It’s in our nature to talk about people we want to be like but I think there’s one general guideline in project management that also applies to personal growth:
Identify what it isn’t to define what it is.
Basically, I’m saying that to define who you want to be you also need to be able to identify what characteristics you don’t want to have. I’m a fan of extracting lessons from movies and TV shows and this one targets the ladies. Specifically I’ve highlighted fictional female characters from whom we can all learn some serious lessons about what not to do to succeed in your workplace and life.
Mystique – X-Men
Internally good heartedly but easily influenced by the bad guys – that what you don’t want to be. Everyone’s got their tough stories whether in their childhood or adult lives. Mystique’s involvement with Magneto’s agenda for advancing mutants could be attributed to being bullied and singled out but that mean you turn against the world. You’ll often have extremely difficult paths to choose from at the workplace but you have to be able to identify what’s best for all parties involved.
Meredith Grey – Grey’s Anatomy
Me. Me. Me. Nobody likes anyone who only talks about themselves. It’s ridiculous really. You could be the center of the world for your parents (that too if you’re an only child) but as adults the universe doesn’t revolve around anyone, no matter how many difficulties you’ve had. Unlike Meredith, you’ve got to buck up and face reality for yourself. Don’t expect anyone to come in and save you – learn to save yourself.
Skyler – Breaking Bad
You may be going through a lot but that really doesn’t give you the excuse to be dumb about handling challenging situations. Granted, Skyler was the wife of a mastermind drug dealer/cook/murderer but the bottom line is she agreed to get involved. You can’t really get involved in a bad project and expect something good to come out of it. Know what you’re getting into and be ready to face the consequences without feeling sorry for yourself.
Elle Bishop – Heroes
Nobody is placed on this world for you only, even the love of your life has interests other than you. Elle’s unhealthy attachment to Peter Petrelli is the embodiment of what you shouldn’t do at the workplace. Make sure that you don’t click with one person or only one group alone. Doing so is damaging for you and them as well. It’s always a good idea to expose yourself to multiple types of people.
Cersei – Game of Thrones
The question is do you want to succeed for the good or the bad. Because if it’s the latter then you should be like her but most of us believe that good should prevail. You have to give her credit for going after what she wants but at the expense of anyone who is in her way? That’s definitely not the way to do it. No matter what your goals, you need to achieve them with the company’s benefit in mind – not only yours.
Are there any other fictional characters that you’d like to not be like? I’d love to hear in the comments section below who you model yourself to be at the workplace. Also, please make sure you’ve subscribed to the blog to keep getting updates.
Photo Credit: Bruno Fazenda via Compfight cc