Is it time to go home yet?
We’ve all met Sylvester Slide. He’s the guy that was a superstar a few years ago. He brought projects in on time and within budget. He came up with all the good ideas. He mentored everyone in the office, making them more successful. Everyone thought he was destined for great things.
But then something happened. Sylvester lost his mojo. He stopped getting the great ideas. His last couple of projects were failures – late and over budget. His enthusiasm seemed to disappear or be directed elsewhere. Whatever the reason, he’s no longer the up-and-coming superstar.
So Sylvester is living on his reputation. No one can say anything – after all, he is the guy who made the department’s name in the company. He may never do any thing special again, but he is still the one who pulled the XYZ project through and saved all of our jobs. He will probably live out his career on his reputation – that seems to be what he wants.
If you have a Sylvester in your workplace, remember he is practically untouchable, but also remember that you need to work around him if you have ambitions to advance. Don’t get yourself identified with him, as tempting as it may be.
Next: Larry Lunch
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