The Mind of a Destroyer
by Miki Saxon
I have said in the past that, based on my experience, the workforce breaks down into three segments.
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- At the top you have the 10% who succeed on their own no matter what;
- at the other end are the 3% I call destroyers—because that’s how they get their kicks; the other
- 87% are neither stars nor destroyers on their own, but can become either based on the way they are managed.
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Hold that thought.
I recently read about a large cat that mimics its prey as part of its mealtime strategy.
And then Dr. Calleia saw, to his astonishment, that the cries weren’t coming from a tamarin pup, but rather from a margay, an ocelotlike cat with large eyes, large paws and a large appetite for monkey meat.
Back to the thought you are holding.
The action of the margay reminded me how some destroyers (see above) will mimic good management or team attitudes to attract their pray.
But how can you tell? Work is difficult enough without wondering if your team members or managers are part of the 3%.
It’s not as difficult as you might think, because you can feel them.
Destroyers feel hollow, the same difference between tapping a wall on the stud vs. on the sheetrock. The difference is that you feel with all five senses, not just your ears.
You pick up on a delay factor—their smiles don’t hit their lips and eyes at the same time, laughter is always a second or two late, as are their congratulations.
Most of us have met destroyers at some point in your life, whether at work or elsewhere.
You don’t have to focus on looking for these signs, you just need to be open to your feelings and not ignore them when they happen.
You may get an occasional false positive, but that’s better than ignoring your feelings and getting walloped.
Flickr image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/malias/97934221/
