According to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist Mitch Prinstein, there are two kinds of workplace popularity that can define your role in the company. The first is status, your social reputation with coworkers. The second, and perhaps more important, is likability, your social preference among coworkers. And, as he puts it, you should be focused on the latter.
Be Open and Helpful
But the age old question persists: HOW?! When the cards are down, being likable is incredible difficult when it doesn’t come naturally. Fortunately, in an office setting, it’s less about being socially tuned to your coworkers and more about being as helpful and open as possible. The place where these to forms of likability cross over can make for incredibly successful and pleasant entrepreneurs. Pursuing status isn’t inherently bad. It’s when you pursue status without considering the consequences on your likability that creates problems for your future. And if you don’t know what that means, you’re probably doing just fine. While these tips might come more easily to some than to others — we all have that guy in the office — it’s important for everyone to try to listen to others and tone down the aggression, if only to boost your popularity. Read more about workplace culture on Tech.Co
