Jealousy, bitterness, and pure resentment on your past, present, and future achievements can creep up on you at any time from those you least expect it from. The true motive behind people’s attempts to sabotage you? Ironically, they are desperate to be more like you. The reality? Their opinion is insignificant, their negative energy unfavourable to a happy life, and their own self-worth at rock bottom. Their contemptible reactions to life experiences both in and out of the workplace result in a flagrant disregard for the impact of their actions on those around them, resulting in attempted public destruction, providing you with the perfect blueprint of how not to treat others.
With attempted sabotage not only occurring in person but also online, how should you react to such insidious behaviour and how do you keep your head above water when you are faced with a real-life Regina George?
Haters Gone’ Hate.
Not everyone is cut out to be a good person with good intentions and guess what? You don’t have time for that. The characteristics of a saboteur include poor integrity, lack of accountability, and the absence of core values, issues that develop from their own insecurities, and maladjustment.
Becoming a victim of sabotage is about as unpleasant as it gets, however, there is one main takeaway you should keep at the forefront of your mind throughout the entire experience. Saboteurs act on gut-instinct, irrational jealousy, immaturity, and fear. Haters gone’ hate and if you aren’t making waves or standing out from the crowd in pursuit of your dreams, you probably aren’t trying hard enough.
Tip: Take back your power and own your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Practice daily affirmations to start your day right and keep you focused on your future goals. You can follow us on Instagram here to benefit from our mental health campaign, with morning affirmations to get you into a positive flow and be ready for anything the day is going to throw at you.
Think Like the Leader You Know You Are.
In the words of Michelle Obama, ‘when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, we don’t stoop to their level. When they go low, we go high’. Think and act like the leader you are, not the person the saboteur thinks you are.
Set your standards high and keep them high. Saboteurs will look to undermine you, don’t allow their behaviour to compromise your own level of integrity or make you doubt the validity of your achievements. Sabotaging a saboteur will get you nowhere so take the grown-up approach, lead by example and keep your head held high. You are not the person at fault here.
Tip: Build your power trio. Bullet point your three most recent accomplishments, the three biggest lessons you learned along the way, and three words that summarise who you are as an individual. Use this information as a reference to build you back up when a saboteur tries to bring you down. We keep this information at the front of our favourite notebook.
Communication is Key.
If you fall victim to sabotage, know that there are always people you can turn to, to communicate not only how you are feeling but to openly discuss your options.
Saboteurs exhibit consistent behaviour which can include gossiping, spreading rumours and taking undue credit for work that does not belong to them. If a saboteur presents themselves in the workplace, be confident enough to speak to your Manager or HR. There is a duty of care all employers have towards their staff and supporting you through difficult times comes with the territory.
If the saboteur poses a challenge to you in your personal life, likewise, know that there are always people to chat to about what you’re going through and how you should deal with the situation. Ultimately how you progress is down to you, go with your gut, trust your instincts and create a plan of action that you see through to the end, ensuring that you feel comfortable with all possible outcomes.
Tip: Scared of having those difficult conversations with your boss, friends, and family? Create a case study with a list of evidence including dates and examples of the offensive behaviour to make the conversation as easy and matter of fact as possible.
Fundamentally, saboteurs will only win if you let them. Remain strong in your focus to achieve your goals, finding fulfilment in the things you are doing and the places you are going. Define your personal mission and let no one derail you.
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