Why do stupid people get promoted

He said it so often, it was almost as if he was trying to convince himself. When it came down to it, he was anything but that. Every single thing I asked him to do would take forever. His paperwork and personal organization was a mess. I started just doing things myself instead of asking him. He also knew what upper management wanted to hear and began gaining popularity with them simply by pointing out all the things we should be doing better as a company.

Not that he was doing any of them. In terms of issues, he kicks the can down the road from one week to the next on every project, verbally jujitsuing himself out of binds, barely hanging on. Our Top Having team spirit and pride in the place you work are great qualities.

The ones that Office Space mocks with such comedic genius. They instead pledge their allegiance blindly to the corporate flag. Anything management says, they do — regardless of how little it makes sense. They never question it and defend their orders with vigor. Blind faith! For the record, many promotions are well-deserved.

Many mangers are competent and great at what they do. That said, why is it that we all have a bad boss or idiot coworker story? How many times have you heard about a manager or employee making a costly mistake, but not get fired due to one of the reasons above? How many times have you heard of several decent employees leaving an organization because of one bad manager? Instead, they prey on human nature — the bosses who do the promoting are human after all! They know what to say and how to act, which is apparently good enough in many cases.

Your email address will not be published. New PM? And the rules are the same. This list can help you identify that fact. As an example, a very competent and highly productive coworker of mine — working in an organization where he was never going to be promoted — changed jobs and was immediately made the department head in the new company.

You may have to do the same thing. The other reason for this article is to help you to understand that when you seem to be under attack on your job it may have nothing to do with you or your performance. Have you ever experienced any of these situations? What did you do about it? And how did it turn out? Photo by AFGE. I found every point to be true. When still working in a government setting we always commented that the person who got the job was the one most like the managers making the selection.

Managers are looking for continuity and loyalty. Continuity is best maintained by keeping the strong performers exactly where they are. I think this is one of the major reasons I chose to become self-employed. After moving from one employer to another, I began to realize that it was the same all over, and my best strategy was to exit the asylum for good. Having been that person who made life easier for others to get the job done and trained others to be ready for promotion, I tolerated it until the point came in my life that it was time to step up to the plate and push all blocks in my path aside.

I could go on with many more excuses but I finally went up to the head manager of the store and asked if I could be considered for a full time position listed in another store that was easy for e to get to.

One of my job conditions was that I could get to job by public transportation easily. You could have been the subject of this article!

You took a risk stepping up to the plate but it worked out. Sometimes the department or company is so entrenched that they resist change. A friend of mine, for example, has a BIG personality yet was trying to fit into a fairly subdued corporate environment. She stayed there for years trying to make it work and being passed over by supervisors. To their credit, they did tell her that she might do better somewhere else but it took her years to leave.

Once she did though, to a start up organization, she did quite well and is much happier. In any case, I think the takeaway is that, as you say, no matter what, we are all responsible for ourselves — our supervisors are not our parents and it is not up to them or anyone else to make things happen for us. Hi Suzy — It can be tough to leave a job in this job market. You have to determine that for yourself, and create a strategy to make the change. If not, you can stagnate, or even burn-out till the point where you get fired.

Each of us will work best if we can find the right niche. Before that I worked steadily in Accounting at various companies. My strong Excel skills and advance degree was never enough to earn me a promotion. Nor was familiarizing myself with most of the duties in our department, taking part in outside activities with co-workers, nor receiving a hand-written compliment for my hard work from the CEO of one company.

My last position was a lay-off and I felt defeated at that point. I decided to stay home with my then 2-year-old. I genuinely felt I was a failure as a working woman. Flash forward to now and I am going back to work. I decided to read some articles why I was never promoted, and they all have the same answer. Basically, it was my fault. I worked too hard. I was not a team player. I was too positive seen as naive or negative. I was too independent. Basically, everything I did was wrong and it was my own fault.

Your article is the first article I read where things clicked more for me. I am not a big drinker and my past co-workers were. I am not a church goer and almost all were steadfast about their religious beliefs. I am her independent. How am I supposed to be a team player when my job is reviewing and adjusting spreadsheets for a manager to present to the CEO? I see now while it was me, in the same instance it was not. I am not worried about promotions now, however it always haunted me what I was doing wrong to be passed over in favour of less experienced people.

What ever the reason or the methodology, it works surprisingly well. And sometimes it IS our fault. She called me up one day, completely flummoxed, asking my opinion about participating in a company management program to run off several employees, but to make it look like it was their fault.

Knowing the company I got a very generous offer to work there but ultimately turned it down it was hardly a surprise. She stayed on with that company so my guess is that she fell in line and cooperated. She was making too much money to do otherwise. It can also help you to avoid internalizing it. I think most organizations practice some sorts of periodic beat down, maybe even extending to their protected employees.

They have all the dysfunction typical to families, but none of the emotional glue that ultimately holds families together. I hope your new experiences will be more positive. Hi, i currently work in company where i work too hard thinking that by working hard i will be faster promoted.

My first thought off course is to leave but here in every company is the same. You may have to take your case to the higher-ups and let them know you want to be promoted. Otherwise you may have to go with another company.

Thank you for this. There has been a continuing theme in my work experience. I find comfort in truth no matter what it is. Hi Cassandra — I know what you mean about finding comfort in the truth. A few years ago, in a non-business situation, I discovered a difficult truth. I was comforted learning it. Not because it changed the situation for the better, but because it confirmed what I had long believed.

But getting back to your specific situation, you may also find comfort in realizing what happened to you is hardly an isolated or uncommon occurrence. Employers look to promote certain types of people. That said, keep your eyes and ears out for opportunities with other employers where you might be a better fit.

For example, some places make it a habit of promoting the least qualified people. I work in a company for 7yrs now.. They would hire someone with less experience and even been fired ahead of me….. They expect the best of me but think the worse of me. Yes, I have experienced this type of behavior from each one of my employers over the years. It seems that wherever I go I seem to be worshiped at the time of hiring and crucified shortly afterwards. It still baffles me and continues to block my professional goals today.

My department manager had an associate degree, 7 years of experience, and was rumored to have been sleeping with the boss. She also happened to be making dozens of mistakes due to her unwillingness to forward projects to her teammates who happened to be better equipped at catching and fixing errors.

And, according to the CEO, production processing, and statistical analysis, I was the only employee who submitted each project error-free. I merely double-checked my work. And, eliminating errors saved our company thousands of dollars each year.

This benefited all of us, and it proved valuable as we all received great bonuses at the end of each year. Little did I know that my eye for detail and amazing job performance would cause problems for so many people. One day, I was working in my office when my door slammed open. It was my manager and she seemed upset for some reason. If you want my job, then just go ahead and take it. He said you have more education than I do and have saved the company thousands of dollars;whereas, I am costing the company thousands of dollars due to my errors.

So, he now wants to demote me to your position and promote you to manager over me. My goal is to do a good job and save us money for our bonuses. This should be viewed as a reflection of your management skills. I just wish to do my job well. I am only interested in what is best for my company. And, moving forward, it will make working together very difficult—whether or not a change of position for either party takes place. But, this same scenario seems to repeat itself everywhere I go.

But, at the same time, they feel increasingly threatened by me. With all the sensitivity emphasis today, management is still amazingly clumsy. But that issue of manager insecurity is eternal. A lot of managers spend more time looking back over their shoulders at potential usurpers than trying to do a better job. It truly is a shame that these managers feel so insecure about their positions.

But, given prior experiences as mentioned in my previous post , I can understand their paranoia. Another boss I had promoted me twice before blocking me from advancing any further. He would always ask me to apply for internal positions, then avoid me by interviewing external applicants, and never interviewing me. After the fourth time, I told him I would not be applying again. In one instance, each of my co-workers were in a meeting with him to decide which candidate would get the open position.

To my surprise, they all voted for me according to them. All except for the Director my boss. After five years of working together, we were surprised to hear this from the Director and not you. Why would he say such a thing? I loved my job and the people I worked for, as well as our customers. You will have more opportunities if you expand your horizons. Now, they say, he is paranoid that I may be getting too close to the throne.

So, he is trying to eliminate me as a possible threat. I am currently wondering if advancement opportunities are in my future. I think there are two things going on here. One the paranoid, insecure boss is close to a business institution.

The other is career advancement is getting harder to come by. Years ago you could follow a career path, especially in a large organization. Where it used to be at age 50, today its often 40 and sometimes earlier. People are being hired to do Job X, and nothing more. So they sit in Job X until the become discouraged, or get laid off in a downturn, or fired on trumped up charges. Also, if you do land in a job where things are working out, stay there! In my situation, my colleague and I were up for a promotion for the partner role.

Both of us are bringing in similar revenues and have similar case success rates. Although I have won the Senior Associate of the year for 2 years running — an award where junior and senior associates nominate their peers.

I did not get the promotion, although while my colleague did. The Managing Partner informed me that the only reason for missing out was that the business can afford 1 new partner this year, and length of tenure drove their decision. Also she refused to give any assurances of a future promotion as she was not sure how firm needs may change in future. How do I read in to this message and what next! Your situation may not be as bleak as you think right now.

They may tell you more than any facts can. I am about to leave my employer for the last 6 years because of this. I was up for promotion, everyone around me said I was the obvious choice. I know the operation inside and out, spent countless hours at work and have given up vacations in order to keep things running smoothly.

What happens? A guy who has only been with the company for two years and has no experience in our division gets promoted over me. Oh, and I am expected to train him!! Some might argue you should stay and tough it out — what ever that means. Look past this misguided episode, be confident in your abilities, and bring your skills somewhere else. Thanks a ton for penning this article. Am sure every1 who reads it can identify while getting neglected for promotion. Unfortunately or fortunately : , I too came across this article after getting the short end of the stick.

The only thing I would like to ask is how to decide if you have had enough or continue to put in the fight. My take — till the time you do not start doubting yourself and your capabilities. Hi Sameer — Unfortunately, I think getting rolled over and having your confidence destroyed is probably the more typical outcome. I have have read of some overcomer stories, even on this thread, but they seem to be in the minority.

The dividing line is different in each job, and by the amount of leverage you have as an employee. That last point seems to be in decline in the current work environment. I use to be a popular and well liked worker worker but a few changes to management and staff and I?

If management sucks, the situation on the job will never change. But the opposite can also happen, as it has with you. If good management is replaced by bad management, the situation can only get worse. My theory on this is that one of the telltale signs of a bad manager is strong survival skills. While good managers move on to greener pastures, bad managers developed finely honed skills at keeping their positions. The better bad ones become so good at it they can hang on for years, even while the department or the organization is collapsing around them.

Awesome explanations for the bizarre things that I saw happen in a previous job. In a family-owned business, the dysfunction within the family is superimposed on job performance. When it comes right down to the line, however, family will win. The ability to thumb your nose and walk away when it is time will help you retain your self respect, health and sanity.

If you have low living expenses, little or no debt, and a generous amount of savings and investments, you can walk away from bad situations without threatening your survival. Not to mention, it avoids all the stress and anger that comes any time we feel trapped.

Hi Kevin This was such a helpful article, thank you. I was asked to deputise for my boss, taking on management of a larger group which I did very successfully for a year, my immediate boss was very happy with my performance.

Then the organisation decided to re-structure and the interim job I had been doing was advertised as a permanent role. The feedback on my interview was insulting, informing me of all my development needs. My immediate boss could not hide his surprise at the feedback. As much as I love my job and the team, I think now has to be the time to leave.

And if this situation is the same the world over, I think working for myself has to be answer. You said the person they hired has much less experience. Money is always an issue no matter what they say. But it could also be a power issue. If you did the job so well, and others in the department see it, it could be a threat to someone higher up the chain.

Yes, this is a compelling reason to become self-employed. Thank you for this article. Your 7 reasons are So now I know why I will never get promoted.

Usually, the only way to move forward is to move out. Often it takes a dramatic move just to get noticed because organizations like nothing better than the status quo. What a fantastic article and so spot on! I am pretty positive I have experienced all 7 of these in my current position at a company I have been with for 6 years.

But after reading your article I realize that maybe I will just never be valued in a way that I deserve. Being a single mom makes it difficult to just find something else that has just as good pay and benefits. They know I can? They may feel that they did you a charity and now you owe them. Hi Kevin, I just love this post. I have applied for 20 positions since within my company. I work for the largest school district in Detroit Mich.

That said, I realize that I have boundaries which I learned to implement earlier on in life. One manager even said it in an email how off was that? Well, you have actually shed some light for me because I knew something was wrong. They have written numerous people out of the budget, but I seem to always be kept, but just not promoted. Hi Valerie — Yours is an all to common conundrum.

But since you have 3. The cream always rises to the top, and you need to think of yourself as the cream and go from there. And maybe between now and then you can start thinking about what you want to do with the next phase of your life, and make any necessary advanced preparations now.

Preparing for your great escape is one of the most emotionally healthy ways to deal with an unpleasant situation. You have that opportunity now. Your comment on the importance of having the same outside interests hit home.

Many years ago I found myself in a job where my coworkers loved to go to karaoke bars. I was aghast when I found out. Needless to say, I lasted only a short time at this place, which was a shame because in a more serious environment, I could have polished my skills.

You can — and,should be — respectful of your colleagues. This was an excellent article. Another point for consideration: Sometimes a position is created with a certain person in mind. It has absolutely nothing to do with you as a faithful employee. The candidate has already been selected, but the employer goes through the motions with the posting.

It gives the appearance an exhaustive search was undertaken, when in fact that was never the case from the very beginning. I think nearly everyone can relate to at least some of the situations in this article. I am an older white female and am continuously excluded from any opportunities at my workplace. All the favorites and promotions are hispanics.

It is clear and obvious this is what is occurring but nothing is ever done about it. I feel very discouraged and know I will never be given an opportunity. This is emotional intelligence at its finest and this trait is invaluable. It cannot be quantified or taught but it can be practiced by you and sensed by others — especially when it comes time to get promoted. This goes right back to entitlement.

Humility in the workplace does not mean you have to take a backseat; not voice your expertise or opinions or dumb it down. It does, however, mean that you should look for opportunities to check in and communicate. Says Jean Paul Sartre of the act of reading: that it is a shared experience necessitating the bond of trust between author and reader.

So it is with communication. There are two parts to every successful moment and piece of communication. So what does this mean for a workplace environment where productivity is heralded as the Golden Rule? Certainly, there needs to be a balance between productivity — actually getting work done — and downtime. But, even more important than this, and particularly conducive to promotions, communication requires an active response.

But a lack of communication can spell disaster for a team that should be working in tandem, even if their roles are distinct. Pop by their office or send a quick email asking for approval or giving a heads up. Oftentimes, smart individuals who deserve promotions think wrongly that their work will speak for themselves.

But guess what? That idiot you see getting promoted? First off, work on things you can show at the end of the week or in status meetings.