few things that kill team morale faster than “leaders” (I’m using that term loosely here) who engage in this ego-fueled foolishness.
This should go without saying, but the often-ignored custodian who dutifully cleans your office becomes very important when the trash starts piling up and your workspace smells like a landfill.
The admin assistant who is treated poorly becomes the most important person on earth when you’re locked out of your computer before a high-stakes meeting with the Board of Trustees.
While both of the above scenarios are true, it’s an embarrassment that crises are required for some people to see the obvious value in others.
Everyone plays a vital role, and no one is better than anyone else. If you’re going through your day acting as if your degree(s), your years of experience or your work title makes you superior to someone else, please check yourself.
Real talk my friend, we’re all just trying to get through the day without spilling coffee on ourselves.
Just be kind, and remember that we’re all on this journey together ❤️.