By Dr. Anthony Policastro
Awards are given out for many things in workplaces. There is a group of individuals in each location that always seem to have problems with the winners. They tend to find reasons why the individual did not deserve it. Or they tend to act like the boss is playing favorites.
What they fail to realize is that they were not a candidate for that award in the first place. Therefore, it is not like they would have won it if the other person did not. Instead of being happy for them, they are more content to just criticize.
In the 1980’s Steven Covey wrote a book titled “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. There were many principles in that book.
Two of them reflect attitudes that people have. One of those is called the abundance mentality. These are individuals who have an inner sense of self worth. They realize that recognition of people gives those others a positive vibe that makes them more productive. And since they are in the same organization, it makes it win-win for them.
They understand that celebrating someone else’s success does not diminish the part that they play. It aligns with a growth mindset. We are all in this together. Let’s make it better that way.
The opposite of the abundance mentality is what is known as the scarcity mentality. These are individuals who believe that someone else’s success means there is less recognition to go around for everyone else. It is a very cynical approach to life.
There are several factors related to this. The first is what is called a “zero-sum” belief. This suggests that there is a limited amount of rewards. If someone else wins, that means you lose. They fail to see that if that person does not win, you will not either. It’s not you or them.
These individuals also tend to have an underlying problem with sharing in general. They do not like to share recognition. They do not like to share credit. That is true even if the credit was deserved.
Their underlying fear is that there will never be enough to go around. The result is unnecessary stress and anxiety. They bring it on themselves.
It also leads them to have a negative attitude toward collaboration. They fear someone else will get credit for what they have done. They fail to realize that it takes many talents to get things done.
When I speak to the Junior ROTC classes at the local high schools, I ask them how successful they think a hospital would be if the only people working there were doctors.
There is an approach to dealing with this for people experiencing that kind of anxiety and stress. They can recognize the role others play and thank them for that. They can look for the Win-Win solutions. They can understand that if things are not going well, that creates an opportunity for growth.
We do not live in the kind of vacuum that scarcity mentality fears. We are all part of collaborative efforts. The way to succeed in those is to understand collaboration and celebrate it. It is the way to keep our anxieties from worsening.