Community Chat

[terrier3]

On 6/6/2014 happy housewife said:

On 6/5/2014 terrier3 said:

Working hard is only part of what it takes to get ahead in business.

Networking and socializing with bosses is just as important, maybe even more so.

The people I have seen promoted were not the smartest, the most successful or the hardest workers...they tended to be the best at schmoozing and playing up to the bosses. They were best at playing the game!

I think that depends on your profession.

I used to think that too...but I don't anymore.

I know of an instance where a dedicated hard working pediatrician was fired as head of a department (they said she was too intense and advocated too much on behalf of the children when she was let go).

Meanwhile, a doctor I went to HS and college with (cheated all through undergrad and boasted about it!).. was promoted to head of medical staff - she fired the MD who advocated for the children. She was the second highest paid female executive in the area...made 2.5 million from her administrative job alone. She held that job for 7 years. The hospital went from #1 in the region to losing money. She moved the executive offices out of the hospital - said she didn't want to interact too much with the people she supervised...
In an interview when she moved the offices, she said personnel were like pieces on a chess game - it was better not to get to know them personally - she modeled herself on Jack Welch. There were many strikes on her watch too...she attempted to fire the entire radiation department and replace them with doctors analyzing the x-rays in India!!!! Every year she made more money and got more acclaim for being tough minded.

Finally the hospital lost millions while the other hospitals in the area were making money. The CEO (her boss) and she were finally let go by the board (with HUGE golden parachutes).

But for 7 years she was acclaimed as a model executive.

At our HS reunion, she told my friend (a cardiologist) and me that she became a psychiatrist and later an administrator because the jobs were easy. She wasn't on call 24/7 like the cardiologist...it was easy to set up a practice (no fancy equipment) and since insurance policies paid for only a limited number of psych visits (before ACA), she could charge cash and keep patients for decades (they never were "cured").

[AuntG]

On 6/5/2014 ------ said:

On 6/4/2014 Buck-i-Nana said:

Most people who go above and beyond don't do it for the recognition, they do it because it's what they expect of themselves.

Exactly. People who take pride in what they do will create their own job satisfaction.

There must be a whole generation of us who try to do a good job simply because that is what we expect of ourselves. I don't know the ages of those who have posted these sentiments, but I'd guess most of us are between 45 and 65.

[terrier3]

On 6/7/2014 AuntG said:

On 6/5/2014 ------ said:

On 6/4/2014 Buck-i-Nana said:

Most people who go above and beyond don't do it for the recognition, they do it because it's what they expect of themselves.

Exactly. People who take pride in what they do will create their own job satisfaction.

There must be a whole generation of us who try to do a good job simply because that is what we expect of ourselves. I don't know the ages of those who have posted these sentiments, but I'd guess most of us are between 45 and 65.

There is a BIG difference between doing a great job and being taken advantage of!

I always surpassed the goals my managers set for me...and do the same now that I am working for myself.

But being on call 24/7, doing work and having others take the credit, sacrificing family obligations for work, going in sick - I've done that in the past and never will again. It is not appreciated.

I had a client who said that she would send out tweets at 1AM just to see who would immediately respond. I told her that would never be ME. We were selling advertising, not delivering babies!

I was available during the hours when I could make a difference and handle problems - but since our technical support people went home by 7 PM, there was no reason to be available until 7AM the next morning. I made sure all my clients knew that the hours to have emergency problems fixed ended at 7PM...due to our headquarter's staffing.

[Blahblahvampemer]

I look at it from two angles.

In the first, yeah, you're gonna see butt kissers move up, and it's disheartening to see mediocrity rewarded. It's really a spirtual test if you think about it. Do you lower your standards, do something unethical to get ahead? I only worry that with the current desire to raise wages that we're going to have people getting paid a lot more only to see them prove that they weren't worth half as much to begin with. At one of my favorite restaurants, the young set isn't prone to showing up let alone even arriving on time.

In the second, doing your best and going above and beyond can pay off. I know a lot of small business owners, and they always reward the people that dedicated themselves to the job. The rest are the first to go in a layoff. Or to get fired because they stink.

[Blahblahvampemer]

On 6/5/2014 terrier3 said:

Working hard is only part of what it takes to get ahead in business.

Networking and socializing with bosses is just as important, maybe even more so.

The people I have seen promoted were not the smartest, the most successful or the hardest workers...they tended to be the best at schmoozing and playing up to the bosses. They were best at playing the game!

ITA. Those "people" skills are vital to moving ahead whether you're the best or just sliding on by.

Personally, I'm far, far too blunt, and I don't hesitate to call someone out on unethical behavior. My dad is the same way, and he saw someone get moved into a major administrative position (education) that didn't have half his qualifications. One person at the school who did have those people skills not only moved up, but she also lied to the state to get millions in funding. If the facts were known, there'd be a nice little scandal here in Georgia.

[hyacinth003]

Working extra hard doesn't mean anything anymore when there's an agenda to promote others no matter what.

My husband came in early, stayed late, came in on weekends, got numerous compliments on his work, got extra credentials in his field, did it all - a real company guy.

Then, due to a preordained set of circumstances, the company gave promotions to people who did much less for other reasons.

I now wish he had never worked so hard.

Hyacinth