Why Do Spineless Suck-Ups Get Ahead?

Dear Liz,

I'm in a frustrating spot. I did so well at this job at first, but now I'm really stuck. I was in Inside Sales and I got promoted a year ago. Now I have a job (Traffic Coordinator) that is both stressful and boring. The upward advancement possibilities are slim and none because the "job is so critical."

That's what my Director has said both times I asked her about trying something else in the department.

I've asked her point-blank "Can I try a different job here?" and she's said "I can't look at doing that now. I really need you where you are. Be happy for now -- you do a great job."

On top of that, three of my co-workers working in Inside Sales, where I came from, have been promoted to Inside Sales Team Leaders while I run around all day making sure that our customers' orders get shipped.

Now my three former cube-mates are responsible for supervising other people. All three of them have slacker tendencies but they know how to suck up to the managers.

They tell me what they don't like about their jobs but they'd  never tell their own manager, because they are spineless.

The whole thing makes me discouraged but I know I have a 'good job' so I don't want to leave. I am 26 and I can do much more than what this job requires. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Melanie

Dear Melanie,

I remember being 26 and it wasn't a bowl of cherries. Many folks run into the same issues you are facing now at right about your age.

You want to use your heart and your brain at work, and who can blame you? It's great that you want to do more in your job, and be responsible for more than you are responsible for right now.

The first step in making any big change is to look inside. Right now your energy is outwardly-focused.

You are wasting precious mojo analyzing the fitness of each of your former Inside Sales colleagues for their new jobs - but why is that your problem? Those folks are on their path, and you are on yours. 

If the company messed up three times promoting three slacker tush-kissers, then its leaders will learn from that experience.

Sometimes -- if not every time -- it is easier to see other people's problems, and even to solve them, than to see (or solve) our own.

You are in a critical job, as your Director keeps telling you. You must do your job well or they would have let you move into another spot (or given you your walking papers) by now.

You are competent. Take a moment and let that feeling drop into your body. That's a big deal. Not everyone feels competent and well-regarded at work.

Most of us are so focused on the next thing that we don't stop and say "Hey! I figured out how to do this thing that not everyone can do. That's pretty cool."

You are at a career resting place. You want to be at the Utah Salt Flats barreling down the road at 600 mph but the universe wants you to learn something else before you leave this job. What could that something be?

That's your task -- to answer that question!

What good would it do you now to job-hunt outside the company, before you've figured out what you want?

It is easy to label other people suck-ups and spineless creatures, but how honest have you been with your Director?

You've asked her about taking a different job in the department but you haven't said "Here's what I'm passionate about, and here's how I see my talents meshing with the needs of the department. Here's a path I could follow. What do you think?"

You could get altitude and look down at your teammates and see how your department fits together, and fits into the company as a whole.

You could notice what's changing and where you could make a greater impact in a new role.

You could make a plan. You could set out a roadmap for your Director to sign on to, rather than asking her to solve your problem for you. 

No manager is going to be impressed or swayed by the message "Let me out of this job!' because it means that you haven't thought beyond your own desk.

When your Director tells you "Sorry, I can't move you into another job right now" she's taking the chance that you might leave the company, because she probably picks up that you won't -- not at the low level of altitude where you're flying right now.

That's okay. This is a great time to stop and look, and see where your path leads from here.

Your first step is to stop worrying about who's a suck-up and who isn't, and figure out what you want for yourself.

Start way, far out in the future and work your way back to today. Design the life and career you want and then invite your Director to help you move the next few steps on your path.

What does your magnificent and exciting life plan suggest about your next career move, inside your company or somewhere else? Your assignment is to get that answer. Enjoy the investigation!

Best,

Liz 

Our company is called Human Workplace. Our mission is to reinvent work for people.