I worked for the federal government for 30 years, retiring in 2011. I was in a highly technical part that depended on long experience and demonstrated skills of its new hire employees; in fact, my part of the government was fairly unique in that holding a college degree was never a requirement because the skills learned in college were quite different from those learned in a pre-government career. Those that were similar could be taught and developed.
During my time with the agency, I witnessed a lot of highly competent technical experts get promoted to managerial positions, starting as frontline managers of field-level employees. So rarely did I witness--or, as one of those field-level employees, experience--the adjustment from worker to manager that when I advanced my own academic creds (for personal reasons, not to fulfill any job-related requirement), I decided to look at how this phenomenon was affecting and impacting my agency's morale and expertise.
As I studied the Peter Principle in the doctoral program and began correlating its theory to my own day-to-day experience, I was shocked to find that almost none--ZERO--of the frontline managers who had been selected out of the workforce became competent middle or upper managers.
I slowly came to the understanding why successful private sector companies look to outside experts, those with demonstrated skill and abilities, when they needed upper-level executives to move the company forward or upward. My part of our government has not learned that important fact and it shows when the technical experts get promoted to higher and higher levels; they stop trusting the lower level workers because 'they can't do it like I did.'
I was even in a short-lived executive development program that required the selectees to find a temporary management position in a part of the agency outside our own expertise. The idea was to demonstrate and develop NON-technical managerial skills. The program was cancelled before I finished because the senior management would not allow non-technicians outside their own bubble to get into positions of authority because "you do not understand how it is done here"...the very reason such a program existed in the first place.
That is why most of my bosses were absolute morons.
Thanks for sharing that James, I've been in a lot of organizations over the years, even did two stints in the government when younger, and while I saw stark differences in how things were run and perhaps even the general underlying culture, I can say the same Peter Principle was rampant in nearly every place. Not every manager mind you, but the same truism definitely held true.
My current manager is a true gem but I have suffered under many poor managers before landing here. My current employer picks whom it considers to be rising stars abd promotes them regardless of ability. If you are not on that list, good luck moving up.
I think part of the problem is that hiring people don't always look at people's best skills. They look at names on a paper. Most people need training and mentoring to be successful managers.
I worked for the federal government for 30 years, retiring in 2011. I was in a highly technical part that depended on long experience and demonstrated skills of its new hire employees; in fact, my part of the government was fairly unique in that holding a college degree was never a requirement because the skills learned in college were quite different from those learned in a pre-government career. Those that were similar could be taught and developed.
During my time with the agency, I witnessed a lot of highly competent technical experts get promoted to managerial positions, starting as frontline managers of field-level employees. So rarely did I witness--or, as one of those field-level employees, experience--the adjustment from worker to manager that when I advanced my own academic creds (for personal reasons, not to fulfill any job-related requirement), I decided to look at how this phenomenon was affecting and impacting my agency's morale and expertise.
As I studied the Peter Principle in the doctoral program and began correlating its theory to my own day-to-day experience, I was shocked to find that almost none--ZERO--of the frontline managers who had been selected out of the workforce became competent middle or upper managers.
I slowly came to the understanding why successful private sector companies look to outside experts, those with demonstrated skill and abilities, when they needed upper-level executives to move the company forward or upward. My part of our government has not learned that important fact and it shows when the technical experts get promoted to higher and higher levels; they stop trusting the lower level workers because 'they can't do it like I did.'
I was even in a short-lived executive development program that required the selectees to find a temporary management position in a part of the agency outside our own expertise. The idea was to demonstrate and develop NON-technical managerial skills. The program was cancelled before I finished because the senior management would not allow non-technicians outside their own bubble to get into positions of authority because "you do not understand how it is done here"...the very reason such a program existed in the first place.
That is why most of my bosses were absolute morons.
Thanks for sharing that James, I've been in a lot of organizations over the years, even did two stints in the government when younger, and while I saw stark differences in how things were run and perhaps even the general underlying culture, I can say the same Peter Principle was rampant in nearly every place. Not every manager mind you, but the same truism definitely held true.
My current manager is a true gem but I have suffered under many poor managers before landing here. My current employer picks whom it considers to be rising stars abd promotes them regardless of ability. If you are not on that list, good luck moving up.
I think part of the problem is that hiring people don't always look at people's best skills. They look at names on a paper. Most people need training and mentoring to be successful managers.
Well said