Aside from being perplexed about being “a cardboard cut out” (see post #3), I often found myself completely baffled by people who seemed to glide through work without anything sticking to them. They could walk through a situation where s*#t was flying, and walk away crisp and clean – not a hair out of place. They didn’t do anything, didn’t add anything, yet somehow they appeared (and thought) that they were central to tee-ing up the resolution.
To say this was frustrating is a gross understatement. Infuriating is more like it. Like, WTF??
Only recently have I begun to realize that what “those people” were doing was also a defense – a well crafted way of staying safe. This particular defense is often mistaken for skill, confidence and enviable style by unaware bosses and HR departments – which only makes it that much more confusing, and deeply irritating for coworkers.
There I was trying desperately to catapult myself into irrevocable ok-ness, and here is someone graced with the ability to always get the accolades by doing… nothing. At the time, it seemed I was missing the panache gene. I now recognize that what that person had was a well-developed safety mechanism, which I’ve nicknamed “The Teflon One”. (I like naming common safety strategies; it makes me feel better). I stayed safe by working harder and avoiding criticism. This person stayed safe by not allowing anything to stick to them…ever.
