I’ve noticed something lately that’s quietly holding people back in their careers. It’s more common than you might think.
Some people get asked to do something at work – something not technically required, or outside their normal job description – and hesitate.
It’s not because the request is outrageous. It’s not because it takes a lot of time. It doesn’t cross the line of their personal values.
So, why the reluctance?
It’s a bit like they view the situation as a matter of principle. But often the stakes of just doing the thing are really low. It doesn’t seem like a hill worth dying on.
Here’s an example: A friend of mine is applying for a job at a small business. The owner asked her to send through the usual application materials – resume, cover letter, references. Standard stuff.
But then he also asked for information that wouldn’t technically be needed unless she got the job and signed a contract.
She hesitated. Not because it was a lot of work – she already had the info at hand. Not because of privacy concerns. It was just a vague sense of, “That’s not required yet. And if I don’t get the job, I’ve provided that info for no reason”.
It didn’t make much sense to me: the owner was asking for the information, so there’s likely to be a benefit to them. And the cost of responding to the request was effectively zero.
This reluctance is often thrown up as evidence of an increasing ‘sense of entitlement’ amongst workers.
But that’s a lazy explanation.
I can think of plenty of reasons why good, reasonable people behave this way.
Maybe they’re busy and want to avoid unnecessary tasks. Maybe they’re wary of “scope creep” or don’t want to set a precedent for extra requests. Maybe they think being tough on the small stuff shows a commercial mindset “don’t give up anything you don’t absolutely have to”.
The problem?
It makes you seem petulant, stubborn, and difficult.
If there’s a lot of friction involved in working with you, people won’t want to. Over time it will hold you back in your career.
On the flip side, being easy to work with is a career superpower.
It builds trust and strengthens relationships. We gravitate towards people who reduce friction and solve problems.
Here’s the important part: being easy to work with doesn’t mean being a pushover.
You can say yes to most things and still hold firm on your personal values. You can have a bias towards helpfulness while addressing concerns about workload and priorities. You can negotiate firmly, while keeping the other party’s interests in mind: give a little where it’s easy, to get more where it matters.
So, here’s what I told my friend:
“One of the greatest career superpowers is being easy to work with. If you’ve got the stuff he’s asking for, and there’s no real problem in providing it, just send it through. It’ll make his job easier and cut down on back-and-forth.”
Sometimes it’s that simple.
How can we help you?
If you’re an aspiring or established leader, we’d love to support your development.
Here are three ways:
- Subscribe to our free newsletter – we offer weekly actionable insights, expert strategies and inspiring content on leadership, management and personal development
- Connect with us on LinkedIn – we post practical advice on management and leadership every day
- Join High Society – this is our exclusive membership-based community for modern leaders from around the world who are creating impactful and meaningful change in their organisations
We’re Impact Society – join 5,000 aspiring and established leaders
from 50+ countries who are changing the world, one team at a time.
Read our story
