TravisDBA (4/5/2013)
Eric M Russell (4/5/2013)
Belittling and sabotaging the efforts of co-workers goes beyond insensitivity. Fortunately where I work someone like that wouldn't last long. If one is not part of the solution, then one useless. If one is actually creating new problems, then HR is probably already searching for one's replacement.I have seen just the opposite occur in many shops, those are the very people that seem to outlast the good people. 😀
No doubt that happens a lot. For example, it's possible for the foreman at a manufactoring plant to abuse his employees. But in the professional services industry, the rules of the game are very different.
At least in the long run, like minded people tend to attract and cluster. So, an a-hole boss will inevitably surround himself with either a-hole subordinates or mediocre supplicants. Meanwhile the most talented people will simply walk out the door. At least in the private sector, how long does the shop like that last? They're actually at a competitive disadvantage.
Look at what happened to the financial services industry. At some point in the past their focus shifted from offering sage advice to clients and managing risk to instead high pressure sales and commissions. Not only were managment blind and deaf, but they filled their cubicles with the wrong type of people. Warnings from the smart people downstairs were ignored by management. From the outside it seemed like things were going great for several years, but then the industry imploded.
It's not just polite for management and peers to listen and be open minded; it's ctitical to the survival of the organization.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho