By J. Mason
Online Career Tips Editor
Being proud of your work is a good thing. That confidence can be a great driver in furthering projects, and can be used to encourage co-workers as well. The line that rarely gets drawn is when your work is too self-serving, and is causing rifts within your department.
Authentic self-esteem comes from within. According to Dr. Joseph Burgo at PsychologyToday.com, while receiving a compliment creates a boost in ego, it is superficial and results in the person needing additional reassurance. It is great to be praised by those around you at work, especially your boss and leadership, but unless you’re fulfilled and pleased with the work you do that ego may need a constant crutch to stand on.
Here is where narcissism takes a seat. With narcissistic people they “crave attention and admiration to ward off feelings of shame or regret.” When you send an email to “toot your own horn” are you neglecting to mention other people involved? Not sharing the stage because it takes away the spotlight from you is a bad move. You know the saying, “give credit where it’s due,” is a great thought to keep in mind when praising your involvement in a project. After you hit a homerun at work is your natural instinct to tell everyone about it, or stew in the glory but move along with your other work? Both can be narcissistic, but in the workplace it’s when you externalize where it starts to get debatable.
Workplace narcissism can be a great quality when it’s applied to certain things. For example, event planning, strategic relationship building, and sales, are all great equalizers for narcissism. If you’re in a more dependent environment try using that overzealous confidence you have in yourself with your co-workers. If we were perfect the way we are we would be running things, but the fact of the matter is we can learn something from everyone we interact with. With most fields evolving and changing by the minute, it doesn’t hurt to get a well-rounded perspective on your areas of extreme expertise. This form of ego isn’t a super power, it can be a handicap. Use your abilities to better yourself in your position, and take the “me” and “I” out of every email and project. Unless you’re a solopreneur there are others around you committing themselves just as much, if not more, than you.
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