Project Drama and Workplace Advancement
What do project drama and workplace advancement have in common? They both seem to get attention. Are there other commonalities?
Career minded employees are hungry for opportunity. They often create some of the opportunities by attracting attention to their work.
Attention and Trust
Tesla recently smashed some windows on their new prototype truck. Was this a complete failure or was it really intentional to attract more attention?
Failure or success, it improved visibility. They received huge publicity and many preorders.
Many people would quickly suggest that means success. They only question some would ask is, “Can you trust the product?” If the glass breaks that easily, what else may happen?
Research suggests that customers who have experienced product or service challenges but have had their challenge resolved satisfactorily are actually more loyal than those customers who never had a problem at all. It may seem strange, yet it is true.
Project Drama
Back to the workplace. Does the squeaky wheel get the attention? The project that nearly fails as compared to the project that moved flawlessly from step-to-step? Which one received more attention? Which scenario creates more trust?
Many people wonder why Alice was promoted instead of Jane. After all, Alice’s work seems a little shaky.
We are in a society that is craving more and more attention. Social media feeds get flooded every day with attention seeking propaganda. Something as silly as “the cat meme” gets lots of attention. Smudge became popular overnight.
Onlookers often get irritated with attention seekers. Creating project drama is not a recommended practice. Yet, sometimes you have to toot your own horn and make some noise.
Breaking glass, literally, or metaphorically (glass ceiling, perhaps) also seems to attract some attention.
Does it help with workplace advancement? Does it inspire trust and create success?
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
