“”You quoque mi fili “ (You too, my son). This sentence, attributed according to the legend to Julius Caesar shortly before he was stabbed by Brutus resonates in anyone who has already experienced a betrayal in the professional field. But this pain is felt deep in his being when he is a work colleague who, in the final stretch, delights this famous post so coveted, where like an Imperator, we had already put his slippers. The vexatious pain, a daughter of pride and vanity, goes into XXL mode when the new elected official is a collaborator that has been recruited and formed, or worse, his own subordinate. Is it really to be a navel-ower to see a triple pain: digest the affront, to be led by the felon that doubled and face the eyes of others? The blow of grace is brought down by David Guillocheau, Managing Director of Zestmeup (Expertise Cabinet in Management and HR): “We all meet, at some point in his career, an incompetence, a principle of peter”. According to this law developed by Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull in their work The Peter Principle (1969), any employee will find in his professional life a position that will mark his incompetence.
However, without a hypothetical downgrading implies the action, it should be kept in mind that no one owns his post and that such a decision on the part of the employer is also one of the vagaries of a career and “management power”. It’s brutal, of course. “You have to look at the situation, make your introspection. Then, whatever happens and even if it is unfair, keep a professional attitude. Finally, you must avoid counterattack, organize a revolt,” advises David Guillocheau. It is a question of showing phlegm in the storm and not giving in to frontal or hot fomenal revenge with accomplices. The best solutions is to “go up to the balcony to see the play”, namely not to make this decision in the face. It is to rise to check if we have reached the limits of your competence or if it is an unfair choice for yourself, but useful for the employer.
Another advice: to confirm this analysis by a discussion exceeded with your N + 2 in order to better understand this decision. “It is important to know what we missed, the warning signals that we have not seen.” Accept, without turning. Passing the relay, leaving the mental charge and the responsibilities we had. Returning to your job can be pleasant and some managers can even, once the emotion has passed, feel relieved.
“It’s business life …”
“We can also say that it is illegitimate, unfair and have the temptation to leave,” analyzes David Guillocheau. However, it would be a mistake to learn nothing about this episode. You have to understand the reasons for this eviction and take a step back, to get back in the saddle. Going on a whim would likely be even more destructive. At first, it is better to stay and apprehend this new situation. “We respect the decision in a displayed manner, without excess of zeal or attacks, because we are in a position of weakness”. If the company is correct, both parties must go out from above. For the ousted person, think about treating their communication in mode Storytelling, story of Do not rehash. Do not show that we are weakened and bounce back. Sublimate this defeat with class to transform trauma into a victory. To say to yourself that you will collaborate with this new superior, while organizing the rest of your career now. An evil for a good, especially if we place ourselves in the field of balance-life-life balance.
Is morale (or ego) still reached? “This is the life of businesses, many things are changing and organizations are always looking for the best person in the best place.” If they are wrong, too bad. And if one has the impression of having been deceived, it remains the solution to leave, without bitterness. We can apply, be hired and appreciated elsewhere. And why not, this time, get ahead of someone else on the finish line.