According to Wikipedia, “a vampire is a creature from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital essence of the living.” Some of the common knowledge about vampires is that they don’t like the sunlight, they suck blood, and they don’t see themselves in the mirror.
If you don’t get to finish this article, all you need to know here is that if you’re a ‘workplace vampire’ it’s not your job that sucks—it’s YOU who suck! Let’s put all together some characteristics of ‘real’ vampires and how it relates to the workplace counterpart.
Only goes out at night
Like the vampires from folklore, workplace vampires do not interact much with their peers or their direct report. They stay in their office with their doors closed. They sit in their office working hard to create a legacy for themselves. To “live” for eternity—job security, constant promotions, and always shielded from consequences of business failure. The only time you’ll see these workplace species come out of their office is when they need something from someone.
There’s this person at work who would not smile or even acknowledge my presence when I run into him in the office. Nothing. Like we’ve never met, and I’ve known him for at least 15 years. Then, one morning, he would waltz into my office, talking about the ‘good ole days.’ Guess what—he needed something. I don’t mind helping, but I silently chuckled because here’s a good example of a vampire in the workplace. (Now where’s my garlic!)
They suck your blood
The only reason workplace vampires need to interact with people if they need to take something from them. Like ‘real’ vampires, these breeds of corporate professionals suck the energy out of an individual and a team. It may not happen instantaneously, but the slowly progressing one-way, take-take interaction will soon affect the team’s morale and engagement.
Workplace vampires don’t have the intent to share their resource or to provide value to the team. It’s all about their survival. Most often, folks who interact with these individuals feel defeated and drained from their enthusiasm. Workplace vampires consider team members as resources to get them ahead.
We’re not talking about “Debbie Downers.” This is worse. “Debbie Downers” tend to bring everyone around them down to their level. Workplace vampires make a point to get others lower than theirs. It’s all about them on the top.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
The last attribute of workplace vampires is not seeing their reflection in the mirror. Vampires who are individual contributors, or worse, managers, never look at themselves in the mirror. If something’s wrong, they find a blame with others. They don’t seem to have any optics to their own attitudes and shortcomings—not giving an ounce of self-reflection to improve themselves.
When given feedback, these individuals usually throw it back at the person giving the feedback or to other people. They easily blame others for their mishaps and their failures.
There was a time I had to provide feedback to a team member. He was smart and competent, but like everyone else, he’s not perfect. Once I gave him some feedback, he immediately threw it back at me. At first, he seems to be listening intently, but after I’ve finished my feedback, he came back at me with a response that would point the blame somewhere else. This is when I realized he was not listening to understand what’s happening—he was listening to reload his argument and rebuttal.
How not to be a ‘workplace vampire’
First, be true to your personal goals and intentions. If it aligns with the organization’s culture and mission, be sure to clearly (and often) articulate your intentions to your peers and team members. This makes sure you’re not misunderstood and that no assumptions are made on your intentions.
Next, understand your personality type. Know what motivates you and what annoys you. You should also realize that others have their own personality types. Use that knowledge to work and communicate well with those in your organization.
As recently mentioned, don’t allow others to make their own assumptions about you. Instead, make sure that your message is crystal clear, and relay that message often—many times, again, and again—did I say do it often? Again, often.
One morning, a spouse asked her husband, “Why don’t you say ‘I love you’ anymore?” The husband replied, “I said that to you on our wedding day. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
Don’t wait for a change or a significant update to communicate with your team. Do it often as a reminder and as a reinforcement of the message you want them to embrace and to be in alignment with. As it’s said in advertising 101: “Messages are more effective when repeated.”
Do it clearly and often.
Crowdsourcing FTW
Look back at your behavior in the workplace. Are you a workplace vampire? Have looked internally to see if this is your real motive or are you being misunderstood? Do you know a workplace vampire? How would you make recommendations for this person to improve that label?