Employee Personalities: Heroes, Martyrs and Villians

In today's inter-generational work environment, some people in the diverse workforce approach their daily routine differently. For example, some of staffers may show great initiative while others simply wait for assignments to come to them. Still others avoid taking risks out of concern that their ideas may not yield desired results. Often employees are judged based on the path they use to take on work projects.

As result, we may create perceptions of our peers based on first impressions that may not always be rooted in fact. These perceptions are based on our feelings and may not always be rooted in fact. For example, one type of work place perception is the "office hero." You know the type; they are always "leaping over defeat in a single bound." They may often brag about accomplishing things on behalf of others by doing solo work. Then the person maligns their peers with a statement about "stepping up to meet the challenge." An example of this was displayed on a recent episode of the TV show "Suits" in which the character Luis Litt tried to make himself the hero to impress another partner at his law firm.

This type of fabricated "heroism" can create animosity among colleagues, especially those always singled out as not contributing to the overall good of team, despite their best efforts.
Another work place personality is the "martyr." Their daily diatribe is focused on being burdened with too much work while others simply do nothing. Every time this person speaks, it seems like the song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" begins wafting through your mind. Their mantra is a "woeisme" scenario where they distill story after story about being the only ones working no matter the size of the office or team.

For every office, there is a perceived villain in each work place narrative. This person or persons are identified as the sole reason for halting progress. Sometimes when stories about heroes, villains and martyrs continue to spin through cubicle havens, people may begin to think that what is perceived is actually reality.

On the TV show suits, often the character of Luis Litt lashes out to hurt others at work when his effort to be the hero and the martyr simultaneously does not work. His lack of emotional intelligence can be detrimental to others. Also, consider the fact that sometimes we try to make ourselves the hero of the office narrative as a way to bring attention to our overlooked work and aspirations. As a result, when some perceive their coworkers always as the villain, martyr or hero they tend to forget that they missed out on an opportunity to get to know the truth about that person via real world work experiences.  

So, what can be done to reduce or stop the cycle of inaccurate work place personalities based on perceptions? Get up front your desk and get to know the other people inside and outside of your team. Volunteer for tasks that will allow you to follow others lead instead of always wanting to lead the pack to greatness. Learn more about your colleagues’ motivations and begin to share insight into how you operate as well. Then share information about opportunities that will allow both of you to grow professionally.

Work Place Personalities Inspired by the TV Show "Suits" - Heroes and Victims

     Some work environments are comprised of a variety of people and their personalities. There are saints, worker-bees, leaders and numerous others that make up the team of people you collaborate with on a daily basis. People spend a majority of their days and nights focused on work projects and strategies. They also become more aware of the source of potential conflicts. Scarce resources, incompatible goals and perception issues are tantamount to creating hostility among work place colleagues.


Often these personalities work fine when focused on a common goal. However, there are times when the things like perception wreak havoc on a work environment. On a recent episode of the TV Show "Suits" the character Luis Litt, a partner in a New York Law Firm decided to fabricate a situation in which he would save the day in order to earn another partner's adoration. Luis' actions of pretending to support another colleagues' inappropriate behavior had one main goal: to create the "hero" persona he craved at work.

The issue with creating false expectations or situations where one person is the sole hero is that after a while your peers will tire of feeling like there is only one savior in every work place situation. So how do you combat peers trying to use the "Hero" syndrome at work to make you and your colleagues look bad? Create a way to redistribute the work load so that only one person is perceived as leading the pack. In addition, get out of your comfort zone and talk with others to generate buzz regarding your extraordinary work efforts. Distribute weekly project tracking reports touting your work place progress.

Another work place personalities is the staffer who self-identifies as the "office victim." Their "whoaistome" attitude leaps front and center where the self proclaimed victim describes a litany of lies describing office scenarios where they seem to be "overwhelmed" every day. It is a unique situation and a difficult one to manage. For example, some peers may be readily interested in knowing why one person is always crying foul about being overworked while simultaneously making it  seem like their colleagues are not doing enough to support the organization's mission.

In the TV Show Suits, the same character Luis Litt always makes himself the "office victim" so he can garner attention and support from others. Litt's characters garners so much interest in this type of diatribe. Therefore, he has the ability to control the narrative because there will always be others who want to save the day by unleashing  their "hero persona."

The challenge is ensuring that you are not perceived as the person who is perceived as creating the unfair work environment where your peer or peers are considered as the only ones making an effort. How can one possibly combat this type of scenario? Take control of the "office victim" narrative by sharing your own account of your work related progress. The fine balance is to ensure that you discuss your collaborative accomplishments as a team so as to avoid the perception that you are aiming to become the next workplace "hero."

How do you manage incorrect office perceptions? You can ignore the inaccurate narrative and assume your extraordinary work will make you stand out. You may consider going directly to the person spinning the inaccurate opinions, however there is a potential they will cry foul as to yield a victim scenario that will only hinder your efforts. A third more advantageous option is to increase your awareness of the hero/victim spin cycle that is going on. Be cognizant of your peer's perception, acknowledge that their perceptions even if you disagree with their assertions.  Then continue to focus on generating tangible work products by leveraging team work.

The office hero and victims play is a strategy used by some colleagues that may lack certain skills, have low confidence or are simply trying to garner the attention of leadership by spinning the narrative of the office politics. Your goal is to not be distracted by the weekly "heroes and victims" scenarios because this type of effort has little staying power. Moreover, your ability to focus on your work and less on others' work place whims will result in tangible work products that advance the organization's mission.

Perception: 5 Tips to manage perception at work

Once upon a time, people only need to focus on hard work, determination and measurable results to be considered a top performer in the office. Then time changed and employees began to barter in one unique thing: information. Instead of delving into projects, some of them focused on things like perception.

Then all of a sudden, people began to pick and choose people for key projects based on their perceptions about others. As you may know, perception is not always rooted in fact or based in reality. It is however, someone's reality- right or wrong and can create a boat load of problems for those on the negative receiving end.

Another issue with the whole "perception is reality" issue is that people begin to believe the perceptions based on predetermined biases instead of investigating the facts. Moreover, if a person's confidence is on the bubble, they may accept the negative perceptions others are saying about them.

What should you do when an inaccurate perception about you arises at work? One critical organizational tool is managing perception at work. When you learn how to master the others' perception of you, the ability to achieve great things may be realized.

Top 5 Things to Manage Perception at Work:

1. Go outside your comfort zone by talking with everyone. 
2. Learn about others' interests and be genuine 
3. Be helpful with no expectation of a thank you
• This is a reflection of your kindness. However, do not mistake being supportive as being a doormat
4. Ensure you are cognizant of shared resources and communicate any changes to the entire team
5. Gain an informal mentor who can help you navigate office politics

Know When to Turn down Assignments at Work

Since the time we were in middle school, we were raised to be number in everything. School, sports, music and more, the best spot for you was always volunteering to take the first place. Then time passes, college graduation ends and you enter the work world. The pressure is set from day one to be number one in the office. Some people measure success by the number of tasks you take on compared to your peers. Well, all that volunteering to take the lead on projects also has its drawbacks.

Top 7 Reasons to Turn down Work Assignments

1. You may not be able to drop other work to focus on new endeavors
2. People who take on multiple projects that eventually overload themselves tend to complain about being overworked much to the chagrin of their peers
3. It is perfectly fine to not be number one in taking on new initiatives so that you can complete your current projects
4. You may require additional training and there may not be enough time to ramp up your skills before the deadline
5. Burn out happens. Take notice, consider your priorities and ask others for help
6. Ensure the projects that you are focusing on actually support the organization's mission and they are not just "vanity tasks"
7.  Be mindful that your world is not just about work, your family and friends are important too