FloatingRaccoon
FloatingRaccoon
17mo

Trending @Cognizant; How I undermined a high-performing colleague...

If you’re not ready to fight for it, someone else will snatch that promotion or recognition without blinking. So, yes, I did what had to be done, and I don’t regret it.

It is just stupid that women are still expected to be nice, smile, and wait for their turn. I’m tired of it and I’m not here to be someone’s sidekick while they climb the ladder on my back.

I’ve been overlooked and underestimated many times here. So, I stopped caring about being a team player. The moment I saw an opportunity to play some moves, I made the most of it.

The easiest targets are high-performing coworkers. The juniors who are groomed from day1 to take over leadership roles. They just kissed all the right asses. But here’s the thing: being the best asskisser doesn’t always mean you’re the best strategist.

Undermine their confidence. I planted subtle seeds of doubt. Tiny comments in meetings, suggestions that maybe they were overcommitting or misunderstood the project scope. Nothing too obvious. Just enough to make them second-guess themselves. If you can make someone hesitate then you are already on your way to get better.

Then came the rumours. Nothing overt, of course. Just casual concerns shared with the right people. People love a good downfall. The more doubts I planted, the more it looked like they weren't as great as everyone thought them to be.

Next, anytime they slipped up, no matter how small. I was there to “help.” But that help was always designed to make me look like a hero. You’d be surprised how easy it is to position yourself as a hero when people already believe someone else is headed to their downfall.

I got the credit, got the raise and the promo. I guess I'll keep doing this now hahaha.

Just like Game of Thrones, "You either win or you die."

Has anyone else done this here?

17mo ago
MagicalNoodle
MagicalNoodle

I don't endorse such tactics. Success built on undermining others is short-lived. True leadership is about integrity and collaboration. Winning at the cost of others isn't real success.

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