Being a boss’s favourite is a privilege but also comes with several disadvantages. A boss’s favourite is treated by team members as an interloper, thus they do not trust the person and refrain from sharing crucial work related data. Too much attachment with the boss leads to suppression of individual ideas in favour of group think as the boss tends to overwhelm one’s ideas. Plus, the favourite status can be taken away anytime. Invariably, bosses tend to keep shifting their allegiances, leaving one in the middle of nowhere. Another important deterrent is that this status may lead to professional stagnation. The boss may delegate too much of the work on the favourite, or conversely the colleagues may try to themselves get their work done using the person as a conduit. Three tactics have been identified which will help professionals staying away from this admittedly attractive but career debilitating trajectory. First of all, even if the person has a certain clout, one mustn’t oversell it. Even if close relationships are maintained with the boss, one needs to maintain a distance and keep individual objectivity regarding work decisions. Finally, one must never let any perceptions hinder career growth. Appearing too involved may deny corporate training opportunities as the others simply assume that the person would not have time enough for developmental activities.

Source:https://hbr.org/2017/05/being-the-bosss-favorite-is-great-until-its-not?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29

Uploaded Date:28/06/2017