Who They Are: Mole¹ colleagues hide when they feel insecure, allowing problems to become overwhelming. Reluctant and quick to embarrass, they are easily intimidated².

 

How to Identify Them: Look for these socially inept³ types eating alone at the cafeteria, sitting in the back of the room at the training and sneaking⁴ away early at office parties. They may seem laid-back when passing on opportunities for promotions⁵, but they would rather languish⁶ in one position than extend themselves to advance. They can appear easygoing when accepting blame for a missed deadline, but actually lack the courage to confront the true offender⁷. Fearful of risk, failure and rejection⁸, they will shun⁹ attention at any cost. The moment your project requires communicating with others, moles¹⁰ will flee from their responsibilities and disappear under the radar¹¹.

 

What to Watch Out For: You might find the reclusive and pitiful nature of moles to elicit¹² your compassion¹³. But moles only know how to burrow¹⁴ down. Align¹⁵ yourself with them, and you will fall down the same career-isolation hole they dig for themselves.

 

How to Protect Yourself: Don't waste time helping¹⁶ moles become less isolated¹⁷. They don't want to be noticed, and will convert anything you say into self-loathing. Count on them only for routine work that can be completed without drawing attention from senior management, especially for tasks which they volunteer to do.

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