Most of my life I have had jobs where I worked for people I
felt were nowhere near as smart as I am. That is not to say I’m bragging that
I’m some kind of genius. Instead I would argue that many of my former bosses
were dullards.
According to Rick Newman, in
an article posted in Yahoo News, “Why
most employers aren’t like Starbucks and Costco,” most corporations view their
workforce as a cost rather than those that consider employees an investment. As
is obvious, those that see their employees as a cost are more likely to view
them with contempt and mistrust.
We see lots of ads on TV that tell us our community needs
and has developed entrepreneurs who are innovative, who look for ways to “do things
better,” more efficient—faster. But the reality is those who want this stuff in
their own employees are more likely to be those who lack innovation. They lack
creativity. They are short sited and they think “inside the box” as well as
resenting those who have the ability to think outside the box. These are the
bosses we will hear saying “that’s how we always did it”…”the people who
designed this are much smarter than we are”…”what makes you think you are
smarter than the guy who designed this method?”…”That is (or is not) what the
book says to do.”…”just follow the rules.”…etc.
Quite often those who can’t really do much are put in charge
of things. Those who suck up to leadership…those who follow all the rules all
the time…those who are predictable…they are put in charge. Quite often they are
the corporate dullards. They are short sided and lack any creativity that is
required to improve the way things are done. They don’t rock the boat. They
just keep doing the same things the same way. They do not have people skills,
but rule through threats and bullying.
Just as our present day politicians are driven by corruption
and greed, corporate rulers are driven by a need to advance themselves anyway
they can and at anyone else’s expense. It is a dog eat dog world in the private
sector and no one knows that better than the smucks that end up telling us how
to do our jobs.
According to Newman’s article:
“The number of companies who treat employees as an
investment is pretty slim,” says Lee Dyer, a professor at Cornell University’s
ILR School. “When a company like Starbucks invests in its people, the reason it
gets so much attention is because it’s such an anomaly.”
…. The few companies that do make a point of treating
workers better than average have a few things in common. First, they typically
distinguish themselves in the marketplace through quality, service or some
attribute other than low prices. That makes it important to have loyal,
personable employees who make a good impression on customers and maintain
quality control throughout the ranks. Starbucks, for instance, clearly doesn’t
woo customers through discounts. Instead, it emphasizes a pleasant experience
in its stores, which tend to draw businesspeople and others willing to pay $4 or
more for a cup of coffee. “If you’re in the business of touching customers
every day, you want a workforce that’s loyal and in a positive mood,” says Mike
Van Ham, a principal with Buck Consultants.
The rest of the article focuses on what the good bosses do.
So I felt it was up to me to remind people and explain what traits it takes to
be an unsuccessful boss. It would seem that corporate America would want to
follow the more successful methods that Starbucks follows. But they don’t. One
of the mysteries of life is how a system so dominated by dullards can continue
to survive.
-សតិវ អតុ
Pix by bitchback.we-enhance.com.
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