I have never been a person to be very competitive in
the professional world. Now, that is not saying that I will not give it 110% in
the local softball game and be angry if we do not win, but that is different in
my mind. In a softball or soccer game, there is a group of winners. We work as
a team to produce a wanted outcome. The game does not consist of a single
person rising to the top. I have been told by several people that my lack of manipulation,
using people, and desire for power will be the reason I never rise above the
mid-level accountant position that I currently hold. The more I learn in the
leadership program, the more confident I am that there is a right and wrong way
to rise to power. I would one day like to be in a position greater than the one
I currently hold, but I will not forsake my beliefs or ethics to get there.
Kramer (2003) described the winner wants all mindset and that is one that I
decline to take part in.
The winner want all mindset is not something that is
new to our society. Past Greek and Roman
leaders took land from neighboring countries. Pirates were known to pillage and
take other’s ships and supplies. There have been multiple stories of barbarians
who killed to get what they wanted. These individuals did not play by the rules
of the game in hopes of gaining what they wanted. They broke old rules and made
new rules up along the way. In describing the ‘winner wants all’ mindset Kramer
(2003) stated,
There are lots of
extremely smart and ambitious individuals vying for just a few top slots.
Moving up the ranks can be like competing in a high-stakes tournament: As you
make it through successive rounds, the pool of worthy candidates narrows, the
margin for error is much smaller, and the competition intensifies. This
winnowing process means just a handful of people will attain prominence or
success. In some contests—such as those for CEO of a major corporation, head of
a mainstream motion picture studio, dean of an elite law school, or president
of the United States—there can be only one winner. (para. 9)
The ‘winner want all’ attitude can be great for the
fortunate individual that runs the obstacle course to get to the top. But, the
actions they perform to get there can create a dilemma that ends up biting them
and causing their demise.
It is human nature to ponder upon the question of
why not me. Most of us have the thought process that we believe we could all do
better than we currently are. I will admit there have been times that I have
looked at my superiors and thought, how did they get there over me? According
to Kramer (2003), most people get to the top by bending the rules. Gouveia
(n.d.) went as far as stating that people rise to the top because they are
manipulative and narcissistic. “It is easier to get ahead when you are focused
on you, you, you “(Gouveia, n.d., para. 8). The rise to the top can cause
dilemmas in society, professional lives, and our personal lives.
Not to get into a political debate, as I will play
the preverbal part of Belgium and remain neutral, a non-warranted rise to the
top could be presently going on in our society. There are many naysayers who
believe certain individuals in President Trump’s cabinet arrived at their
current position though unethical avenues. There have been reports that the
current head of the Department of Education paid off members of the Senate to
buy their vote (Blumenthal, 2017). Once again I am not siding with either
political party in this debate. But, if the tension of the job does get to Ms.
De Vos is she does not have the knowledge to keep up, it could create a
dilemma. The children of the country could be on the losing side of an
unethical rise to power. No matter the outcome, there has been an extreme amount
of negative energy put towards the new head the Department of Education, which
could affect her job status before it even begins.
On a professional level, I would like to discuss the
rise of the former Controller of Daytona State College. This individual, we
will call her Ms. Smith, began at the company before I started and had been
promoted to manager by the time I was hired. I believe it is unethical to take
part in gossip but quickly learned that there was an abundant amount of gossip
about her promotion. It was said that she was struggling to do her job as an
accountant and she would be forced to stay late at night and come in on
weekends to try to keep up with the work. But as Kramer (2013) suggested she
saw another way to the top and began to create her own path.
She became friends with the Controller and soon was
invited to lunches with the Controller, CFO, and multiple VPs of the College.
This new ‘in’ soon landed her a position as a manager of four accountants. When
Ms. Smith became the manager of the accountants she manipulated and used them
for all they were worth. She claimed work they completed as her own and
presented it to the Board. As Gouveia (n.d.) stated some individuals “have an unyielding desire to be the
center of attention, their ideas are usually the only ones worth considering,
and they work tirelessly to charm others and gain notoriety” (para. 9). This
unethical and manipulative path eventually landed her the position of
Controller.
When the CFO retired
a couple of years later she applied for the position. The college President
held an interview with each accountant to determine if Ms. Smith would be a
good fit for CFO, which she obviously was not. Ms. Smith was so blinded by her
ways that she was astonished to find out the other accountants in the
department did not think she would fit perfectly as the new CFO. This string of
events created two dilemmas (a) Ms. Smith was upset she was not named the new
CFO so she took her aggression on the staff and new CFO and (b) it became clear
to the new CFO that Ms. Smith did not possess the skills to hold the position
of Controller. Unfortunately, Ms. Smith was eventually relieved of her duties.
Ms. Smith had the personality trait to do whatever it took to get to the top.
She said several times that her dream was to be CFO. But as LaFollette (2007)
mentioned, personality traits that are relevant in some context are not
relevant in all contexts. Her dream and the way she went about it costs her in
the long run. As Kramer (2003) pointed out, the rise to success can be fun, but
the fall is definitely not enjoyable.
As I mentioned
before, I do not see a time where I will play the unethical game to get to the
top. I was one of the four accountants that were under Ms. Smith’s management.
I watched her take turns unethically stepping on us and using us to nearly rise
to the pinnacle of accounting at DSC. I may be one of the few that feels this
way but I believe that my ethics are stronger than using individuals for my own
personal gain or rise. According to Kramer (2003), “Frankly, it’s hard to
respect individuals who plod along by just following the rules… If you want to
follow all the rules, become an accountant. You’ll be happier and live longer”
(para. 18). According to Kramer (2003), I made the right decision in my
professional life. I will keep the faith that I can one day rise through
ethical actions.
References
Blumenthal, P. (2017, February 03). Here's how much Betsy DeVos and her
family paid to back GOP senators who will support her. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/betsy-devos-donations_us_5893bd80e4b0c1284f251c5f
Gouveia, A. (n.d.)."3 Reasons the worst people get ahead at
work." Salary.com.
Retrieved from http://www.salary.com/3-reasons-the-worst-people-get-ahead-at-work/slide/3/
Kramer, R. (2003). The harder they fall. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2003/10/the-harder-they-fall
LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics.
Malden, MA; Blackwell.
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