This is Tall Poppy Syndrome.

On Sunday, August 11, 2019, Bianca Andreescu defeated Serena Williams who retired from the match in the first set due to a back injury. Following this, Genie Bouchard, before congratulating Andreescu, posted the above message on Twitter.

Bouchard’s comment undermines Andreescu’s achievement. It downplays the matches Andreescu won over the course of the tournament to get to the finals, including the first round where she defeated Bouchard in three sets.

Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS) is when a person is attacked, ostracized, resented or cut down due to their success. The metaphor comes from the notion that poppies are supposed to grow together, and when one grows too tall, it is cut down to size. Bouchard’s comment is an example of TPS, and she is the cutter. Unfortunately, this type of behaviour is not uncommon in Canada.

In the workplace, 87.3% of Canadian women have experienced TPS and it impacts their productivity, confidence and self-worth. The study, The Tallest Poppy, examines the impact of TPS on the individual and in organizations. The study reveals that women who cut down other women are usually their peers or direct reports. Bouchard and Andreescu are peers. The study also reveals how the opinions of others, especially those that you work with, can have an impact on mental health and well-being.

It is likely that majority of those who are reading this post have experienced some form of TPS and know how it feels to be undermined for simply doing your best. Although Bouchard followed up with a congratulatory message for Andreescu, it is minimized by the original comment. It’s like saying to someone, “You didn’t deserve that promotion” and then following it up with “Congratulations, anyways!”

So, how do you combat TPS?

The top three recommendations from the study include: training and development, leading by example and respondents shared that if you see something, say something. I saw this Tweet by Bouchard this morning and needed to say something. It may have been a throw-away comment that was made on social media, however, comments like these are made every single day in our workplaces and have a deep and negative impact on the person who is experiencing TPS. It needs to be called out.

I also needed to say: Congratulations, Bianca. You deserved that win.