Disclaimer: This isn’t a left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative, democrat vs. republican debate. Just keep reading.
We all know the stereotype, the clueless boss who has no idea how to do a damn thing. You go to them with a problem and they instantly point you in a different direction, bumbling along like you just hit them between the eyes with sledge hammer (stop visualizing it as much as you want it to happen and let’s get back to the point). Their lack of understanding of your job, and that of the people you work with, makes working for them a nightmare. Day after day you sit around wondering just how in the hell they get to be in such positions.
So how do they? One word—delegation.
Not in the sense of “a body of delegates or representatives,” but in the sense of delegating a task, i.e. “giving” the work to someone else to do.
In other words, if someone isn’t smart enough to do a job, but they know how to hire and exploit someone who does, they can still get the job done. The best part? If the person they delegate the job to does well, they get the credit for being a good “delegator.” If that person fails to do a good job, the boss can blame it on the underling and either reprimand or fire them. It is an acceptable safety valve for self-serving businessmen and women who are then only accountable for high turnover rates and/or missed deadlines. This is what the corporate ladder is built upon and it is awash in blood from mid-management to Vice Presidents, CEOs, and now, the President of the United States.
All politics aside, what we are witnessing in the White House is a man who was born at the top of the corporate ladder and enjoys playing King of the Hill (no pun intended). He is not a good leader and cannot handle the role of president of these United States. Let’s face it, he was never elected based upon his credentials for doing an enormously important job—he won a popularity contest.
Watching the drama at the White House, it’s not difficult to see Trump as a clueless boss who believes he can get the job done if he simply selects and commands the right people to do his job for him. What is scary is that unlike a business where the most damage he could do is send it into bankruptcy and sail out with a golden parachute, he is instead toying with an entire nation that also happens to be a world power. Incompetence at this level comes at the cost of millions of people’s well-being.
It’s important to note that not all delegators are complete jerks. There are many who delegate jobs and tasks knowing and appreciating the people who work with them. They realize their shortcomings and strive to learn more about each job they don’t know how to do. They listen and appreciate, they forgive and support, and they are always putting other people ahead of themselves. They work to be effective leaders, not just bosses, and they earn the respect of everyone they work with. Unfortunately, in a culture built upon an economy that rewards competition and better quarterly statements, these leaders are few and far between.
You are now entering free-market capitalism, please check your conscience at the gate.
Today, more than ever, we need a benevolent leader, not a self-absorbed, power craving, wealthy business mogul. We need to stand up as a nation—as his boss—and scream in unison, “YOU’RE FIRED!!!!!”
