Overcoming the Crab Mentality to Maintain an Effective Team
When you put one crab in the bucket, the crab will claw it out easily. However, try putting a bunch of crabs in a bucket. If one of them tries to climb out, the rest pull it back into the bucket.
If the crab tries to climb out a second time, another crab will attack again to completely prevent the other crab from trying to break free. That is, no crabs will escape because they are all working against each other.
Unfortunately, this mentality is also found in human behavior. However, the impact of this is certainly not good because it prevents someone from developing themselves.
Consciously or not, a person's method of thinking, behavior, and decision-making processes are strongly influenced by the people around him. This means that you run the risk of staying “walked in place” if you are constantly around people who make bad decisions in the area you want to work on.
Understanding Crab Mentality
Crab mentality is a metaphor for the way a person responds when he sees others around him making progress. This happens to people who subconsciously (or even consciously) reach out to hold others back from growing.
They do what they can to hinder progress or even stop someone from even trying. People with the crab mentality feel insecure when they see others getting better and think that they have failed because others have succeeded. Characteristics of people with Crab Mentality appear with the following attitudes:
1. Too proud of yourself and treat others less. You can feel the arrogance of these people.
2. Panic when his friends are happy and growing. Apart from arrogance, you can also feel jealous when you see someone going above and beyond.
3. His life motto is “If I can't have it, neither can you”. Because of this, people with a Crab Mentality would rather expect everyone to fail than allow themselves to fail while everyone else succeeds.
4. Positive in themselves, but full of negative things for others. They see only the good things in themselves, but are blind to their negative characteristics.
5. Have a tendency to blame others for a failure rather than helping it. People with a Crab Mentality will let you get worse when you've fallen.
How to Overcome Crab Mentality
If this happens in a team, something needs to be done about it. The situation is not good for the effectiveness of the team to develop. As both a boss and a team member, here are some things you can do to prevent the Crab Mentality from happening.
1. Create a discussion group
Identify the environment you want to be in and find a discussion group to help you do that. These groups are usually made up of like-minded people who come together for a common goal.
When several persons are put together, the sum of the total mental powers is expected to equal more than the sum of the parts. That way, the mindset that is formed will be more controlled so that it can bring the team to continue to grow
2. Work with responsible partners
The partnership in question is a mutually agreed relationship to train each other regularly to increase each other's success. Find a friend who is supportive and you trust to discuss self-development.
Make sure they are also trying to continue to develop in some areas of life. In this case, learn how to work together by sharing responsibilities and supporting each other.
3. Listen to podcasts and read more books
Listening to podcasts and reading books in your area of interest can also be motivating. You may be able to know the stories of people who have been successful before you. Learn his advice and success tips for achieving success on your own.
4. Talk and share personal views
Talk about your interests with other people. This simple step will help you to attract like-minded people. Apart from that, you can also engage in conversations that you find interesting and informative.
5. Sign up for a class or training
Find local or online classes that teach about the life that interests you. It can also help you meet people with similar interests. That way, you also get more and more useful information for something you want to work on.
If you feel you have this mentality or are in an environment that is holding you back from growing, seek help immediately. Sharing sessions or group discussions can be a way to keep employees motivated to keep growing.
