Tall Poppy Syndrome

I was researching a psychology project on the effective management of ‘difficult people’ and was looking for theories and models on which to base my practical applications.

I had never heard of it.

Hardly surprising as it is an Australasion concept, accounting for the unpleasant, negative behaviour of people who feel envy, jealousy and covetousness in the face of the success of others.

In the Southern Hemisphere, a tall poppy is a successful person or achiever who, as a result, becomes the target of jealousy and grudging remarks. Although the intention of the poppy hater is to make themselves feel better by insisting that everyone is the same; the actual result is no one strives to be great or lives by their belief that change is possible, due to the consequential negative behaviour, as displayed by others.

Thus, tall poppy syndrome can be viewed as a tendency of some to discredit or disparage those who have achieved wealth or prominence; justified by their distorted belief that the poppy is a showy flower whose appearance does not represent real worth.

However, this same syndrome is strongly in evidence here n the Northern Hemisphere – take our current celebrity and political cultures as examples.

The popular press have a predictable, cyclical dynamic of ‘building up’ an individual with lots of TV coverage and column inches; only to revel in the orchestration of their fall from grace some time later.

In the workplace tall poppy syndrome may manifest in the reluctance of individuals to share new ideas; or to hold back from instigating new practices in anticipation of the inevitable negative response they will get from their (less able) colleagues.

The truth is that career or business success takes courage as reaching your goals can sometimes put you in conflict - real or perceived - with others with similar or diverse goals. Others who feel threatened by your success may behave in a devious and dishonest ways, and in the extreme may resort to malicious sabotage, in an attempt to stultify your achievements and further their own ends.

It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in; trust in your own judgement and hold steadfast to your own sense of self-worth in the face of negative, debilitating resistance from others.

So what can be done to combat this insidious syndrome?

Jodyanne Kirkwood
of the Department of Management, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand believes that effective ways of reducing the impact of tall poppy syndrome on entrepreneurs consist of: • Celebrating their success more visibly • Highlighting realistic role models to inspire people and • Emphasizing the hard work and the risks taken by entrepreneurs to achieve success As Benjamin Franklin noted, "You cannot strengthen one by weakening another; and you cannot add to the stature of a dwarf by cutting off the leg of a giant.”

And you can’t stop a wild poppy from blooming, season after season, by seeking to chop off its beautiful head!