5
"These people," said Chairman, "talk about believing in themselves, but what they want to do more than anything else is belong to something larger than themselves. They want to believe that they can belong."
"You're not letting any of your employees have any of that," said Director.
"That's right. I want them to believe they can get the job done, and that they'll be backed up by me and the rest of the senior team when they try to do so. That's believing in themselves as far as I'm concerned. As for their personal beliefs, I don't want anything to do with them. If believing in yourself, privately, means you want to get a promotion and a raise and then use that as a springboard to a better job in another company, more power to you. Of course, I'd like to convince you to stay, if I think you're worth it. But I don't want to get all up in your private hopes and dreams. If my company can serve those ends while you serve me, great."
"What about Employee," asked Student, "will he ever make it to the senior ranks?"
"Him? Ha! Not a chance. He's climbed as high as he ever will in this place."
"What is it about him?"
"He's a dreamer. I have no time for people like that above a certain level."
"Because the dreaming gets in the way of the facts at hand?" asked Director.
"Yes."
"How do you know if someone is a dreamer, someone who is up for promotion? And what do you do if they are, on paper, perfect for the job?"
"Dreamers say stupid things like this one does," and Chairman nodded in the direction of where Employee now stood. "As for when they are perfect for the job on paper, I can always object that they lack something vague like 'leadership qualities'.
"But," said Director, "you tolerate dreamers in the lower ranks?"
Chairman shifted somewhat uneasily. "Yes, yes. They make good workers below a certain level."
"Because they live on hope and not on concrete demands on you?"
Chairman winced. "It's not very nice when you put it that way."
THE END
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Nick Pappas, pappasnick.typepad.com
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