We all have an idea of what the perfect worker looks like. They’re usually polite, on time, responsible, and productive – a potent combination. However, there are also a number of so-called bad personality traits. On the surface, they’re considered ‘negative.’ However, they can actually be an asset to both the employee and their company.
Learning what those traits are and how to harness them without creating a toxic workplace can drastically increase your earning potential, and help you advance your career. In this article, we’ll discuss why this is, before taking a look at four bad personality traits and discussing how you can get the most out of them.
Let’s get to it!
Why Negative Personality Traits Can Be a Boon in the Workplace
There are a lot of personality traits we associate success in the workplace. For example, dedication is a trait that often leads to great results. Other examples of positive personality traits in the workplace include the ability to work in a team, being able to accept criticism, and more. However, these traits can have negative connotations as well.
To give you an example, let’s say you’re too accepting of criticism and lack self-awareness. You might do something well but still choose to believe it when you receive unwarranted criticism. Likewise, being a team player is great, but if you don’t know when to take command of a situation, it can backfire.
The point is, although there are some personality traits we commonly consider negative, they can actually help under the right circumstances. To be clear, when we discuss embracing some of the negative personality traits we’ll explore in the next section, we mean you should do so without radiating that negativity. No one likes a toxic workplace, so keep this in mind while we discuss how to turn these traits to your advantage.
4 Bad Personality Traits That Can Help You Do Your Job Better
Taken out of context, none of these traits are something we want to be a part of our characters. However, when it comes to your career, they can actually help you advance it under the right circumstances. Let’s explore them!
1. Disloyalty
In times gone past, it was common for employees to start working at a company and never have another job. In many cases, you were promised career advancement and wage raises, and generally knew that the company would take care of you.
However, the days of company loyalty are over. Studies show the best way to maximize your earnings is to switch jobs every couple of years. This goes double if you’re in the tech sector, where job-hopping is seen as par for the course.
Of course, you should exercise some restraint and refrain from submitting your CV five minutes after landing a new job. However, what you should be doing is expanding your skillset with each new position you take on. While you’re doing this, you can explore whether there are growth opportunities at your current job.
If the prospects aren’t great, you could do the work, help out your team, and move on after a year or two if you find a position that pays you more. Big companies can easily replace practically anyone on a team, so it makes sense to put yourself first in these scenarios – which brings us to negative trait number two.
2. Selfishness
Ideally, every person in a company would work together in perfect sync to achieve their goals. However, since we don’t live in a Disney movie, this isn’t always the case.
In real life, most people within any workplace are primarily concerned with their own interests. This means they’re constantly considering how to get ahead, make a better impression, increase their earnings, and more. In some cases, it will come at your expense.
It sounds bad, but doesn’t mean that you can’t cooperate with other people in your office, or grow to trust them. However, what it does mean is that in most cases, no one will put your interests above theirs in a business setting. As long as you’re aware of this and act accordingly without sabotaging your coworkers, you should be golden.
If you’re lucky, though, you may find that someone with more experience than you wants to become your mentor. For most careers, a mentor can be a wonderful source of advice, so if the opportunity arises, you should seize it!
3. Laziness
Being lazy is almost always a terrible thing – you put off important tasks and don’t deliver the best work you can, which naturally doesn’t pay off in the workplace. However, there’s a particular type of laziness that can be a powerful tool for work – when you’re inspired to find more efficient ways to fulfill tasks so you don’t have to work as hard. It’s ultimately the difference between trying to lift a heavy object by hand, or via a machine.
The key to harnessing the full power of your laziness is being able to determine when it’s okay to take shortcuts. For example, if your job involves a lot of repetitive tasks, those are prime candidates for automation. This in turn can leave you with more time to spend on more fulfilling work (or browsing around the web while pretending to be productive.)
Keep in mind – lazy shortcuts don’t work for all kinds of tasks. If you find there’s something needing your full attention to get right, you’ll definitely need to kick your laziness to the curb while you get it done.
4. Shamelessness
Earlier on, we talked about how most people are fairly selfish in the workplace, and we explained why this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, it also means that you need to be your own advocate if you want to stand out among your peers, which is where shamelessness comes in.
In short, you should be accustomed to singing your own praises. However, shameless self-promotion can be a powerful tool to promote yourself or your projects. It’s actually one of the reasons why narcissists can be found at the top of the career ladder – they have no compunctions when it comes to shamelessness.
As always, there’s a line you shouldn’t cross, though. A little bit of shameless can help you paint yourself in a good light. However, it can make you insufferable if you overdo it and it’s a quick way to turn the entire office against yourself.
Conclusion
No one wants a lazy employee. However, in some cases, it’s this precise laziness that leads to breakthroughs in developing more efficient processes (all in the name of doing less work). Of course, as long as you add a dash of motivation and general talent on top.
In this post, we’ve looked at four bad personality traits that can help you get ahead in the workplace. Let’s recap them:
- Disloyalty.
- Selfishness.
- Laziness.
- Shamelessness.
What bad personality trait do you think can help you become better at your job? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
Article thumbnail image by GoodStudio / shutterstock.com
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