We’ve all encountered different types of workmates—some are keepers and others are not. My interactions with both have helped me better navigate workplace dynamics. The key is knowing who to manage (or avoid at all cost) and who to regard as trusted colleagues. There are many types of characters but I’ll focus on only two for an easy read.
THE POWER TRIPPER. I find much worse power trippers that belong to the lower rungs of the office hierarchy. They usually work directly with the powers that be and ride on their coattails. This is ‘perceived power’ and can be dangerous. When I was working for a multinational conglomerate, a couple of employees were overbearing and acted superior towards me. One gave out instructions that she claimed came from our boss. It was good that I confirmed it with him as it turned out to be inaccurate. The other one had a gatekeeping role with my direct boss and took every opportunity to make access to him difficult for me. I learned to be creative to successfully get an audience.
In a different company, I followed up on a colleague on her writing assignment. It was for a special project the COO had asked me to lead. This colleague said she already submitted her draft to her boss. That there was no need for me to see it because her boss would finalize it for his use. What was worse was that she told me this in a condescending voice loud enough for everyone within earshot to hear.
I was a bit annoyed that she drew other’s attention to our little tete-a-tete. Despite that, I tried to be patient. I told her it was my job as the project lead to review the messaging of what she wrote. I needed to ensure there was no duplication with others, and that it was correct in tone and grammar. I also told her she shouldn’t let her boss finish her work for her. There was a tearful confession of insecurity over her writing skills. And I assured her she could always come to me for help. We closed amicably what could have been an ugly encounter.
Now why do I say perceived power is dangerous? It’s because power trippers can use it to bully others or get their way in less than righteous ways. It’s also annoying to see it in action and tempting to put power trippers in their rightful place.
THE SLY FOX. Ah, this one I always find out too late. It’s because they are usually nice in front of you. But behind the smile lies a different character. I was training my second-liner in many aspects of our work which made her workload a little heavier than others (for which her pay was also bumped). She would say her load was bearable when asked. If she found it too much to handle, I would delegate some of her tasks to others. I thought she was cooperative and agreeable, and TBH, I kinda liked her. So it came as a surprise to me when I learned this subordinate had been griping to others. She had painted me as ‘’very particular’’ or a perfectionist, and worse, some sort of a slavedriver. I couldn’t help but shake my head and think that she totally missed the point, that her training was intended for her career growth.
I had the misfortune of meeting not one, not two, but several individuals with this sly character in another workplace. I came to this office with all the good intentions. I wanted to contribute and make a difference. I even took a huge pay cut because I intentionally joined them only as a staff. But I found productivity quite low in the team I was placed in. My teammates told me they only waited for the higher-ups to hand down some tasks. When I broached this to our boss, he decided to give me license to initiate projects to improve our efficiency and productivity. I worked with my teammates on this and in a few months, management cited our group as the most improved.
But not long after that, a handful of concerned colleagues dropped a bomb. They said a few of my teammates were responsible for some malicious gossip against me in the office grapevine. At first, I did not want to believe it because after all, we were able to hit our targets by working as a team. I was also saddened because we’ve been doing a good job so far. But the thought that they were insincere in their interaction with me was just something I couldn’t stand.
My friends said these individuals saw me as competition for the vacant lead position in our team. I guess it didn’t help that our boss told me to apply for it. At first, I took the initial steps to do so, but soon realized I actually had no desire for it. To placate the naysayers, I announced that I had no intention to apply for the leadership role. To drive home my point, I told our director I would stop all my initiatives to continue improving our productivity. The behavior of some of my teammates had totally soured my desire to contribute everything I could to the team. But despite this, the vitriol continued. So much for good intentions, right?
To make the story short, I resigned when I got an offer to work as a Communications Consultant for an intergovernmental organization. So yes, I had the misfortune of encountering these two undesirable workplace characters. But I also had the good fortune of having colleagues who were downright amazing. Watch out for my next column story to know more about them.
