“A rising tide lifts all boats.”
This is how it should work. Healthy competition creates innovation. New ideas are motivating. When looking to provide the best service for your customers/clients/students, the spark may come from someone else.
“The tallest blade of grass is the first to be cut down.”
This is how it often works. Jealousy, envy, and laziness threaten to bring down those continuing to move the industry forward.
Jealousy – Currently at the top of their profession, when someone else comes up with a groundbreaking idea, they’re afraid they’ll lose their spot on the podium.
Envy – They wish they came up with the idea. They’re never the ones introducing fresh perspectives.
Laziness – It’s too much work to do things differently.
What Do the Jealous, Envious, and Lazy Do?
They should do nothing. If they can’t be bothered to stay at the forefront of their field, they should ignore what’s new. Unfortunately, they do something far worse than nothing, they tear down.
How They Tear Down
Fault-Find -They’ll denounce, poke holes in, question, disregard, gossip about, and belittle the idea, hoping that the innovator will give up. Frequently, they rally others, making it harder for the creator to continue. It’s hard to persevere when everyone is against you.
Tattle – Not reserved for elementary students. They’ll look for ways in which the new idea doesn’t align with the vision statement, so they can report it to the supervisor. Or, they’ll tell the supervisor that the innovator is going rogue, throwing off the harmony of the group. “The team needs to be consistent/aligned/unified.” This is bullshit code for someone’s making us look bad.
Sabotage – Most ideas require multiple individuals to implement. It’s very easy for the disgruntled to work half-heartedly, ignore guidance, make purposeful mistakes, skew data, or not implement with fidelity in order to see an idea crash and burn.
Complacency and stagnation are devastating. Equipped with the knowledge of how the jealous, envious, and lazy operate, it’s your responsibility to remain steadfast. Ignore the haters. Continuously explore ways to innovate, grow, and pioneer.
Always remember, “You will never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you. You will only be criticized by someone doing less.” – Denzel Washington
Leave a Reply