Specific Profiles: The [Climbers] and their Modus Operandi

Definition of the Opportunist Profile

In the organizational fauna there is a highly destructive profile known colloquially as the "climber".

These are individuals whose unbridled ambition is not backed by talent or hard work, but by political astuteness and lack of moral scruples.

Their only goal is rapid advancement and power, and they see their peers not as allies, but as stepping stones or obstacles.

Unlike the toxic leader who already has power, the climber is constantly moving upward, looking for whom to please and whom to step on.

Their loyalty is liquid: they support the leader of the day until he is no longer useful to them, at which point they will not hesitate to betray him.

Appropriation and Sabotage Tactics

The climber's modus operandi is based on intellectual parasitism and sabotage.They are experts at appropriating other people's ideas; they hear a brilliant proposal from a colleague in the cafeteria and present it minutes later at the board meeting as their own.

Simultaneously, they operate through subtle defamation, casting doubt on the ability or commitment of their direct competitors.

They withhold critical information for others to fail and then appear as the "saviors" of the situation.

Their main skill is not technical, but scenic: they know how to sell themselves very well upwards while delegating the real work sideways or downwards.

Early Identification and Neutralization

Detecting these actors early is crucial to the health of the team.They are often detectable by the discrepancy between their speech (grandiloquent and full of buzzwords) and their tangible results (usually poor or stolen).

They are also recognized by their excessive flattery towards the hierarchy and their disregard or indifference towards peers and subordinates.

Healthy organizations must implement 360-degree performance evaluation systems and objective metrics that prevent these profiles from thriving solely on image and politics.

Allowing a "climber" to ascend sends a lethal message to the organization: that ethics and effort don't matter as much as manipulation.

Summary

The "climber" is a destructive profile whose ambition is based on political astuteness and lack of scruples, seeing his peers as stepping stones for advancement.

Their tactics include appropriation of others' ideas and subtle defamation, sowing doubts about the competence of others while selling themselves well upward.

Organizations should use 360-degree evaluations and objective metrics to detect the discrepancy between their discourse and results, avoiding rewarding political manipulation.