Risharde's Blog

Hello fellow readers, this is a topic I have been wanting to write about a long time ago and it just so happens I got the nudge recently and finally got the time to write about this.

So what's the strange topic all about? Well most if not all workers start out somewhere "lower down the foodchain" - rightfully so, I don't think there's any shame in saying that. This topic is to reflect on how your staff might be viewing you.

In a lot of cases that I've come across, some by experience and others by friends' experience, it seems that "the higher you get in terms of a position at an organization, the more stupidly/ignorant/uneducated you tend to act". Notwithstanding the very little few that don't follow the norm, it seems that because you are a CEO, you can say what you want, belittle your staff and have them working in fear.

In Trinidad and Tobago, I have rarely ever come across a company / business / organization where people aren't afraid of saying how they feel. In fact, I've seen a lot of "class" systems just like the ones that were there in India back in the past.

What's the reason for all this? Very simply put, lack of knowledge/intelligent - IGNORANCE etc. We're not accounting for situations where personnel may be disrespectful because sometimes there may be just cause in dealing with a situation that might require a certain level of authority. I'm speaking about everyday scenarios where its in the best interest of say, the CEO to take the advice of his "subordinates".

Sometimes when you're at the top of the food chain, you tend to believe that you are invincible when quite frankly, you're far from it. You may be the CEO of an organization but when you are walking down the road, you're just another citizen like your subordinates. Thus, it is wise to rethink how you speak to people especially when you know very little about them.

I think the best approach which I hardly ever see is upper level management really trying to understand the rest of staff. I've seen in let's say 90% of time, that upper level management believe that they are somehow worth more than the rest of staff in an organization. In other words, there's very little to no mutual understanding and if this is the case, then our goals are further from being attained just by this imbalance.

You really need to ask your self.... Am I a good boss? Am I an efficient manager? Can I achieve without belittling someone? If you truthfully say Yes to those, then you're definitely a keeper but if you must hurt others to get your goals completely, maybe the problem isn't always with the 3rd party, maybe the problem lies with you.

Food for thought.

Good luck at achieving your goals
--Rish