Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

My dad is turning 80 years old this year.  Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, my father has been a life-long Steelers fan.  His last Steelers home game? Sixty years ago. 

We remedied that problem last weekend. My mom and dad, and yours truly, witnessed the Steelers squeak out a win against the Baltimore Ravens. 

Pops, savoring the win after the game.

He manages athletes.  Many of whom are labeled "star" athletes.  Many of whom make more money than he does. 

My guess is that most of you are not in Coach Tomlin's shoes.  But you likely have a few stars in your stable. Luckily, most of them aren't seen on TV on a regular basis.

Star athletes, and star employees should be living on easy street, right?  A recent article argues that this isn't always the case. (The Fast Track.)  It lays out five common mistakes made by "star" employees.  Many of these mistakes flow from a major workplace problem: ego.  The star employee starts to figure out that she is a star, the ego kicks in, and then things go south.  Here are the five mistakes made by star employees, according to the article.

1. Whining.
2. Not accepting feedback.
3. Putting personal projects ahead of the company.
4. Ignoring the boss.
5. Being disrespectful. 

Raise your hand if you've seen a star employee lose that "star" label due to one of the mistakes listed above.  OK, you can put your hands down. 

But here's a better question.  And be honest. How many of you have tripped up on one or more of the items listed above? 

If you think those behaviors will hold back your colleagues, what do you think they'll do to your career?

A little something to chew on to get the week started. 

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