… without you trying to ‘teach me a lesson.’
I get that you’ve paid your dues, toiling away at the minutiae of day-to-day life with the odds stacked against you.
I also get that I’m a privileged smart-ass who comes from a ridiculously entitled generation, having been told we’re awesome for the last twenty-something years by our helicopter parents.
We’re not all so bad, though. Most of us inherently know that in the scheme of things we’ve accomplished jack shit.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to. That doesn’t mean that it’s not really hard to balance our desire to climb with the gentle reminder that patience is a virtue.
Many of us didn’t exactly come out of school at the optimal time. In fact, 17 million Americans with college degrees are doing jobs that don’t require them. Not to mention the immense amount of debt incurred from student loans.
We know it’s not easy. We know that it’s not how hard you get hit, but how fast you get back up. And we’re okay with that.
What we’re not okay with is this notion that we need to perform some ridiculous task with no benefit to our organization just because we need to pay our dues and walk through the snow with no shoes. There’s other ways for us to show you how bad ‘we want it.’
I’d like to think that Erika Napoletano would bitch slap you for even suggesting such a thing.
Please keep this in mind before ‘testing’ us just to display your authority. Most of us genuinely want to learn. Hell, our generation even likes consistent criticism so long as it helps us get better at our job. We just want to know ‘why.’ We want to know we’re making a positive impact.
Have you ever tested someone just for the sake of it? Have there ever been a time when you felt like you were unfairly tested? Why is it that this practice is prevalent in our society?
[Full disclosure: This post isn’t about someone in particular. I LOVE my job. My boss is also bad ass. This post stemmed from a note I scrawled on a sticky note next to my bed while reading Neil Strauss’ “Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead.”]
I subscribe to the notion of giving tasks with increasing importance over time. I hope to give enough direction on a task or project so the individual can learn but also okay with letting them skin knees some. I’m not big on tasks to do tasks…no matter the individual. I really don’t want to test someone just for the sake of it….that’s unproductive to both the person getting the test and the person assigning the unproductive task or test.
From my vantage point that’s a pretty sound approach Thomas. There’s a delicate balance between providing a good amount of direction and providing enough leeway that an employee can push themselves a bit outside their comfort zone.
Additionally, I think you’re spot on in that employees (especially newer, younger, etc.) ones should have to ‘earn’ more important tasks. It’s the pointless ones that I think people find so irritating. Like you mentioned, what do they accomplish for the betterment of the organization? Nothing.
Yes, I have to admit we all have a smaller “dark” side. Sometimes we want to test others we perhaps should not. But surely this is where our true identity is revealed – knowing right from wrong keeps this behavior under control most of the time.
Regards
Catherine