Member-only story
That’s why plutocrats, totalitarians and other “leaders” are worse than useless.
If you’ve worked for a company, especially a big company for a few years, you probably noticed how badly it was managed. If you are early in your career, then you think you worked for a badly managed company.
You probably did. But a badly managed company is average. A well-managed company is rare and capable management does not survive long. The very nature of hierarchy is incompetence and failure.
What I’m describing is the exact opposite of common wisdom. We are told that American capitalism is a pressure cooker of competition, where only the best survive. You either perform magnificently, or you are out the door.
In a very superficial sense, this is often true. The people who decide if you stay or go are primarily big shareholders and board members. Keep THEM happy, and you can be a CEO for as long as you like. Even if the company goes bankrupt.
My Temp Story
It was decades ago in New York City. I was struggling and got a temp job. A bad temp job. A low-paying temp job.
My job was to file. I had a B.A. in economics and would soon have an MBA. But I was filing, for a really big bank.
