It's a function, not a level
I look at work operationally, as opposed to hierarchically. In the contexts which I found myself being in during my 20 years of career, I must confess that I have not perceived a stable correlation between ability and position. I concluded that engineers (to take an example) in a company, no matter the size, do very much have the intellectual, social and emotional quotients to take the jobs of anyone above them in the hierarchy, up to so-called 'C-suite' functions. It is more a case of interest --intrinsic motivation--, in addition to artificial obstacles that evolved through labor's history.
This conclusion has many ramifications. Today, I will mention only two.
1. Many methods and tips, promoted in people-management or organizational-management books are quite saddening. Take carrot and stick for one. The strange theater play that takes place when a manager uses this technique to invisibly funnel his engineers into working better and harder. All while these same engineers may very well have read the book from which the manager copied this wisdom. What should they feel about it? I find it insults my intelligence.
A well-read man. Not to be confused with a donkey.
2. I have also observed that often, people in upper management turn their position switches and career moves into heart warming linkedin events. Generic, empty, lengthy goodbye statements, where everyone was so wonderful, how they learned from each person they met, how they are so grateful for all the opportunities to grow, and finally, despite this wonderfulness, for some obscure reason, the show must go one somewhere else. This is then followed by hundreds of comments and likes (proportional to level in hierarchy, with a scaling factor stemming from networking abilities) of those who together play this implicit game. I find this group-self-pat behavior actually unfair. Yes, yes, alright, life is unfair, so sure, let's play, labor's on the loser.
To balance this silly state of affairs, which rates an individual's relevance based on his position in a hierarchy (while hypocritically denying it), I would like to take the opportunity of this year's gentle coming to an end, and raise a toast to an incredible set of individuals.
Mere engineers. They joined our simulation team at AID in 2019, without any loud noise --linkedin or otherwise--, to enter a deep collaboration developing our technology, while enriching their surroundings in all aspects. A real A team, without exaggeration.
So thank you infinitely my dear gentlemen:
- Chih-Chen Kao: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/cckao/
- Davide Corradi: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/davide-corradi-20479052/
- Dongping Xie: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/xiedongping/
- Fabio Cremona: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/fabio-cremona-09308634/
- Leonardo Spano': https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/lspano/
- Himangshu Saikia: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/himangshu-saikia-a4a4711b/
- Michael Welter: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/michael-welter-80695411a/
- Tim Buchholz: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/timbuchholz78/
- Nestor Montoro: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/nsubiron/
- Ulrich Kuettler: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/ulrich-k%C3%BCttler-a016ab9/
- Wouter van der Stoel: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/woutervdstoel/
Solving and re-solving @Irreducible
5 年Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
Retired and ??'ing it. Tesla investor, owner, and car camper. Try a Tesla via my referral link and get $1K off a new Tesla purchase: ts.la/bob171491
5 年Yes and ... I offer that you may have missed an opportunity here, for clarity. i.e. "... have the intellectual, social and emotional quotients to take the jobs of anyone above them in the hierarchy, up to so-called 'C-suite' functions." ... but may not have the stomach for the BS that accompanies getting to this level of impact within most large organizations.?
Project Manager
5 年Jad - I agree many? people in management positions are beyond their competence levels.? At the same time, I completely disagree with the statement:??engineers (to take an example) in a company, no matter the size, do very much have the intellectual, social and emotional quotients to take the jobs of anyone above them in the hierarchy, up to so-called 'C-suite' functions. It is more a case of interest --intrinsic motivation--, in addition to artificial obstacles that evolved through labor's history There are several problems with this statement - the most obvious is the people in management were all, at one time, not in management.? ?So, if 'any xxxxx person' did do a management job, they would have as much of a chance doing it well as the incumbent. I think it's important to look at what skills are needed for good management.? Most people don't have those skills.? All of the required skills can be developed - faster for some, slower for others - but, without those skills, you wind up with the characteristics lamented in your article. Being an engineer myself, I would specifically challenge the statement that any engineer has the emotional intelligence for good leadership.