It's all politics

So, I'm all torqued up this week about the way Business runs business these days. Here's my story, stop me if you've heard one like this before. A position one step above mine opened several weeks ago within my company. I was (we'll say) "encouraged" by my boss' boss (through my boss) to apply for the position. I jumped through the necessary hoops (including applying for the job through my company's website as if I had never worked for the company). The boss of my boss was supposed to interview me, then someone from HR, then the VP overseeing my division would be the endgame of this merry chase. So, I waited. And waited. Three weeks later, I've heard absolutely fuck-all from anyone, and my boss' boss introduces the new person he's just hired for the position on a conference call.

Now, don't think this is completely devastating for me. I'm actually quite content doing what I do where I do it. This promotion really only represented more money and a change of scenery for me. What's more of a source of consternation for me is the fact that I've come face to face with the undeniable fact that the company I work for is just exactly like every other company out there. And every company out there is run just exactly like every other job I've grown to hate over the years.

Politics. Not the flag-waving, baby-kissing, hand-shaking, promises of a better future sort of politics. No, no. There's a kind of politics even more vile than that pit of vipers. It's the politics of the workplace. These are the politics of power, manipulation, and selfish ambition. It's Bonfire of the Vanities on a macro scale. It's the one thing from the eighties that should have died even faster than Boy George's fifteen minutes of superstardom.

Business is people. It's working with people, and if the people aren't there, well, what do you know? The business can't run. We need a quantum shift in the way people approach business. Instead of manipulating, try understanding and inspiring people. Those in power need to come to the understanding that those immediately under their oversight are who they need to answer to. Rather than a boss administering yearly reviews to his or her staff, how about if we invert the process? The members of the staff can write reviews for their boss. This can go all the way up the chain of command, without fear of recrimination. The VPs review the President, and the President writes reviews for the Board, etc, etc. Annual raises, bonuses, et al. would be based on these reviews. How quickly do you think the communication lines would open up between you and your boss in this system?

And that's really what this is all about. Much of business suffers from the breakdown of communication. The vast majority of communication taking place in the workplace today is either faulty or non-existent. Ill communication is more than a Beastie Boys album, it's a way of life for most corporate office employees who couldn't thread together a decent sentence in an email if their life depended on it. Phone and email ettiquette needs to be a required course at all corporate offices. Day-to-day interaction has been so poisoned by the politics of business that it's impossible to trust anyone to act with any sort of honor or simple human consideration.

The president of any company has the exact same responsibility as the guy cleaning toilets in the office. That responsibilty? Make sure the company continues to run smoothly. As long as things continue to run smoothly, the company will remain profitable. As long as the company remains profitable, he can continue to claim a paycheck. Backed-up, dirty toilets in a field office are bound to affect productivity somewhere along the line. And it's even worse if the person at the top is full of shit.