"Envy is the sincerest form of recognition." [Wilhelm Busch] There is a lot of truth in this quote. After all, someone can only be envious if someone else has created something that they have been denied. Nevertheless, envy is something negative that creates a lot of resentment and can cause damage. Just think of the many defamatory reviews that competitors post on comparison portals to make themselves look better. The good news is that you are not defenceless against the envy of others. With a few simple tricks for personal development, you will reap appreciative admiration instead of envy in the future.
We touched on this at the beginning: Envy can always trigger actions that harm you. It can become a real danger if it gives rise to rumors or intrigues that harm you personally or your company. There are no limits to the envious person's imagination. In the age of digitalization, it is easy to send a false report around the globe within a short space of time. In advertising, it is now forbidden to devalue a competitor in a direct comparison. Other rules apply in real life. Even in crime novels, one of the main motives for a crime is envy: Envy! This makes it all the more important for you to take the issue seriously. If you would like to look into it further, we are happy to offer you targeted coaching.
There is an exciting Harvard study on the subject of how people can protect themselves from "malicious envy". In it, junior professor Alison Woods Brooks gives a very simple tip: if you want to turn envy into admiration, you have to learn to deal openly with setbacks and admit mistakes. Behind this is a simple truth that characterizes almost everyone. It is easier to talk about your own strengths and skills than to talk about what went really wrong last time. Mistakes are often swept under the carpet, at all levels - from gatekeeper to manager.
Behind this behavior is the belief that mistakes can damage one's own success, reputation and competence. Managers try to avoid such damage to their image by all means. However, this focus on strengths and the concealment of weaknesses is the trigger for begrudging envy to arise. This finding was demonstrated in an experiment in which the study participants were presented with a text about a successful manager. A comparison group was given a slightly different text, which also contained a section on the weaknesses and setbacks of this person. In a subsequent survey, it emerged that the second group did not feel envy, but had a much more positive attitude towards the human portrayal of the manager.
Behind everything is the realization that failures and mistakes complete a person's image and make them more authentic. Managers who admit their mistakes also prove that their success is hard-earned and not based on infallibility. Envy arises from the impression that a successful person has been given everything, which in turn is seen as justification for taking it away again unfairly. Talking about failures keeps envious people away and will ultimately earn you genuine admiration.
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