The Kardashian Factor. . .

Press-bashing is not my thing;   often I believe we hold the press accountable for that which we ourselves should have ownership.   That being said, both the public and the press hold accountability for what I will call the Kardashian factor.   This is the rush to print headlines about the antics of what would be/should be regular everyday people - except that they are attention hounds and both the public and the press are gullible enough to fall for it.

Think about it.  There is nothing special about the Kardashians save for their innate ability to get attention.   Their lives are really no different than yours or mine.   The challenge I find with this attention-seeking,  and the subsequent public receptivity, is that it pulls focus away from that which is truly valuable and worth noticing.

The same is true for work.   Time and time again I have seen attention-seekers in the workplace pull stunts or say outrageous things for the sole purpose of promoting themselves;  and again the challenge is the receptive gullibility that allows them to get away with it.

There is a sub-set of this which I will name the Trump factor;   this is attention seeking by throwing verbal grenades that are so outrageous one feels they are worth attention.    Meanwhile, the real issues go unaddressed.

As leaders, it is our responsibility to be judicious, not gullible.   Attention seekers in the workplace (or any place) are seldom, if ever, worth much more.     But, if we give them what they seek, we are doing so at the price of ignoring that, and those, who are really worthwhile. 

So, how do we deal with the headline-grabbers?   Don't let them get away with it.   Don't give them undue attention to their antics.   Give more time and more props to the people who are doing the real work - and then promote them vs. the attention seekers.    Counsel the attention seekers;  put them on notice that their clowning is not going to get them promoted and is bad for the business.  

Here are the two groups;   there are the attention seekers who flame up the workplace for their own personal gain. . .and there are those who are dedicated to the cause and who promote the team and their own careers by just doing excellent work on the real issues.

Who are you going to invest with?

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