I am not really competitive with anyone other than myself
and I often find myself being complacent with my current professional role
without vision to climb. Maybe I am afraid of heights, or just weary. This is
not to say that I am not interested, though I worry whether I am made of the “right”
stuff. Obviously as I am studying leadership, at some point for me to grow, I
will need to move past the point of theorizing and actually translate what I
have learned into practical experience. I honestly do not feel the
gravitational pull toward power that would require me to spend my energy
maneuvering strategically while I am at work… I would just rather do the work
when I am at work… call me crazy. According to the Kramer article this may be a
great detriment to any rise in my corporate status. “There is something about
the pursuit of power that often changes people in profound ways. Indeed, to get
to the apex of their profession, individuals are often forced to jettison
certain attitudes and behaviors—the same attitudes and behaviors they need for
survival once they get to the top” (Kramer, 2003, para. 8).
As I value my principles I am often baffled by the
competitive acquisition that is commonplace in American culture. Schor calls
this new consumerism where we make comparisons to reference groups that are not
parallel to the level that we are currently at and instead try to reach four of
five times above where we are economically (1998).
One solution to these problems
emerged on the talk-show circuit recently, championed by a pair of young urban
"entry-level" earners: live the faux life, consuming as if you had a
big bank balance. Their strategies? Use your expense account for private
entertainment, date bankers, and sneak into snazzy parties without an
invitation. Haven't got the wardrobe for it? No matter. Charge expensive
clothes, wear them with the tags on, and return them the morning after.
Apparently the upscale life is now so worth living that deception, cheating,
and theft are a small price to pay for it. (Schor, 1998, p. 8).
I have pondered what
we would be like as a society should we take away positioning ourselves for the
next great thing and the negative aspects associated with it. Then I realize
what I think society would actually be like and it would not be peaceful, it
would be like turning back the hands of time, which may be a bit of an over
diluted reduction. I imagine we would see the same power struggles as centuries
ago. Trade having business aspiration for anything that someone else may want
to have. In polite society CEO status etc. is the ultimate prize.
There are lots of extremely smart
and ambitious individuals vying for just a few top slots. Moving up the ranks
can be like competing in a high-stakes tournament: As you make it through
successive rounds, the pool of worthy candidates narrows, the margin for error
is much smaller, and the competition intensifies. This winnowing process means
just a handful of people will attain prominence or success. In some
contests—such as those for CEO of a major corporation, head of a mainstream
motion picture studio, dean of an elite law school, or president of the United
States—there can be only one winner. (Kramer, 2003, para. 9).
Prior to modern day issues, there were still those out there
with the winner takes all mentality who sought power, riches, and spoils of
circumstances that were more preferential than what they had. Countries tried
to overthrow one another to gain land. Kings and Queens married off their
children to form alliances between countries in order to protect their own
interests. Pirates pillaged and plundered. Barbarians killed to get what they
want, not embarked upon negotiations or aimed to climb the social or corporate
ladder. If you were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and
found something worth having, or if you were creative or intelligent enough to
make something desirable, there were always those lying in wait with enough
strategy and power to seize it forcefully. This is still true today. We see it
in the form of war. We also see it in a more benign form that comes with an
ethical price when winner takes all competitors engage in reckless behavior and
folly (Kramer, 2003). It doesn’t matter what it comes wrapped in today, such as
the next CEO position, the concept is the about the same. Kramer calls this
winner takes all (2003). I see this as a major dilemma in society, at work, and
in our personal lives.
Ethically where does this leave us in terms of the dilemmas
we face? Leaders have to wear different hats and it can become difficult to
shift from one to another and have the appropriate competencies and
personalities to make it all the way to the top. Sometimes you think to
yourself… why not me? So off you go to leverage for power and as Kramer puts
it, winner wants all. If I were to put myself in another’s shoes I can
rationalize where genius to folly syndrome occurs (Kramer, 2003). You work so
hard in high school to perform well academically and pad your resume with
impressive accomplishments. It seems fun at first even if it is competitive,
but the stakes are not as high or as dire. You likely do not have bills to pay
or mouths to feed, though for some, not getting into the right Ivy League
institution could be seen as a travesty in itself. The same is done throughout your
college career to get to the next place you are going, the work force/
professional level. These life events are a series of foothills. Each becomes
more arduous than the one previous and each time you make it to the top you
have to start over, already exhausted. It is a constant upward trek. The brief
reprieve of finishing and the sense of victory wear off and you keep climbing. Maybe
it is new consumerism that Schor discusses that makes us feel like we need at
all right now.
At some point one has to wonder, when does the hard work
end? Sadly it doesn’t. Just because you ascend does not mean you are exempt
from the work, the work just changes. The perks are what tempt us into
faltering because why would you have these things if you had not earned them?
Moderation can seem inconvenient. To stay on top, one must keep the same work
ethic that got them to the top, if not a better one now that so much visibility
is placed upon you as a product of being at the top of the pyramid. It is truly
and endurance journey and not many are truly cut out for the multifaceted
versatility an ethical leader needs to possess in order not to crash and burn.
From a societal perspective, I worry about our culture. My
generation was one of the first to really tap into the millionaire lifestyle
and try to emulate it. Sure there was always someone trying to keep up with the
Jones, but then someone had to go and try to keep up with the Kardashians,
which means whatever you are doing, you do it all over television and you
publicize your every move heavily. Status and material possessions has become
tied to personal identity and the entitlement is on its way to spinning out of
control (Schor, 1998). It reminds me of The Great Gatsby. Gatsby built himself
up with his lies of who is was and wear he came from, positioned himself to get
one thing- Daisy, put all of his eggs in one basket, let his ego misguide the
truth about himself that he was unstoppable and could not be defeated in
anything, made some incorrect calculations, and ultimately became his on
undoing. It is a tragic tale dressed in gorgeously gilded trappings. What was
once a school reading requirement plays out in the media regularly. Life has
imitated art. “One might think that reality would splash a little cold water
now and then on leaders’ splendid illusions” (Kramer, 2003, para. 26).
For me individually I have always been afraid to fly too
close to the sun. I take Icarus’s tale seriously. I am a safety girl and crave
playing it safe. My childhood shaped who I am and tamed my ambition, which I
had plenty of when I was younger. Risk is not in my vocabulary unless you mean
painting a wall a wild color or dying my hair an artistic shade of purple, but
those are not permanent decisions, they can be easily changed. What I thought I
would have forever, my parents and my childhood home, were taken from me so
soon and now I realize that nothing is permanent, not even an anticipated
tenure at the top. I am often baffled by those who get to the top and dethrone
others on the way there, how they can believe that their stay will be long-term
when it could be temporary in comparison to the life-span of a full-fledged
career.
There is not a point where I would not feel constantly on
edge because I know how quickly what you have can be taken away. Without
ambition or expectation, I became depleted of my drive to ascend and found
solace in clinging to my principles that keep me rooted firmly in the ground.
If I could get to the next level this would be an asset. For that same reason
it is why I have sustained the same level exactly where I am. The beautiful and
assuring fact is that leaders are needed everywhere, especially those who hold
ethical decision-making as a core value. While I may not be the next great CEO
of a large multi-national company, there is a place for me to shine my light,
which may be through the arts and also the field of education. Just because I
am not the crowning achievement atop the pyramid, I am still comfortable
knowing I have an important role in keeping the pyramid strong and holding it
up through my own unique contributions. If more people felt the same then maybe
there would be less of the same dilemma played out repeatedly.
References:
Kramer, R. (2003, October 1). The Harder They Fall. Retrieved
April 9, 2015, from https://hbr.org/2003/10/the-harder-they-fall
Schor, J. (1998). The overspent American: Upscaling, downshifting,
and the new consumer. New York, NY: Basic Books.
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