The Dark Side to Being Opportunistic

have you ever done something in your job that left you feeling slightly icky but then you justify to yourself why you did it in the first place or have you ever had something done to you that was bad but you couldn't quite put your finger on why it was bad you just felt inside like this is kind of shady hi I'm Jana Hennemann and today we're talking about the Dark Side of being opportunistic opportunities are often viewed as a positive thing but it can be a double-edged sword it can lead to Innovation and personal gain but the other side can actually cause harm to others and backfire on the person themselves here's a closer look at the Dark Side of being opportunistic along with its implications examples and advice for self-reflection number one it can cause erosion of trust opportunistic behaviors can uh damage relationships I mean when was the last time you had someone take advantage of you did you exactly want to go out and hang out with them the next time they wanted to hang out no if someone takes advantage of you you don't want to be around them this SE roads trust and it makes it difficult to form those longlasting relationships number two short-term gains long-term losses while opportunists May achieve quick success it comes with a price it comes at the expense of long-term stability and integrity this can also lead to reputational damage or loss of future opportunities it it's kind of like this there's all these people in front of me and if I take advantage of this guy I can get these quick gains right now but if I build a relationship with this guy I can have repeat success over and over it might not be as big in the beginning but over the long term over the interim I can make three four five times as much as long as I'm patient but when you screw someone over and you just go for the shortterm gains that just you're stifling yourself number three manipulation we've all been manipulated opportunistic individuals can uh resort to manipulation in order to achieve their own goals they don't consider other people's interests they just want what they want when they want it and it doesn't matter who they step over to get it this Behavior not only leads to a toxic environment but it erodes personal and professional relationships number four if you're not a narcissist or a sociopath it can have a negative impact on your mental health living with a mindset uh set on seizing those opportunities can create constant pressure at any cost never mind the guilt it can lead to burnout anxiety and lack of fulfillment if you're not a narcissist and if you're not a sociopath no one may know what you've done but but you have to go to bed at night and be by yourself and be with yourself and you'll know that's a far greater punishment than anything Society can give to you but again if you're a narcissist or a sociopath you can sleep soundly at night because you only think of yourself last but not least number five you get a reputation as a user people who constantly exhibit this opportunistic Behavior they're going to earn a reputation for being a user or an exploiter it's going to make it more difficult for them to find authentic and genuine collaboration or support when they need it they always say that there's one in every family I have two in mine five examples of opportunistic behavior number one taking credit for other people's work you know what that's like you come up with a great idea and someone else gets all the credit for it it doesn't feel good and then guess what you don't like that person and then every time they come to you to collaborate guess what you don't want to collaborate with them number two exploiting vulnerable situations a business person who capitalizes on another's Misfortune in order uh to gain more profit for themselves without ethical considerations exemplifies opportunities that can harm others you know like insurance companies sometimes they do that they give someone flood insurance but when you read the fine print they don't cover 90% of the flood and and then when that person goes through a flood they go to their insurance agency and they're like sorry we don't cover that and it's listed here don't do that let's be legal ethical moral let's just be better humans number three flipping relationships someone that only reaches out to colleagues employees friends family only when they need something and the rest of the time they're not there for them that's an opportunistic Behavior number four misleading promotions for example a marketer who exaggerates claims about a product in order to boost sales yeah they're going to achieve immediate success in the long term they won't they're going to damage their brand integrity and their personal reputation number five last but not least and there's many other behaviors but this is another one leaving a failing project a team member who jumps ship one of project looks like it's about to fail and they abandon their colleagues it just shows that they're only self-serving this is an opportunistic mindset that can hinder Collective success there's a an old adage if you will it's what's good for the hive is good for the bee what isn't good for the hive is not good for the bee one of our uh core principles is sustainable success membership in Weeno has to be right for you right for me right for us right for all this is called sustainable success if it's not right for you that's okay you can still come to all of our public events without fear of any of us mean mugging you from across the room it has to be right and if it's not that's okay but when you are a narcissist or sociopath or you're um just opportunistic in general you have to be aware of that you have to be aware if you're helping everyone and yourself or if you're only helping yourself I think we've all had experiences where we've had people take advantage of us the whole point of this video is to remind you not to be that person it will actually help your success in the long term I'm Jana Hennemann thank you so much for tuning in today remember to like follow subscribe um leave us a comment and uh yeah I will see you next week this time and remember to sign up for our pitchf free newsletter comes out every Thursday and uh no pitch no fluff just the good stuff thanks