I know that a lot of people don’t believe in evolution, but I do. Time moves on, things change, and evolution works quietly in the background. I don’t mean to bore you, but we all learned that evolution allows things to adapt to the environment. This is why birds can fly, cheetahs are swift, and bears are strong. It was also much simpler for humans way back when. The strongest/smartest cavemen were able to pass their genes on through natural selection.
Unfortunately, as a modern society, we have eliminated evolution in the workplace. It’s no longer about those who are genetically superior, whether it be through intelligence, ability to work hard, people skills, etc. Instead, you can now be promoted just because you’ve worked there the longest (just one of many examples). I believe that the primary reason why so many people are disillusioned in Corporate America is because they can’t justify why someone else is higher up on the totem pole. This wasn’t a problem way back when. You didn’t take food from the strongest because he would beat the crap out of you. You didn’t mess with that smart guy because you knew he would think of some way to make your life miserable. The pecking order was clearly defined, and it still is in the animal kingdom. However, in Corporate America, evolution has been suspended.
I often look at people in higher positions than me and know they probably got there because they were lucky. They don’t see it as luck though, they think there’s a direct correlation between their salary and skill set. Anyone who has worked for a large company can tell you that this isn’t true. I would love it if we were able to base everyone’s salary off of test scores related to intelligence, personality, and the ability to get things done (bring evolution back to the forefront). I think almost everyone in Corporate America would be reshuffled. I know so many capable people who are toiling away at meaningless tasks while an incompetent boss goes on to get insane stock options and bonuses.
I really feel bad for the generation just entering the workforce–they have so much to offer, but most will suffer setbacks because of some inane Boomer of a boss (I generalize here, I like most of the Boomers at my work, but you get the point). Many of these wide-eyed Bambis are in for a real shocker (no, your boss doesn’t give a rat’s ass about texting or telecommuting). Work isn’t like school; the smartest person won’t necessarily get the “A.” Work isn’t like sports, where the team with the most points always wins. Work doesn’t follow the guidelines of any logical system like evolution. This is why people suffer. They try and rationalize something that doesn’t follow any rules. People would be better off if they just accepted that a lot of their success will depend on luck as opposed to genetic superiority and hard work.
I also don’t mean to advocate that we should all just give up and leave everything to chance. There are, of course, things that everyone can do to better their odds. I think we should all do these things (e.g., education). But I think that we should also teach people that evolution no has no place in Corporate America. Sure, everyone should give it the old college try, but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work out.
To sum up, I miss Charles Darwin, and if you look closely in my office, you will see a small picture of him near some notebooks. I keep him there, as a reminder that all things change, and hoepfully, one day, Corporate America will change too.