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You ever get into discussions with people at work and they invariably say something like, “Well, if I ran stuff…” We’ve all done this. I have, probably more times than I can count. For a frame of reference there, I’m 34 and have been a manager maybe once or twice in the context of summer programs or interns, so clearly I’m not doing a lot in the way of “Well, I run stuff…”
I’ve long wondered about the ties between “hierarchy” (the organizational structure, top-to-bottom, of a place) and “respect.” At most places, the standard assumption is to respect the top of the hierarchy, at least in public/to their face/at events. (Behind their backs, you may grouse with co-workers about them.) I’ve also known a lot of people who aspire to higher positions under the guise of “wanting to make things better,” but in reality their goal is “to have people respect them.”
In reality, when your respect comes solely from hierarchy, that’s the lowest form of respect possible.
Don’t believe me? Read this from Harvard Business Review. It’s from the CEO of Red Hat. It’s mostly pretty interesting, and makes that same point I put in bold above: hierarchy as your driving force of respect is not a good thing. In the same vein, people often confuse “formal power” with “knowing what’s best.” That’s also a problem. (Work is fraught. It happens…
