Comments on: Leadership’s Future: About Work, Opportunity And Respect

By: Miki Saxon

Miki Saxon — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:36:39 +0000

Hi Lela, You hit the nail on the head. Kids learn from watching their elders—remember the old line “monkey see, monkey do?”

If parents actually bothered correcting the little darlings things might change, but they are too concerned with damaging the little darlings’ ego to say anything. After all, if you are ’special’ you must be better, so it’s OK.

Oops, you pushed the button and the rant started up again. Sorry about that.

Thanks for visiting!

By: Lela

Lela — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:55:46 +0000

Such a great post. I’m not sure what really instills work ethic in a person, but without it we’re all doomed. I think it starts when kids are really small. I notice young children treating cashiers and other service workers as if they’re not even there. If you don’t respect the position, you’re always going to think you’re too good for it. Creating an educated society is wonderful, but we need to figure out a way to do it without devaluing the lower paid – highly necessary – service positions. All executives ought to start in the mailroom, or the counter, or the factory floor.

By: MAPping Company Success

MAPping Company Success — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:32:02 +0000

[...] Bock left a comment today on a post at Leadership Turn. In part it [...]

By: Miki Saxon

Miki Saxon — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:39:53 +0000

Thanks, Wally. It is sad, but even manual labor such as machinist receives far more respect than a counter worker at McDonald’s—although that’s not saying much.

It’s a good thing that you aren’t hiring today if writing was your make/break criteria; I doubt you could fill more than 2-3 positions a year.

And I certainly do agree about the work experience—back then. These days I tell my clients to look more carefully behind the job. Experience from positions gained through parents or friends’ influence is often worth less than that from a lower level job for which the candidate had to compete.

By: Wally Bock

Wally Bock — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:36:59 +0000

Great post, Miki. Two things hit my hot buttons.

The last time we were together, my friend Tim and I were talking about how manual labor of any kind seems devalued in the US today. Tim’s father was a millwright, “The King of the Shop” as Tim says. He was the master of machines and processes and techniques that dwarf what most MBAs bring out of school. But because he worked with his hands, he never had the kind of respect that the young college graduate trainee gets.

When I was responsible for hiring management trainees years ago, I discovered that grades and degrees and schools didn’t tell me much. What I looked for where two things. Could a prospect write? If not, there was no need to go farther. The other thing I looked for was actual work experience. I found that the young people who’d worked brought something to the party that was valuable