Sunday, January 13, 2008

Status Jockeys



I once arrived early for a meeting at the Pentagon and found an Army major making coffee. He smirked and said, "That's what majors do at the Pentagon."

That incident comes to mind whenever I see people whose self-regard prevents them from pitching in. The major knew that someone needed to make the coffee. He was in charge of making sure the meeting went properly, no one else was at hand, and he did what needed to be done.

Let's set aside for a moment the virtues of delegation. Was making coffee generally the best use of the major's time? No. Was the chore the best use of the major's time at that moment? Yes and it did contribute to the success of the meeting.

The status jockeys who spend more time worrying about some abstract decline in their position rather than focusing on the mission appear to be unable to separate their comfort from what should be their purpose.

Their awkward efforts to preserve a positive image do precisely the opposite.

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