The Office is easily one of my favorite shows. While I wasn't a fan of the last few seasons, I think the first couple are absolutely timeless. Steve Carell's Michael Scott character is fantastic.
For those of you not familiar with the premise of The Office, its a sitcom with the main premise being a group of regular office workers coping with the childish antics of their boss, Michael Scott. Michael is, essentially, the boss from hell. He has very little self awareness and constantly makes tasteless jokes at the expense of his associates. Things like degrading an Indian woman by mocking her culture with poor stereotypes with an equally atrocious accent.
As a viewer, you can't help but question how. How did Michael Scott end up landing this position? He clearly isn't suited for the job. Well, the show actually does lightly explain it at one point, and it's a sadly believable premise that occurs regularly in many organizations today.
The company Michael Scott is a boss at is a paper supply company where Michael manages a group of mostly sales associates. These sales associates have regular interactions with other businesses in supplying them with office goods, namely paper. The show explains that Michael was once himself a sales associate, and, surprisingly, he was actually very good at his job. There are times in the show where Michael is portrayed in the sales role, and he shows competency in relating to people on a superficial level, which is probably why he did so well as a full time sales associate.
What happened, then, is that when the manager position came open, Michael was immediately considered (and hired) for the role because of his stellar record as a sales associate. Here's the thing though... this is NOT at all the same role. Where Michael succeeded as a sales associate, he fails as a manager.
This happens all the time in many organizations. People might succeed in one area and get promoted to a role where they ultimately fail. The answer should be obvious as to why: competency doesn't translate from one role to another. There are certain competencies that a person holds that helps them succeed in one position. But success is not universal. Success is derivative of having good competencies suitable to a particular role, but those same competencies do not guarantee success when moving into a different role.
Does this mean I'm against internal promotions over outside hires? No, not at all. What this does mean, however, is that we need to seize opportunities that help us grow in competencies suitable to a "next level" role. If we continue along doing what we are told, we will probably never have the opportunity to develop ourselves beyond what we have already mastered. This isn't easy. It requires initiative and a willingness to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
From a hiring / promotion perspective, this also means ensuring that a person has the competencies needed to succeed in a new role, not just hiring somebody because they did well in their current role. Again, this is easier said than done. It probably requires a deeper dive on understanding the prospective candidate for the position rather than simply looking at that person's accomplishments.
Anyway, I think most of us will probably find ourselves on the "seeking to move to the next level" side rather than the hiring side. To that end, keep a constant awareness of yourself and how your competencies portray you. Success is important, but understanding what made you succeed is even more important. Look for opportunities to grow beyond your current role.
For those of you not familiar with the premise of The Office, its a sitcom with the main premise being a group of regular office workers coping with the childish antics of their boss, Michael Scott. Michael is, essentially, the boss from hell. He has very little self awareness and constantly makes tasteless jokes at the expense of his associates. Things like degrading an Indian woman by mocking her culture with poor stereotypes with an equally atrocious accent.
As a viewer, you can't help but question how. How did Michael Scott end up landing this position? He clearly isn't suited for the job. Well, the show actually does lightly explain it at one point, and it's a sadly believable premise that occurs regularly in many organizations today.
The company Michael Scott is a boss at is a paper supply company where Michael manages a group of mostly sales associates. These sales associates have regular interactions with other businesses in supplying them with office goods, namely paper. The show explains that Michael was once himself a sales associate, and, surprisingly, he was actually very good at his job. There are times in the show where Michael is portrayed in the sales role, and he shows competency in relating to people on a superficial level, which is probably why he did so well as a full time sales associate.
What happened, then, is that when the manager position came open, Michael was immediately considered (and hired) for the role because of his stellar record as a sales associate. Here's the thing though... this is NOT at all the same role. Where Michael succeeded as a sales associate, he fails as a manager.
This happens all the time in many organizations. People might succeed in one area and get promoted to a role where they ultimately fail. The answer should be obvious as to why: competency doesn't translate from one role to another. There are certain competencies that a person holds that helps them succeed in one position. But success is not universal. Success is derivative of having good competencies suitable to a particular role, but those same competencies do not guarantee success when moving into a different role.
Does this mean I'm against internal promotions over outside hires? No, not at all. What this does mean, however, is that we need to seize opportunities that help us grow in competencies suitable to a "next level" role. If we continue along doing what we are told, we will probably never have the opportunity to develop ourselves beyond what we have already mastered. This isn't easy. It requires initiative and a willingness to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
From a hiring / promotion perspective, this also means ensuring that a person has the competencies needed to succeed in a new role, not just hiring somebody because they did well in their current role. Again, this is easier said than done. It probably requires a deeper dive on understanding the prospective candidate for the position rather than simply looking at that person's accomplishments.
Anyway, I think most of us will probably find ourselves on the "seeking to move to the next level" side rather than the hiring side. To that end, keep a constant awareness of yourself and how your competencies portray you. Success is important, but understanding what made you succeed is even more important. Look for opportunities to grow beyond your current role.
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