Many of us know Kanye West to be a talented, hardworking, and successful musical artist, but for thousands of people out there, those admirable qualities are not the first thoughts they have when they think of Kanye. They think things like “egotistical,” “ungrateful,” and “selfish.” They don’t think about the millions of records he’s sold; they think of him jumping on stage at the VMAs giving his unsolicited opinion while Taylor Swift is trying to accept her award. They don’t think about his sheer determination to make in the industry as a teenager, making a record while his mouth is wired shut due to an accident; they think about him complaining that his music video didn’t win best video of the year in Europe. They don’t think about his acclaimed skills as a lyricist; they think about how he chooses to use CAPS lock for nearly every blog he writes.
As gifted as an employee may be at work, he or she can suffer “Kanye West-syndrome” due to his of her insufferable complaints and actions at the job. Kanye-West syndrome sufferers may be plagued with the following symptoms:
• Constantly feels he or she is more deserving of acclaim than another
• Openly complains about that lack of supposed acclaim
• Gives unsolicited opinions, especially in inappropriate venues
• When apologizing for something, still has excuses for behavior in response
• Believes others copy/mimic him or her artistically
• Complains about how he or she believes others copy/mimic him or her artistically
• Shows up late to meetings or is insufficiently prepared for meetings due to poor behavioral choices
• Uses the CAPS lock or other font, font style, or color/size of text that is inappropriate for business communications
How can you combat Kanye-West syndrome? Well, you could practice all of those behaviors and hope that several eventual apologies will suffice—but that’s not working for Kanye right now, and that’s probably not going to going to work for you at work. Instead, practice the following behaviors at work:
• Congratulate colleagues at work for their successes
• When finding personal success in a team effort, give open credit to all those involved and thank them each of them for their effort
• If you have made a mistake at work, don’t make excuses for it; apologize and discuss how you plan to remedy it
• If you have a potentially negative comment about someone’s work, instead of openly proclaiming it at a board meeting or copying everyone on it in an e-mail, discuss it personally with the individual
• Instead of complaining about lack of acclaim, thank manager for support, discuss current accomplishments, and create goals with that manager
• Don’t use text or font in business communications that can be seen as annoying or showy
You might be one of the most talented, hardworking, and successful people at work; but no one will want to recognize you if you act like a Kanye West at work. Act positive, appreciative, and humble, and you might be able to find even more success in the workplace.