In high school, there are two categories of good students. The first always come out of an exam pretty sure they did what was necessary. Without talking about it. The second, full of anxiety, constantly imagine the worst – “I failed everything” – and hammer it home to anyone who will listen, a way of exorcising the fear of failure. In the end, they do get 19/20… Having moved into the business world, these good students no longer run after the perfect report card but are always looking for some form of recognition. From their hierarchy, from their colleagues.
The “good student syndrome” is a syndrome in name only, but it can cause damage. It can be recognized by four main characteristics: the people concerned accept additional tasks without batting an eyelid even though they are already overwhelmed. They are reluctant to delegate or ask for help. They apologize constantly, even for the smallest things. Finally, for fear of being criticized for their work, they are in an excessive demand for feedback. Their trademark: never disappoint, often to the detriment of their well-being.
Over-invested, malleable… On paper, this type of employee has everything to seduce the employer. And in practice? Seeking recognition at all costs can harm your career, believes Tessa West, professor of social psychology at New York University: “When their superiors ask them for a favor, these employees often wrongly believe that this will allow them to access these positions of power themselves.” In February, in the podcast “Work it” of Financial Times, The psychologist warned against this overzealousness: “Where it becomes dangerous is when you take on assignments for which you are not paid and for which you get no credit. You should be careful about this dynamic between you and your manager.”
A vigilance that works in both directions. Line managers have an interest in being wary of those employees who never stand up to them. “I have seen too many managers protect themselves from operational conflicts. The more power they acquire, the more they oust the troublemakers […]”They become politicians, surround themselves with pleasant yes-men and are more easily seduced by sycophants,” points out organizational psychologist Adam Grant. (Think again, Alisio, 2023).
“Research shows that when their companies perform poorly, CEOs who indulge in flattery and conformity become overconfident,” continues the professor of management at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania). “They stick to their strategic plans, instead of changing direction – which inevitably leads to failure.”
The Benefits of People Who Don’t Seek to Please
Better still, he emphasizes, are “unpleasant” individuals, who have the merit of giving “feedbacks criticisms that we might prefer not to hear, but which are necessary.” On the condition, however, that these “unpleasant” people know how to blend into the collective: studies conducted within oil and technology companies indicate, according to Adam Grant, that “dissatisfaction only fosters creativity when people feel involved and supported: social misfits are more likely to have added value when they have formed strong bonds with their colleagues.”
The idea may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes it is better to have a rebel – who has the company’s interest as his compass – than a docile one with more personal motivations. Thus, the American psychotherapist Bryan D. Johnson, columnist for the magazine Forbeswrote in March: “Research shows that people-pleasers and nonconformists are not necessarily workplace troublemakers.”
These “individualists,” he continued, “are more likely to work together for the greater good of the company.” And what about the people who always say yes? “Conformity and approval from others are more important to their self-esteem, security, and ambitious goals than the common good,” the expert concluded. And in the end, it’s the company that loses.
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