People who get rewarded for having been rewarded (mistakes, parent)
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Too much of this thread seems to be personal anecdotes and specific complaints about the poster's specific, current job.
I do think there *is* something to the phenomenon of an initial dose of success leading to increasing spirals upward. I think most of it might be chalked up to visibility. Getting that first break puts you on the radar of more and more powerful people with ability to promote.
Too much of this thread seems to be personal anecdotes and specific complaints about the poster's specific, current job.
I do think there *is* something to the phenomenon of an initial dose of success leading to increasing spirals upward. I think most of it might be chalked up to visibility. Getting that first break puts you on the radar of more and more powerful people with ability to promote.
And to that point, I think this is another reason why job hopping has become far more prevalent today. Especially if you're not particularly a skilled "politician", it's so much easier to get the promotion and pay bump elsewhere.
I've sure most of us who've been working for a while have seen it -- the people who, for no apparent reason, get recognition and rewards early on. Faster pay raise or promotion than their peers.
I've seen this happen many times. Watched people rise rapidly, much faster than peers. Even faster than others who perform better.
Probably more of a Work subforum discussion.
Some people click with higher ups better / easier than the general group. It's not about talent or skills; it's more about familiarity. The higher ups see or connect with something similar to them that is appealing, so they get advanced and rewarded.
The advantage can come even early on, in interviews. If something is discussed or worded in a way that resonates with the hiring manager, the person will often move to the top of the pick. Say the hiring manager likes baseball, and the applicant throws in some wording from his/her work history describing a success as "hitting a home run", that will get a great impression.
It's doesn't necessarily make sense as far as skills / talent / actual work experience. It's just the atmosphere that exists in many work locations. Nothing can be done to fight it or change it (unless the top people change, of course).
Last edited by Thoreau424; 08-11-2023 at 11:36 AM..
I do think there *is* something to the phenomenon of an initial dose of success leading to...
Getting that first break puts you on the radar of more and more powerful people with ability to promote.
Ever hear phrases like "get started on the right foot" ?? We make our own breaks. Or not.
Ever hear phrases like "get started on the right foot" ?? We make our own breaks. Or not.
I mean, yes and no. We deal with lots of fallible, emotional, psychologically unwell people in our lives. These people can often work as obstacles. There are usually ways around them, but they are neither quick or easy.
If everyone was a Vulcan or a machine with clear and distinct boolean logic dictating their behaviors, maybe the world would be a more just and meritocratic place.
Some people click with higher ups better / easier than the general group. It's not about talent or skills; it's more about familiarity. The higher ups see or connect with something similar to them that is appealing, so they get advanced and rewarded.
The advantage can come even early on, in interviews. If something is discussed or worded in a way that resonates with the hiring manager, the person will often move to the top of the pick. Say the hiring manager likes baseball, and the applicant throws in some wording from his/her work history describing a success as "hitting a home run", that will get a great impression.
It's doesn't necessarily make sense as far as skills / talent / actual work experience. It's just the atmosphere that exists in many work locations. Nothing can be done to fight it or change it (unless the top people change, of course).
I think this is a great point of view. There does seem to be some random, unidentifiable "click" that happens between these folks and management.
There does seem to be some random, unidentifiable "click" that happens between these folks and management.
Uh huh. Well, to the degree that the "random" or "unidentifiable" can ALSO happen (it does)
don't let that lead you to believe it's anything like the norm.
I think this is a great point of view. There does seem to be some random, unidentifiable "click" that happens between these folks and management.
There was an awesome write-up of the U.S. version of "The Office" that someone shared long ago on reddit. In it, the author describes the various characters and their dynamics within the corporate environment. They mentioned how the salesman, Jim, clicked with the CFO, David Wallace, whenever they interacted with one another. This was chalked up to Jim and Wallace being able to communicate on a different level than say a Michael Scott or Dwight Schrute. Dwight is a fantastic salesman, but is overly rigid and has terrible people skills. Michael is also a fantastic salesman, but is clumsy and unaware. Jim is a cunning guy and David Wallace picked up on this whenever they exchanged scoops about the workplace. This is why Jim, despite being depicted as an office prankster and slacker, was fast-tracked to management in earlier seasons.
Sociopaths, in their own best interests, knowingly promote over-performing losers into middle-management, groom under-performing losers into sociopaths, and leave the average bare-minimum-effort losers to fend for themselves.
Last edited by digitalUID; 08-14-2023 at 03:59 PM..
They know how to manipulate and make the bosses feel good about themselves. We always called it "brown nosing". One of the dumbest people I've ever known holds a very high and lucrative position. I know he doesn't do any real work either, he just got in with the higher ups and schmoozes, doesn't make waves, looks the part (tall, attractive, fit) and rides those coattails to the bank.
I've known people who will do anything to get to the top and there's some weird stuff happening out there at the top levels. Once you're accepted in the club you only get more rewards.
They know how to manipulate and make the bosses feel good about themselves. We always called it "brown nosing". One of the dumbest people I've ever known holds a very high and lucrative position. I know he doesn't do any real work either, he just got in with the higher ups and schmoozes, doesn't make waves, looks the part (tall, attractive, fit) and rides those coattails to the bank.
I've known people who will do anything to get to the top and there's some weird stuff happening out there at the top levels. Once you're accepted in the club you only get more rewards.
Many times, it's all about who you know. At my previous job, our purchasing manager left the company and instead of hiring an equivalent replacement, one of the big bosses brought in a guy he knew from his last company. The new guy had an expanded role overseeing both the purchasing and warehouse teams (even though there was already a warehouse manager).
Oh, did I mention the new guy was 25 years old and looked like a college freshman? And that some of his direct reports were likely older than his parents? Or that when many of these people got canned in a mass layoff within the next year, new guy got to stay?
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