Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Merit based
Wouldn't it be great if one was accurately rewarded on one's merit at one's job, at least for things done well, you know, without the punishment. Oh, I'm not talking about you soccer players, and distant upper management folks, all you petty rulers of the Universe. I just mean people, with the regular jobs. But maybe it's impossible to properly judge a regular person in a regular job. Who will judge us? Did you know that in a single day I can be both so brilliant at my job angels should fly from the heavens to bestow garlands upon my tired brow, and so disinterested, entitled, and lazy that someone might want to say something to me.
Just guess which one of those results has ever happened to me.
Eh, both actually, so you were right either way.
Do you know why my co-workers are so easily and frequently mad about their job?
Because they know that all the ranks of managers above them want, above all, for them to be relentlessly, tiresomely, mediocre at their jobs.
But every once in awhile, at least deep down, they want to be great, and have it mean something.
4 comments:
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I was a manager once, for quite a few years, and I certainly didn't want those who reported to me to be mediocre. I wanted them to shine, and they did more often than not.
ReplyDeleteThen one day the BIG boss came to my office and said, "We're having layoffs. I need the names of the ten people you will part with. Now."
Being a manager sucks bigtime.
I am very willing to believe you were a nice manager, and I am dealing in a certain kind of generality here, but even your point is a kind of support rather than refutation of my point. You wanted people to shine, but institutionally the collective management at that job, or your management above you, didn't seem to particularly care about YOU shining and thus made you collude in the instant firing of ten people. And so my mediocrity argument can easily stand.
DeleteI'm not sure those who reported to me would agree that I was "nice."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have been retired since 2005, and not to have been a manager at the library job.
No? Wise? Tireless? Helpful? Loyal? Supportive? Fair? Inspiring?
ReplyDelete