Today I am asked what’s something most people don’t understand? There are actually quite a few things that people don’t understand, but I have one in mind that I keep encountering. People are not aware that everything in our world is greatly influenced by individual biases and favoritism.
I used to be very concerned about how well I did. I wanted to please friends, colleagues, employers, etc. In general, I felt like I did a pretty decent job, until I ran into someone who had a bias. What I mean is someone who is strongly influenced by their likes and dislikes. They tend to have certain people they like, and other people they don’t like, and never will like. Unfortunately, their likes and dislikes lead them toward irrational decision making, which can be very costly to an organization. In my own experience, I have also found that it is next to impossible to change their biases.
For instance, if you are not the type of person they like, you are probably going to be passed over for all the big promotions, regardless of your performance. They are going to give it to their special people (i.e. the people they like). They are also going to try and run you off by creating a toxic work environment for you. They may do other obnoxious things, like accentuating tasks that their favorite people are skilled in, while belittling other tasks, regardless of the true value of those tasks. This can cause a company to focus on low value objectives.
The behavior of playing favorites is highly related to something called cronyism. Cronyism is the managerial and political practice of giving jobs to friends rather than people with the necessary skills and qualifications. Sometimes people resort to cronyism because they are afraid to hire people who might one day take their job. They figure if they hire unqualified friends, those friends will be loyal and too incompetent to overtake them. In general, this is the opposite of how you should hire people.
I once heard it phrased like this:
First rate managers hire first rate people.
Second rate managers hire third rate people.
On the flip side, it’s very possible that someone can be on the other end of this and not realize it. I’ve seen people receive special treatment from their boss without even realizing it was due to favoritism. They sincerely think they were the best person for the job and their work is top notch. No one tells them any different because they don’t want to get on the boss’s bad side. If someone does tell them, it is likely they will just chalk it up to envy. This is a delusion caused by their pride.
The point I am trying to make here is that you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. It might not be your fault at all. Look around for the signs. You might be dealing with a crony leader who plays favorites.
Have you ever worked for someone who played favorites? Have you seen unfair promotions? Have you ever worked in a toxic workplace? How does this influence office politics? Let me know your experience, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
Ken's Life 