Random work tests

Before I got my first promotion into a management position, my boss pulled me aside and asked me the following question: “Are you ready to move because I think we’ve got a management position for you if you’re willing to relocate?” At the time, the company wanted to prmote from within, the only problem was that most employees would say they were willing to move but wouldn’t actually accept the position unless it was near their current location. This created all kinds of problems when it came to succession planning.

In response to the question, I quickly replied, “Sure, it’s not a problem for me or my wife. We don’t have any kids and we’re just renting an apartment. We would welcome the change.” At this response, my boss gave a quick smile and said, “That’s all I needed to hear. I’ll get back to you soon with an update, but don’t discuss this with anyone else till you hear from me.”

A couple of weeks later, I was given the promotion. My new job was even located in the same facility. There was no relocation involved. My boss was only testing me to verify my commitment and loyalty to the company. Once I assumed this small position within the management ranks, I learned that the company issued random work tests like this all the time.

Another example occurred when they were considering promoting an employee who had only been with the company a short period of time. To help them make their decision, they decided to have this person speak at a rather large company meeting to judge his presentation skills under duress. They also planned to ask a couple of tough questions to put him on the spot. They were somewhat under-whelmed by his performance and thought it would be better to wait. To this day, I still don’t think that individual knew he was being tested.

The important take away is that you should always act and behave at work as if you’re being judged. Another good example is when I overheard one fairly high manager dismiss a promotion candidate because she thought the person dressed sloppily, always looked disorganized, and “sweated too much.” In the corporate world, you never know when you’re being watched, that’s why it’s always best to just be paranoid. It’s another reason why all of us cubicle jockeys are fairly crazy.