S I P S I P

SOCIALLY INSECURE PERSON SEEKING INSTANT PROMOTION
By: Abdullah R. Sirad



When I was in grade school, I often used the word SIPSIP as my “hate” expression against my classmates who were getting too close to our teacher just to be given an extra attention and eventually a higher grades on their report card.

SIPSIP, at our age then, is perceived to be someone like a Leech that sips or suck blood once it gets to human’s skin. Thus we hate too much of being called SIPSIP. It was when I was in college that I knew what SIPSIP really stands for. My professor in social science explained to us that SIPSIP is actually an acronym for “socially insecure person seeking instant promotion” or popularity, privilege, power or protection depending on the situation that it fits.

I had then realized that a SIPSIP person is nothing different with a leech that keeps on sucking blood and then tries to leave unnoticed. Thus I stand still to my perception when I was a young boy that being a SIPSIP is being a Leech. According to Wikipedia, being a leech or leecher refers to the practice of benefiting, usually deliberately, from others' information or effort but not offering anything in return, or only token offerings in an attempt to avoid being called a leech.

I don’t mean to attack anyone or to brand someone as leech. I am only trying to express my perceptions on this behavior as it is a very observable practice in any field of organizations. Let me expound on it in a work setting. SIPSIP is now a normal practice especially among individual belonged to a certain company or organization wherein competition is at tough.

If you had worked and seated with a manager, you would observe how employees sarcastically tried to seek attention from him. Everyday, employee would come in his convenient time to boast what he has done in the whole day. He is very verbose of naming what he has accomplished when in fact he is only claiming other’s accomplishments. Eventually, he start attacking other employees, especially to those whom he thinks is a sore to his eyes. He would start to fall down and backbite the person whom they feel insecure with all odds and foul descriptions. After they convince the superior, there then that they ask for their real intention, which is to ask something at their own favor (e.g. promotion, popularity, privilege, power or protection).

Another observable approach among SIPSIP employee in seeking manager or superior’s attention is being a pet or third eye by their superior. Izhar Ahmed has this reaction to the latter. “People to protect their own interests and to get or preserve favors become pets of managers and supervisors. Catering to every wimp and cry, assuring they have no discomfort whatsoever. The other side, the hourable and self respecting sub ordinate limits his interaction to work related topics but ironically he is looked down upon and criticized for his self respecting behavior. This is what goes on in the office”. Ahmed is exactly correct of his reaction. These SIPSIP people watch every details of others’ action and make their own conclusion which is of course negative and reached such report to the manager or immediate boss. Boss, who doesn’t verify information’s received, immediately reacted and impose corresponding sanction to the subject person. Sounds very pity. People who hooked themselves to work were discredited of their effort just because of the false report against them.

Why do people use other people at their own benefits by providing false information?

It’s not wrong to listen to people below at our level. In fact, managers would help them grow emotionally because they (employees) would feel that they are welcome and that their ideas are valued. However, managers are not only superior in position but in the ability to evaluate justly all information that they are receiving as well. They can balance their reaction by appreciating the news received from someone reporting and by validating the truthfulness of the report in fairness to the one being reported. Managers should know that when their subordinates keeps boasting only for their accomplishments, gives flowering complimentary, or keeps on spoiling others identity; it means that these subordinates are blood sucker, a leech that is. These are those insecure people who fear that their wits are inadequate to be loved by their boss, thus they would do everything to please their boss even if it means hurting other people.

Because of lacking self confidence that they maybe out competed by their colleagues, they behave like a Leech so that they can win their immediate boss attention and trust. They keep on sticking with someone whom they think they can benefit at the expense of other people. Due to their fear that they maybe perceived worthless by their boss and eventually may loss their position or may not be given promotion that they chose to fabricate information against someone else in the organization.

Such practice is alarming if the concern boss continuously believes at them without cross-checking the veracity of the report. This would become an endemic problem for it will create partisan system among employees in the organization. It devaluate the image of the organization in general.

In a scenario like this, manager should live by the company values while maintaining professionalism in dealing every people and situation. He has to assure that he could not be fueled up by anyone to impose unfair actions against someone else. He has to remember at all the times that as manager; he knows more, well capable of, and could never be persuaded by mere complimentary or free riding. Likewise, “trying hard” employees should admit who they are. Using other people for their own advancement will not help them grow. Soon or later, truth will be disclosed and they would be put in a much bitter jeopardy. Being too intimate with the boss insinuate something else, a parasite look-alike shall I say. A Leech to be specific!