In the workplace, people often need to put on different masks for different occasions. Many people may not know that "showing off" and "crying poor" can solve more than 90% of workplace problems. The reasons for this may be more complex than you might think.
In social situations, especially when dealing with strangers, some people always behave unusually high-profile, as if they know everything and can do anything. Why did they do it? Is it just to show off? In fact, there are deep psychological and sociological reasons behind this. In the adult world, many relationships are one-off, and it is difficult to build long-lasting trust and friendship. Therefore, in a short relationship, people often win the respect and trust of the other party by showcasing their strengths, achievements, and resources. This mentality of "watching people serve the dishes" is actually a self-protection mechanism designed to quickly build connection and trust with others.
This is why many people believe that buying a BMW can save you a lot of social costs, because this kind of show-off constitutes your business card.
As another example, let's say you attend an industry conference and meet a stranger from another company. To bring you closer, you might mention some of your company's success stories or demonstrate your expertise in a particular area. Doing so will not only make the other person interested in you, but it may also set the stage for your future cooperation or development.
Unlike strangers, relationships between co-workers tend to be more complex and nuanced. In this small circle, everyone is more or less competitive, and everyone is secretly competing to see who can go further. Therefore, in front of our colleagues, we often choose to "cry poor", that is, deliberately show our own shortcomings and predicaments. This is not because we really need help, but to achieve a kind of "paralyzing" effect. By crying poor, we can make our colleagues feel that we are not strong, thus making them less defensive and aggressive. In this way, we can move forward more safely in the workplace. After all, it's human instinct to protect yourself and avoid competition, and the same applies to the workplace.
For example, let's say you compete with your colleague Xiao Zhang for a promotion. In order to make himself look more competitive, Xiao Zhang always shows off his performance and ability in front of everyone. You, on the other hand, have chosen a different strategy: on the right occasions, you deliberately reveal some of your difficulties and shortcomings, such as high work pressure, heavy family burden, etc. Not only does this make your colleagues feel like you're a "down-to-earth" person, but it may also make them feel sympathetic and likable towards you, which can make them less hostile to you.
In short, in the workplace, showing off and crying poor are both survival strategies. They can help us protect ourselves in different situations and earn the respect and trust of others. Of course, this does not mean that we have to completely abandon authenticity and sincerity. Only on the basis of maintaining authenticity can we go further and more steadily in the workplace.