Unmasking workplace saboteurs for career progression & happiness
In our daily work, it can sometimes feel like we encounter saboteurs designed to get in our way of professional progress —be they colleagues, direct reports, managers or even wider systemic issues like an overly competitive culture. These things can definitely obstruct our path to success.
The catch, however, is that changing these external elements isn't always within our power.
So, where do we begin?
Well, dear gentle reader (ps I’ve just binge watched Bridgerton - I know I’m behind the curve here but loved it!!) it actually begins with you!
Starting with your own mind
Because you can’t change how other people think or behave (as much as you might like to!) so the place to start is becoming aware of and unravelling the workplace saboteurs that reside within your own mind.
This has certainly been true for me at points in my career and life - so consumed with how everyone else was treating me and playing the blame game, I didn’t see what I could in fact control and change in myself
Consider this:
Imagine a workplace sabotage scenario that I am sure will be familiar to you: a colleague appropriating your ideas and passing them off as their own. Imagine this has been going on for a while, and is starting to affect your prospects for recognition and advancement in the company.
Ask yourself…
1. What beliefs are fuelling these sabotaging behaviours?
What do you believe about how ideas should be recognised and rewarded?
Perhaps you hold the belief that hard work alone should suffice, expecting others to intuitively recognise your contributions? Perhaps you believe your colleague to be someone unscrupulous so you kind of expect (and tolerate) their behaviour?
2. What actions might unwittingly perpetuate this internal sabotage?
Sometimes we don’t realise how we ourselves are fuelling the very behaviours we don’t want.
Perhaps you persist in sharing your ideas with this colleague, despite past betrayals? Or maybe you find yourself withholding your ideas in meetings, allowing others to claim credit for your ideas due to your silence?
3. How do your thought patterns contribute to these sabotaging behaviours?
On repeat our thoughts become our actions, which become our habits and in turn our way of life
Perhaps you succumb to a victim mindset, bemoaning the toxicity of your workplace rather than being accountable for your own behaviours? Or, perhaps you worry so much about how others will see you if you start “boasting” about your achievements and ideas that you’d rather stay quiet and silently fester with annoyance that seeps into the rest of your day and performance?
Unmasking the saboteurs
The answers to the above questions illuminate the intricate web of beliefs, actions, and thought patterns that contribute to your situation. Addressing inner saboteurs is akin to lifting a weight off our shoulders, enabling us to navigate our own workplace challenges with greater ease. And the really amazing thing is, once we start working on our own mindset, something magic can start to happen with others around us to, a kind of positive ripple effect that weakens the saboteurs of others too.
As a certified coach in the Positive Intelligence system, I guide individuals through understanding how their minds work against them, facilitating the combat of self-sabotaging behaviours, and ushering in transformative change from the six weeks programme (in fact most clients report feeling significantly more positive in just 3 weeks)
For those seeking personalised recommendations to overcome their workplace saboteurs, I invite you to schedule a complimentary consultation. You'll receive access to free online assessments that unveil your personal saboteurs, fostering immediate self-awareness.
Don’t let your inner saboteurs hold you back from your dream career destination