People Pleasing

Prioritizing meeting the needs or expectations of others, seeking external validation and approval, and struggling with setting healthy boundaries or asserting your needs.

What is people pleasing?

People pleasing, also known as approval seeking or seeking external validation, is a behavioral pattern where an individual prioritizes the needs, wants, and opinions of others over their own in an effort to gain acceptance, approval, or validation from others. People pleasers often go to great lengths to make others happy or avoid conflict, even at the expense of their own well-being, boundaries, and authenticity.

How does people pleasing present in the work place?

Identifying people pleasing in the workplace involves recognizing patterns of behavior where an individual consistently prioritizes the needs or expectations of others over their own. It may manifest as a reluctance to say "no" to additional tasks or responsibilities, avoiding conflict or confrontation, excessive agreement without expressing personal opinions, or consistently seeking external validation or approval. People pleasers may also have difficulty setting and enforcing healthy boundaries, struggle with decision-making autonomy, and exhibit signs of stress or emotional exhaustion from constantly trying to please others. Observing such behaviors in oneself or others can be a clue to identify people pleasing tendencies in the workplace.

How to combat people pleasing?

Overcoming people pleasing requires consistent work, it involves:

Self-awareness, setting healthy boundaries, cultivating self-worth, and practicing assertiveness.
It involves recognizing and acknowledging the behavior, identifying triggers, and learning to say "no" when appropriate.
Building a healthy sense of self-worth, independent of external validation, is crucial, and challenging negative beliefs or thought patterns that drive people pleasing is important.
Practicing self-approval and prioritizing self-care can help shift the focus from seeking approval from others to valuing one's own needs and desires.
Surrounding oneself with supportive people who respect boundaries and encourage authenticity can also be beneficial.

It's important to remember that overcoming people pleasing is a process that takes time and effort. With consistent practice, individuals can break free from people-pleasing patterns and cultivate a more fulfilling, authentic, and empowered approach to work and life.