GRRRR! Teams/Leadership (employee, average, percentage, employer)

[nnyl]

I almost hesitate to post this on the forum, because I know there are lots of you that would jump through a ring of fire to even have a job.

I have a job.

I am SOOOO frustrated though. Granted, I just returned to the workforce within the last couple of years. Was a SAHM for many many eons. The world has changed A LOT.

And it bears mentioning, I am not in a management/adminstrative type job. I am just a lowly peon.

Used to be, back in the stone age, when I did work for a living. It was quite sufficient to show up for work every day, don't call out sick, don't leave early. Do your job to the very best of your ability and do it well, efficiently, and go the extra mile whenever you can. That used to be what was expected/required.

Apparently, not anymore.

Now there are all these "team-building" exercises. Numerous strong encouragements (read/translate - if you ever want a promotion) to demonstrate your capabilities at Leadership/Mentoring. Exercises in how to improve efficiencies and requirements to demonstrate to fellow team members how to do so (see above, Leadership).

Now bear in mind, I get high EPR's, my efficiencies, and any other mark utilized are always in the higher percentages of where they need to be if not surpassing where they need to be.

But I will openly admit, the above is where I lack. I am a "show up on time, everytime, don't call in sick, don't leave early, do the job to the very best of my abilities, always, and go the extra mile sorta person".

But I am not a "Team-Builder", a "Leadership" example. Some of us are not that out-going and out-in-front, type of personalities. I'm one of them. I prefer to quietly do my job, lead by example (if there is such a thing) and be helpful to anyone and everyone who seeks my assistance, if they choose to do so (few rarely even know me, because I don't go out of my comfort zone to *demonstrate* leadership and team-building, etc.). I don't mind at all, helping anyone who needs help and have willingly done so, and will continue to do so.

But to be the person who will do a presentation in a team-meeting, to be the person who will go to fellow teams within the division, to demonstrate my whiz-bang capabilities and how I got there. That is just not me.

Yes, you can probably tell, I'm an old broad, and from when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The world has changed, A LOT. And I'm out of sync with it all!!!!

[YAZ]

I'm a nose to the grindstone kinda guy, and I landed a job at a huge corporation some years ago. As a machinist, I have to concentrate on the job 100% of the time. Things can get ugly doing that type of work if you're not focused.

There were all kinds of "team activities" going on around me, but my job was quite challenging and took all of the company's time for me to do it well.

It showed up on my first wage review. Perfect attendance, a stellar quality record and excellent production. I received a 2% raise with an explanation that I wasn't involved with the "team" enough.

I chose this career path as I'm introverted and prefer to work alone. I simply don't like the politics, the brown nosing or the back stabbing.
I don't want to be involved with everyone else's stuff. I simply don't care.

My perception is that the management groomed folks for potential management opportunities later on down the road. I've been in management and frankly, I was bored to tears. I hated the job.

After 2 very long years for this company, I quit. No animosity or regrets, I just didn't fit in.

[yellowsnow]

I own this t-shirt. I feel the same about all this clap trap as you do. What a huge waste of time and energy. I worked at a place that based raises and promotions on this stuff. People cheated, lied, and stretched the truth beyond the breaking point to make themselves look good on paper. Real work went undone or was done poorly because people wasted so much time and energy on this worthless drivel.

Here's my theory why so many places have embraced these activities. About 15 years or so ago it became accepted that to be a manager, you needed to be able to manage people. You didn't need to know or understand what they do. This led the way to a huge series of managers who barely knew my name and had even less idea what I was paid to do. They even made less money than I did. So how were these people supposed to rate my performance? Metrics. They could all count. And these blow your own horn team/leadership exercises. They had to implement something because they sure didn't know me or what I did for a living.

Show me a metrics system that can't be manipulated and I'll show you a metrics system that hasn't been invented yet. The other stuff is even easier to fudge. I can write anything. That doesn't make it true. These programs become a huge game. A game employees spend huge amounts of time and energy learning so they can look good. It's their game. They implemented it and made the rules, all we can do is live by them the best we can. Management chose what behaviors they wished to drive.

You have a choice too. You can opt to do the work or play their game. If you opt to do the work, you will just be another number there and probably fly under the radar most of the time. You will always be rated average. If you want to be successful, you will do much less work and spend much more time playing the game. You don't have to like or agree with it. You just have to accept it as a fact of life. And do it well! Don't let this make you bitter or angry. Think of it as entertainment and a new challenge.

[nnyl]

Nice to know there are others who relate.

I work with folks who are, typically, decades younger than myself and they are real go-getters. Not all, but a lot of them. And thank goodness there are folks, driven with the desire to "lead". We can't all be quiet cubicle workers.

It does make one feel, as I said before, out of sync. You look around at the very-driven younger people and they are clawing their way to the top, playing the corporate mind games. And from my station in life, all the drivel is just that, drivel.

I don't care to be management. I'm not a one to delegate. And I know that about myself. I'm also not one to toot my own horn and in a public setting. I'm just a worker drone and quite content being so.

Yet there are all these metrics, as another poster wrote, to measure and quantify the worthiness of an employee. Yes, much of it based on efficiencies and attendance, and other non-issues. But, some of it, also based on what it is that you do, demonstrate, in the way of mentoring roles, leadership and team-building.

I know, beyond a doubt, and agree that I fall short there.

But what to do when you don't even really care. Not that I really care that I won't be given the best raise available, because of this admitted short coming. Not that I won't be looked at for that promotion that might become available, because I'm essentially invisible, not having made a name for myself in that environment. I really don't care.

Just glad others understand the whole dilemma. Just venting.

[Irene Garcia]

Originally Posted by nnyl

I almost hesitate to post this on the forum, because I know there are lots of you that would jump through a ring of fire to even have a job.

I have a job.

I am SOOOO frustrated though. Granted, I just returned to the workforce within the last couple of years. Was a SAHM for many many eons. The world has changed A LOT.

And it bears mentioning, I am not in a management/adminstrative type job. I am just a lowly peon.

Used to be, back in the stone age, when I did work for a living. It was quite sufficient to show up for work every day, don't call out sick, don't leave early. Do your job to the very best of your ability and do it well, efficiently, and go the extra mile whenever you can. That used to be what was expected/required.

Apparently, not anymore.

Now there are all these "team-building" exercises. Numerous strong encouragements (read/translate - if you ever want a promotion) to demonstrate your capabilities at Leadership/Mentoring. Exercises in how to improve efficiencies and requirements to demonstrate to fellow team members how to do so (see above, Leadership).

Now bear in mind, I get high EPR's, my efficiencies, and any other mark utilized are always in the higher percentages of where they need to be if not surpassing where they need to be.

But I will openly admit, the above is where I lack. I am a "show up on time, everytime, don't call in sick, don't leave early, do the job to the very best of my abilities, always, and go the extra mile sorta person".

But I am not a "Team-Builder", a "Leadership" example. Some of us are not that out-going and out-in-front, type of personalities. I'm one of them. I prefer to quietly do my job, lead by example (if there is such a thing) and be helpful to anyone and everyone who seeks my assistance, if they choose to do so (few rarely even know me, because I don't go out of my comfort zone to *demonstrate* leadership and team-building, etc.). I don't mind at all, helping anyone who needs help and have willingly done so, and will continue to do so.

But to be the person who will do a presentation in a team-meeting, to be the person who will go to fellow teams within the division, to demonstrate my whiz-bang capabilities and how I got there. That is just not me.

Yes, you can probably tell, I'm an old broad, and from when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The world has changed, A LOT. And I'm out of sync with it all!!!!

It is truly hard to get out of the comfort zone, but with the fast changing economy, we all must learn to be versatile and learn more things. I am not saying that you have to change instantly, but it would be better if you try absorbing those you call “CHANGES”. Because the more you resist these changes, the harder it would be for you and the less happy you would become. An employer sees some potential in their employees and this is the main reason why they are focusing on team building seminars and management trainings to enhance the skills and capabilities of their employee. Always remember that you could not turn back time, all we can do is go with the flow and think positive.

[zz4guy]

I'm in the corporate world and am subjected to the "leadership" training all the time. I could go be a go-getter motivational leader, but I cannot find any motivation for putting myself out there. With 2% raises every year and no commisions or sales or real rewards for anything why put yourself out there??

[GypsySoul22]

It seems like the corporate world embraces a new 'hot thing' every few years.

I think you can be a leader by example. You do your job and do it well, you don't goof off, you are an employee others can look up to and emulate.

However, you may have to toot your own horn a bit more. If there is a new employee, offer to help train him or her 'one on one.' It's not as intimidating for you and it shows you are willing to go the extra mile.

Even if you just say (in front of the boss(es)) "Mary, let me show you how we do our XYZ filing."

Shows you 'want to welcome the new person.'

Personally I hate corporate b.s. but it's part of the game.