Rising Along With Others

It's one of those uncomfortable realities of work that not all of us our superstars. (I know: How cheerful and holiday-spirited of me to point that out today.) But I don't mean that as a slam on anyone - including me, a 20-year writer who has yet to win a Pulitzer. I mean that in any company there are talented professionals who do good work, and also a smaller number of people who writer Emma Johnson describes as being the ones named as team leaders, picked for plumb projects and hanging out in the vice president's office. When the circumstances are right, these can be good folks to ally yourself with. On jobsinthemoney.com, Emma examines how to go about this:

In an ideal world, professionals can attach themselves to flourishing peers, learn from their strengths, contribute to their successful projects, and develop relationships with those who might one day be able to help them get ahead.

However, don't get the idea you can simply ride somebody else's coattails. It makes no sense to "just coast to success based on the success of another," says Doug Rickart, a division director for Robert Half Finance and Accounting in Minneapolis. "It becomes quite obvious you're spending time with someone just to get yourself noticed. That's meaningless."

Meanwhile, over at CareerJournal is a piece by Kayleen Schaefer on handling peers who are trying dump their work on you. (Another uncomfortable reality is that a lot of people who think they are superstars, aren't.).

When your peer asks if you will do his work, he is in charge of the situation and setting the agenda. And as soon as you answer the question, you lose. If you say yes, you're stuck with your peer's work. If you say no, you feel bad. The key is to pose your own question: Why are you asking me to do your work?

How to Catch a Rising Star - and Not Get Burned [JITM]
Stopping a Bossy Peer From Dumping on You [WSJ via CareerJournal]