How to Destroy an Organization, Part 1
Categories: Corporate Culture | Management Skills | Leadership
Posted by
Paul Orfalea
at
9:21 AM
10
comments
Let Credentials Blind You
"When I was young, I always prized competence over character. But as I've grown old I've come to value character over competence." -Rabbi Abraham Heschel
I've been lucky to work with several managers who express a philosophy similar to Rabbi Heschel's. They hire for attitude and then teach skills, arguing that it's a lot easier to teach someone how to operate a copier than it is to teach someone to be honest, reliable, and friendly. These managers understand the value of character in the workplace. We can endure mistakes, but coworkers of low character become a cancer in the organization.
Smart managers want to hire people better than themselves, but don't always know how to identify such people. It's easy to be taken in by credentials. I myself once introduced a new partner glowingly as a man with "more degrees than a thermometer," only to discover later that he was the proverbial snake in the grass. I did not understand the man's character, and it cost me.
Certificates and diplomas might represent significant achievement and subject matter expertise, but they could also represent nothing more than high competency in the acquisition of credentials. To destroy a company, it's important to value credentials more highly than experience when choosing between two candidates. For best results, let your own insecurity drive you to hire outside MBAs rather than promoting from within.
Refusing to promote from within gives the company destroyer a two-fer, since you can demoralize an existing coworker before appointing his or her new supervisor. With any luck, that supervisor's arrogance and dismissive nature will finish the job of turning coworkers against each other and the organization. What fun!
Frequent reorganizations are a handy tool for scorched earth managers, and deserve an essay of their own. Reorganizations provide ample opportunities to demonstrate your preference for credentials over character. In the course of one of the many reorganizations during Kinko's five-year transition from a private company to a division of Federal Express (but before Federal Express bought the company), a long-time coworker bragged to a new VP that his division consistently had the best sales and profit growth. She looked him in the eye and said his area's success was strictly a result of geography.
In one sentence, she declared that he and his team, who had been working the area for over ten years, were irrelevant. And the people who hired her had to believe her: she had the credentials.
Yes, if you want to destroy a company, there's no doubt that you should allow yourself to be blinded by credentials. That does remind me of an old caveat, though; that the Titanic was built by professionals, but the Ark was built by amateurs. If I recall correctly, the builder of the Ark was selected based on his character.
Comments
jessie fidler wrote on 04/22/09 9:50 PM
This article must be reassuring to some and overwhelming to others. For those with confidence in their own character, we're feeling great about this philosophy! For those pushing through University for the sole purpose of a degree, these words are probably scary. Many times in small discussions as well as large lectures, students are either shy about voicing their opinion or genuinely don't know the class material. I think this is usually due to the fact that many are here because the idea of a degree has been pummeled into their brains their whole lives as a sure way to succeed. In this way, many graduate with this proof of competence without developing real character. However, the weight of a college degree in the Western world cannot be ignored; though ideally character is more important, people entering the work force with a degree are generally offered interviews and positions before those without.
Abigail wrote on 04/23/09 8:46 AM
I was hired by "your" company more than a decade ago. I had to take a test via phone to see if I was suitable for the position; I didn't fare so well. I answered every question as honestly as I could. "Have you ever taken a pen home form work and not returned it?; "Yes". "Have you ever disagreed with a supervisor's decision and followed your own instincts?"; "Yes." I failed the test and had three managers fight to get me hired (I had been recruited for several years).
At the same time another person was hired and passed the test with flying colors. He told me he answered every question based on "what they want to hear". 3 weeks later he was fired for theft.
I am still employed by said company; which the general population will always call "Kinko's". I have watched the exact same "procedures" come down the pike every 10 to 14 months for the last 20 years. It reminds me of the government. Let's reinvent the entire system every 4-8 years so we keep our jobs. Nothing much really changes; just who has the window office and who is in the basement.
Our nation is where it is at because so many companys have forgotten the worker. Some of us want to work. Really work. We want to leave the workplace worn out and tired knowing we did a great job and made the customer happy. We do all we can do to make it right ... within reason.
We must be supported when we decide not to produce: the flyer with a hanging black man, a vulgar jab at lesbians and gays, a Disney character.. We lost the... "got your back" ...f rom the company.
"Out here in the fields, we work for our meals".
Whitney Caruso wrote on 04/23/09 7:10 PM
Well Paul, I sure hope you are right. As a soon-to-be graduate from UCSB, I find myself being catapulted into a world where my so-called "credentials" do not make me stand out from the crowd. Yes, it is an achievement to graduate from a four-year university, but I am surely not the only one who has done it.
While at the library, I recently stumbled upon an anonymous quote that read, "Is all college doing for us is teaching us to be good college students!?" Alarmed at the harsh reality, I began thinking more critically about my education, and what I am getting out of it that can actually apply to my post-collegiate life. Putting down the books I was studying, my mind instantly jumped to your Global Studies 194 Seminar at UCSB. With no written tests or assignments, to a well-trained college student striving for A's such a class can seem like a 'joke,' and all they will take away from it is a boost in their transcripts. However, when thinking about life beyond Isla Vista and the Davidson Library, one can come to recognize the significance of a strong handshake, a proper greeting and a well-crafted question.
So thank you Paul, for preparing our class for life beyond tests, research papers, and transcripts and for helping us build our character.
Nick Pedersen wrote on 04/24/09 1:45 PM
Perhaps it's as easy as quoting Mark Twain: "I never let schooling get in the way of my education."
Larry Prodehl wrote on 04/25/09 9:34 AM
I did not finish my schooling, I decided to get an education instead. I will not look back on that, as I was taught many valuable lessons.
My good friend did not pass the standardized test either. He is now a very successful manager.
I have talked with many succesful managers this past couple of days. Every one of them hires for character, not competence.
I took my 9year old daughter to work with me this week. The V.P. of Operations took a half hour out of his very busy schedule to personally give her a tour. This affected her and I immensly. This is a company that, in this economy, is up 30% year/year. That is what building with character will do.
We have a collection of ex-coworkers.
and
"We don't need to be forgiven"
Jessamyn Boltz wrote on 04/26/09 3:15 PM
I must say that after reading this post it gives me a sense of relief that the business world can be one more than just getting the best returns and making the most money. In an increasingly competitive job market with a turnover on technology giving everyone whiplash, it is nice to know that there is still a code of conduct based on character and integrity rather than showing off one's trophy room.
When applying to college I had to give an interview at one point, and I remember the interviewer telling me the value of sitting down and talking with an applicant was greater than simply reading the application as it gave the college a much better idea of the character of the applicant. One could be a genius, scoring highest on the SATs and AP tests, yet be the rudest and uncaring person towards fellow classmates.
Jessica Stevens wrote on 04/26/09 3:58 PM
Funnily enough, my parents actually tried to talk me out of going back to school to finish my Bachelors at UCSB... Neither of them completed more than a high school education and were both at one time successful entrepreneurs. I insisted that most companies today will not even glance at your resume unless you have a bachelors, regardless of your experience. So here I am about to graduate, working along the way, and I feel no more marketable with a Bachelors degree than I did before. If anything I feel like I learned more about time management, organization, and the importance of balance than anything that I read in a text book. As much as I hate to admit it, in the end my parents were right. However, I do not regret my decision. Finishing college was an arena of opportunity for me, one of which was to improve my character.
Nick Akhbari wrote on 04/26/09 6:36 PM
You can train competence much easier then build character. I would always choose the individual who showed greater moral character then an individual solely based on credentials. Every interview i had, i based my on my character, i expressed my true self and it has always rewarded me. Now that i have some credentials i feel in order for me to compete in the job market or look for employees, i will be judged mostly based on my character and it will reflect on my career.
Jana Gallus wrote on 04/26/09 10:18 PM
I agree with this because I think that a company's success depends on its employees' motivation (which will make them more productive). The latter is, I think, critically influenced by a good work atmosphere within a company - or why do companies spend so much money on organizing nice trips or events for their employees?! (Certainly not in order to get rid of some after-tax profits!)
One employee who has contradicting, more selfish goals, can already be enough to destroy this atmosphere.
On the other hand, it is fair to say that in some cases you just NEED to find someone who not only has a good moral character, but also brings outstanding scientific skills (I am thinking here of mathematicians or physicians, for example).
For sales, on the other hand, I believe character is more important than any academic skills.
So I'd say it depends on the field of work he/she's searched for.
Nick Pedersen wrote on 04/22/09 10:34 AM
I agree. I'm not here at UCSB for the degree; frankly, I couldn't care less if I actually leave with one. For me, these past few years have been all about collecting experiences. This of course partially includes academic experiences but even more important are social networking and entrepreneurial experiences. Maybe it's because I hope to never have a job but i believe an interview says much more about a person than their resume.