I ran across this quote today:

The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who also knows why will always be his boss. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

That used to be the case. Not only was your boss, your boss, but he could step in and do your job without blinking. Today, many bosses are figureheads. Not only do they not know the "why" (except for making mega bucks), the don't know how. Employees get frustrated, especially if they are trying to talk to a boss about a problem or suggest improvements. The boss will only stare blankly, or if they know the employee to be skilled, they will nod in agreement without even knowing why. Sad, isn't it?

I typed a lot more about this, but then f'kd it up somehow. It was profound, I promise. lol Something about how even grocery stores tout "Help Wanted. Become a part of our TEAM!" when they don't mean a word of it. No team, no loyalty.

Do you know "the Peter Principle", roseanne? ~ the saying goes we rise to the level of our incompetence ~ I'm thinking that is even more true than ever today ~

Sooz

yeah sooz, me too. My butchered post is evidence.

Seriously. Many companies hire people to run companies who have business degrees, right out of college. They want someone who understands how to make a profit. At one time, the bosses were the ones who worked their way up through the ranks and knew how to do the job(s) too.

The bank I worked for years ago started doing that. Hired managers who spent all of one day in each department to "learn the job". Ha! My 2 best managers had worked a few years as tellers, then went on to the loan (or some other) department and finally were made a managers. Either one of them could have done my job, if necessary.

Agreed. The real problem is Managerialism. It is both destructive and ultimately ineffective, but to see that requires a long-term focus, not an obsessive concern with the next profit/loss statement.