“If you had hard times in your family, would you ever consider laying off one of your children?”
Leaders inspire people. How? By going the extra mile to support them!
Unfortunately, many organizations instead function by hanging a figurative axe over each employee's head and proclaiming, "Perform...or else!"
But fear stunts growth.
I thought it was very insightful when Simon speculated that people have such a hatred of CEOs who get massive salaries, stock options, and bonuses for cutting jobs during hard economic times: it's not jealousy; it's the perception of unfairness.
As Simon said [ha! Simon Says! Get it?...],
To buttress Simon's point that it's not the numbers: sports fans sometimes argue about professional ballplayers getting the raw end of a labor agreement deal. Some argue that the players are not paid enough for their skills and efforts; others object that we're quibbling about millionaires getting stiffed by billionaires.
But I think the reason that people advocate for the players—the “millionaires”—is because those advocates believe that the players are not receiving fair treatment. In American football, for example, players risk their health and well-being on every play, and injuries are common...yet NFL players are among the lowest-paid athletes in the major U.S. professional sports leagues [MLB, NBA, and NFL]!
People perceive that as an injustice, and so they argue on behalf of the millionaire athletes.
This reminds me of the controversial quote that yielded this meme:
Leaders inspire people. How? By going the extra mile to support them!
Unfortunately, many organizations instead function by hanging a figurative axe over each employee's head and proclaiming, "Perform...or else!"
But fear stunts growth.
I thought it was very insightful when Simon speculated that people have such a hatred of CEOs who get massive salaries, stock options, and bonuses for cutting jobs during hard economic times: it's not jealousy; it's the perception of unfairness.
As Simon said [ha! Simon Says! Get it?...],
“They have violated this deep-seated social contract. We know that they allowed their people to be sacrificed so they could protect their own interests, or worse, they sacrificed their people to protect their own interests.”We don't like to see someone who has power stepping on someone who has less power.
To buttress Simon's point that it's not the numbers: sports fans sometimes argue about professional ballplayers getting the raw end of a labor agreement deal. Some argue that the players are not paid enough for their skills and efforts; others object that we're quibbling about millionaires getting stiffed by billionaires.
But I think the reason that people advocate for the players—the “millionaires”—is because those advocates believe that the players are not receiving fair treatment. In American football, for example, players risk their health and well-being on every play, and injuries are common...yet NFL players are among the lowest-paid athletes in the major U.S. professional sports leagues [MLB, NBA, and NFL]!
People perceive that as an injustice, and so they argue on behalf of the millionaire athletes.
This reminds me of the controversial quote that yielded this meme:
Who is the “ruling class” to which Professor Read refers?
Is he talking about CEOs and other corporate leaders? Or is he referring to officials in governments, trade associations, or elsewhere—institutions that establish rules that can stifle innovation?
It's unclear. But I think it's crystal clear that some such “parasites” definitely hold positions of power. Are all business leaders parasites? Certainly not! Good ones provide leadership and purpose for the organization; they therefore earn their money by providing value to the organization.
But it's easy to make the case that some executives are definitely parasitical! Look no further than the multi-trillion-dollar bank bailouts for examples of entitled, overcompensated executives who think in the short-term only: they speculate with other people's money, and when the piper inevitably comes calling, they cry out to the U.S. Treasury for relief—at taxpayer expense, of course!
But it's easy to make the case that some executives are definitely parasitical! Look no further than the multi-trillion-dollar bank bailouts for examples of entitled, overcompensated executives who think in the short-term only: they speculate with other people's money, and when the piper inevitably comes calling, they cry out to the U.S. Treasury for relief—at taxpayer expense, of course!
Are all government officials parasites? Again, that's not the case—but some definitely are! The Forbes article linked in the previous paragraph notes that the major U.S. banks have immense lobbying power. On whom do they spend their lobbying efforts and money?...
There are, of course, systemic answers to these problems, such as passing fairer laws. But unethical people will always find their way around regulation, whether by exploiting a loophole or by ignoring the regulation altogether, knowing that lawsuits are always expensive and time-consuming.
I think Simon makes a good case, however, for considering the incentive structure. Is good behavior rewarded, punished, or ignored completely? Is there a laser focus on performance, regardless of whether or not the results were obtained through unethical means? The answers to such questions can help to illuminate why some people routinely behave in a reprehensible manner.
But, at the core of life, there's simply no way around personal responsibility and integrity...
There are, of course, systemic answers to these problems, such as passing fairer laws. But unethical people will always find their way around regulation, whether by exploiting a loophole or by ignoring the regulation altogether, knowing that lawsuits are always expensive and time-consuming.
I think Simon makes a good case, however, for considering the incentive structure. Is good behavior rewarded, punished, or ignored completely? Is there a laser focus on performance, regardless of whether or not the results were obtained through unethical means? The answers to such questions can help to illuminate why some people routinely behave in a reprehensible manner.
But, at the core of life, there's simply no way around personal responsibility and integrity...
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