What really matters?

Unfortunately there has been a lot of change in society and the unfortunate part comes from the negative impacts of that change. If you look back to when our grandfathers were employed, promotions were achieved through hard work, determination and experience. Fast forward to our current time, most of the promotions I have seen are from who you know and how well you know them. Here is an illustration of my point.

Recently I heard a co-worker talk to another co-worker about a possible promotion in a corresponding department. What I found interesting about this conversation was the importance placed on certain information. One would assume that the perspective employee would want to know job duties and responsibilities, but alas that was not the case. The perspective employee was asking about the hiring managers interests. The employee who knew the hiring manager was coaching the perspective employee on how to correctly answer questions, and what to talk about to build on common interests.

Now all this information is good to have as a companion to the job information, but the conversation focused mainly on this and when the question was raised about experience and job function the employee giving advice brushed that request aside and encouraged the interviewee to focus on the interest questions and answers.

I was slightly shocked at the interaction and it made me think about where we (as a society) are placing the basis or foundation of our decisions. This was just one example of what I see at work and I really don’t think it’s isolated. It seems that we are choosing people for jobs or other important matters based on who we know and who make us feel good as a whole. What happened to making decisions based on merit? Based on performance and knowledge? Are we loosing that knowledge, and performance? I guess there is no separation of personal and business matters these days.

The biggest concern I have about this subject will happen this fall and basically every time we as Americans exercise our right to vote. Not that I am jumping on any band wagons at the moment and don’t want to turn into another political voice, but really when you vote this fall please remember that what makes you feel good may not be the best for you. Research the issues, look at the candidates. I think the reason our country is in this mess is because most of us voted to have something different, and bought in to what the candidates were saying and not what they stood for.

For me, this old adage goes a long way – “Actions speak louder then words.”

Unfortunately I fear this adage will go the way of the dodo soon. I fear it will be reversed if we continue down our path as a society.

So my encouragement to all reading this – research before voting, take that right seriously and in hiring for positions be open to the idea that there are others out there just as qualified if not more then your friends.

One question to ask in both is “Who will do the job the best?”