This morning I was having coffee with a sales professional from a leading MNC Pharmaceuticals firm who is looking out for opportunities outside his firm. On deeper probing, why he wishes to quit, he suggested that last year he was rated as the best performer in the zone and that he is simply the best among his peers. This best rating he received entirely because of his great skills and passion with which he drives initiatives. He continued, this year the story is not so rosy and he has been cautioned several times by his boss for suboptimal performance. He said that certain initiatives in his region have not resulted in great results because of bad demand, poor economy, unprofessional team members, stronger promotional spends from competition and so on so forth. And now he feels he may not get expected promotion/growth etc and hence he is looking out.
Poor Kid, huh, the universe is conspiring to make sure he fails. The conversation reminded me of a chapter, titled, “Don’t Blame Me” in the book “The Art of Thinking Clearly” by Rolf Dobelli (which I am writing for the benefit of those who may not have read the same. Possibly, post reading you may reflect and check if you too belong/don’t belong to the DON’T BLAME ME CLUB.) He terms it as the self serving bias. In short, we attribute success to ourselves and failures to external factors. To make it clear if you do well in an exam, you are a genius and if you don’t, then the paper was not fair.
So why we do this? One reason Rolf suggests is that it feels good, plus it does not cause any major harm. But Beware, in a modern world with many hidden risks, the self serving bias can quickly lead to catastrophe. We find examples of this everywhere. We manipulate ignorance, guilt, abilities and information to the extent that we fail to see how it boomerangs and hurt us. Some seniors in order to take credit for all the work done by his team, fail to understand the adverse impact it has on morale of other team member/subordinates with whom s/he has to work again. We plagiarise, create information asymmetry, act unprofessionally to see our peers get into difficult situations or to take credit and feel great about the same. We feel no body will know. But the truth is you can’t hide such things for a long time. Many of us seldom try to help our colleagues do better in what they do. In fact some of us hide information that can help our colleagues in performing better for fear of the fact that s/he will rise faster than us. Such display of attitude is cancerous and inflict the growth of firm which directly impacts all of us somewhere.
Great CEOs / Managers direct credit for a job well done to those who truly deserve it, not to show their greatness but because they genuinely feel so. They think right, act right and live comfortably with the fact that some of their subordinates are better than them. There is greater fun in managing people who are better than you. Don’t spoil their chances by manipulation, instead shape their life for better if you can. Imagine you saying that you shaped early thinking of Indra Nooyi or Sundar Pichai, even if you could never reach their chairs. Today a great junior can help you evolve as a better manager. Have the right attitude to accept that we can have better subordinates than us. I am proud to have at least 5 people in my team, who can drive my firm better than I am doing and I am blessed to have a senior who is ever energetic in shaping right thought processes. I accept, in all humility.
As I close this post following lines titled, “Isn’t It Strange” by Alfred Tack is worth pondering. Helps us build self awareness.
If someone else don’t do his work it is because he is lazy. If I don’t do it, it is because we have too much to do.
If someone else criticises, he is carping. If I do, I am trying to be constructive.
If somebody else sticks to his point of view, he is pig headed. If I won’t budge, it is because I am firm.
If somebody else omits to seek my views , He is rude. If I neglect to seek his, it is an oversight.
If somebody else takes his time with things, it is because he is slow. If I do, I am painstaking.
If somebody else is friendly to me, he has an ulterior motive. If I am friendly to him i am quite simply friendly to him.
If somebody else does more than what is asked, he is being officious. If I do, I am showing initiative.
If somebody else sticks up for his rights, he is only thinking of himself. If I stick up for mine, I am showing strength of character.