When being mediocre is the best thing you can do for your career

Yes, it’s sad, but it’s true.

Therefore, don’t worry, don’t stress so much or make an effort in vain.

We are in the hands of many traditionalist leaders.

They are guided by leadership and management models inspired by wars, crises and conflicts.

Because these models have been maintained for so long without being questioned, they have been accepted as the norm, believing that leaders are always in a constant “battle” of having to win (= grow).

For this reason, in the pandemic, the models that existed until then have not worked nor have they been able to adapt quickly.

What’s more, it became clearer than ever that the issue of people has always been in the background.

I conclude from this that there are several reasons why your job will never change.
This is due from my point of view to the bad habits that have always been carried out, egocentric power dynamics, leadership changes that do not give continuity, work defined mainly by tasks (which leads to burnout), nobody seems to really prioritize the retention of talent. and the BIG PROBLEM:
If you think differently and challenge the status quo in a corporate environment, you will end up being isolated until you are kicked out of the organization.
Because I see on many occasions realistic and innovative thinking executives literally being pushed aside and finally pushed out by management, especially if they are senior.

It is sad to see over and over again that leadership positions in companies or even in our institutions and government are occupied by people who have known how to “follow and maintain the rules”. Those who have antagonized their superiors by making them feel uncomfortable or challenged have been pushed aside and eventually asked out.

I do not want to generalize or fall into biased political opinions, but it is more than obvious what is happening.

In many cases, bringing a more critical view of the business environment is seen most of the time as a generator of problems.

My memory still resonates with the experience of seeing a manager (this happened a few years ago) telling off his team that “I don’t pay you to think.”

This happens because they do not want to break “the established system.”

Back to business as usual. There is no time and the managers, those who lead, in the end what they want is to solve things and not complicate their lives, make decisions quickly and without complications.

And you can’t blame them for anything. We are increasingly with a higher volume of work and the pressure of having to respond quickly.

Time to think, reflect or rethink things?

It is a luxury that few have or allow themselves.

Yes. This is one of the critical issues facing many organizations.

This leads many of these profiles who want and can add great value to the company to wear out, abdicate and finally give up leaving or staying because they have a family and a mortgage to pay.

Realists are not wanted. Companies prefer CONVINCED OPTIMISTS, those who have that absolute and unfounded belief that I CAN DO EVERYTHING…if I put in more hours, if I try harder. But in reality it is an unrealistic belief since they have believed and self-imposed that they can do things that in reality they cannot do.

It is a fantasy, a lie that many simply believe and want to believe. And this is something that interests organizations because it does not cause them problems.

Only in high-growth businesses and start-ups are realists loved. Because the essence of moving forward is the team’s commitment to wanting to add value and solve challenges within a profound culture of learning and adaptation. It is not about submitting people to follow a culture of EXECUTING BECAUSE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DONE THAT WAY or BECAUSE I SAID SO.

But the reality is that most leaders love to simplify and categorize people into two groups:

1. Those that do not generate additional work or problems.
2. Those that generate additional work and problems.

Added to this is the fact that today no one understands well what their work and position mean today and in the coming years. There is too much confusion, speculation and alarmism around organizations and their workers in terms of…

• Where are we going with face-to-face and remote work?
• Prioritize career or personal life (What do I really want? What do I value most? and What can I afford?)
• How to stay updated and adapt to continuous changes to continue adding value and thus create some stability (if only to reassure oneself)
• Coexistence between different generations and cultures
• Increased complexity, speed and productivity pressure
• Unpredictable changes through technology, geopolitics, etc.

But we have the change right in front of us or in some sectors we are already in the midst of change and many, the vast majority, prefer that things remain as they have been up to now:

For these traditionalist leaders, their greatest tool to maintain this status quo and fictitious stability is to get rid of people with different points of view and approaches in different ways (very subtle indeed!).

What do you think?

An article from Daniel Pascual, Human Consulting Managing Director