Should you ask Donna Morris, there’s one habits that is the last word crimson flag an worker will not get far within the office: when somebody is a “Debbie Downer.”
Morris, 57, has been executive vice president and chief folks officer at Walmart since 2020, serving to form the worker expertise of two.1 million employees because the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Previous to her present position, she spent 17 years at Adobe in quite a lot of management positions — and all through her profession, she’s realized a factor or two about crimson flags within the workplace.
“No one desires [to hire] a Debbie Downer,” Morris tells CNBC Make It, including that this sort of individual is “always detrimental. they are going to present up [and] they are going to deliver the issue, by no means the answer. I like individuals who deliver the issue and a suggestion for a way they may resolve [it.]”
A “Debbie Downer” will also be somebody who’s a naysayer, sharing detrimental opinions about others’ concepts and targets, or commonly being a hindrance to new initiatives and views. This might make it troublesome for them to make the connections wanted to climb the company ladder, or for his or her bosses and managers to belief them with new initiatives.
In case your co-worker has this character trait, they’re “solely going to assist you to a restricted restrict,” Juliette Han, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist, told CNBC Make It in June 2023. “They want you to remain inside a brief leash, and may discourage you from assembly new folks within the firm or going after new initiatives if it does not profit them straight.”
That does not imply it’s best to follow poisonous optimism, pretending the whole lot is ok when your crew is dealing with troublesome circumstances, for instance. It is unnatural and unrealistic for somebody to be completely satisfied on a regular basis, Morris says. Equally, a steady detrimental spiral might be a sign that you simply’re within the fallacious job or firm, she provides.
How one can really get forward
There are a pair attributes that separate probably the most extremely profitable staff to those that fall quick, says Morris.
She thinks extremely of employees who “ship what you expect on the time that you simply’re anticipating,” she says. “You are higher to ship early than to ship late, and also you’re higher to ship greater than much less.”
“One other inexperienced flag is that they’re open to alternatives, they usually put their hand as much as tackle extra,” she provides. “Or they create an issue with the treatment or request assist in a well timed method, versus the home is on fireplace.”
You may present you’ve gotten this sort of crew participant, self-starter angle by providing assist even while you’re not requested for it, like volunteering to mentor the brand new intern or pitching an concept that solves a problem your boss has been coping with.
Demonstrating radical intellectual curiosity, like researching a brand new AI instrument or a brand new software program your rivals are utilizing, then sharing your findings along with your boss or supervisor, additionally goes a good distance, in line with Michael Ramlett, CEO of worldwide knowledge intelligence agency Morning Seek the advice of.
And in the event you’re prepared to assist your colleagues alongside the best way, appearing as a mentor and sharing the stuff you’ve realized, that is the icing on the cake, Morris says.
“Individuals who you see are literally serving to others [are a] complete inexperienced flag.”
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