Talent Vs. Politics
The truth about corporate America.
Have you ever wondered how some of the people that run companies actually gained those positions? I have. Having recently been in the corporate world myself, I stumbled upon the answer first hand. For years I wondered how people became so successful. College, talent, intelligence? What was it that made VP’s, VP’s and Presidents, Presidents.
While some of these individuals made it on hard work and talent, that is not the case with them all. Reality TV likens Corporate America more than I think most realize.
For many years I worked within the corporate world. Starting at the bottom and working my way up. My hard work and talent took me far. Well, it took me farther than just a small hourly wage and no respect by my peers. It did not however take me as far as it should have.
Why? In reality TV, the strongest players are always kept around for awhile to help win challenges and get things done. The closer it comes to the end, the fewer the people are left, the less it becomes about hard work and talent, and the more it becomes about lying, cheating, about politics. While politics are played throughout, it is only after a certain plateau within the game that the politics become brutal, vicious even. We criticize this behavior, but then pass it off and let it go, because after all, it’s just a game.
Just a game. Welcome to Corporate America. Our lives, our livelihoods, our families, depend on our success in the work place. Succeeding however comes at a price. The behavior we accept on TV, is the same behavior that goes on behind the scenes in business. DO not get me wrong, I do not blame television for the animalistic and sadistic nature of the business world. I am merely pointing out, that we ,knowingly or not, encourage such bad behavior.
Talent and hard work only take you so far, the rest is a game of deception. While not all executives got their positions this way, a good many even of the good ones, will tell you there was politics involved. Why then, do we continue to allow it? Why are we not standing up and forcing the corporate world to see us for our merits and our integrity? Why are we not questioning the morals and ethics of the corporate society? Is it because as a whole we no longer believe in these things?
Sad as it is, for a nation that prides itself on diversity, freedom, hard work, equality, spiritualism, these things are all lacking in the business world. It is cut throat and does not care what you can bring to the table, it cares simple about whether you can steal food from someone else’s table and get away with it. The corporate world has become, underhanded, unreliable, and untrustworthy. It is time America take back its business and stand up for “truth, justice, and the American way.”
3 Comments
I am a financial professional in a small town and I 100% agree. So much is about politics and who you know. I have found it to be true even at the small town level. Local politics can be just as bad. However, sometimes it is necessary to play the political game to accomplish certain goals in life. I don’t like it and avoid it but at times it is necessary.
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I agree with this article. Lots of business in the US is all about networking, both good and bad. It usually (but not always) requires being unethical to climb up corporate ladders.
It is probably the case that part of the reason why businesses (and those at the top of the corporations) are like this is because of the pressures of a market that’s always demanding higher revenues every quarter.
Thankfully, not every business is like this. There are even a some large businesses that sincerely value talented employees.