by Dan Oswald
“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”
—George Washington
It was suggested to me recently that there are times when you must work for someone you don’t like or trust. My initial response was a blank stare of disbelief. It was difficult to wrap my head around that statement. It took a few moments to sink in, and then I began to object.
I couldn’t disagree more with the idea that you must work for anyone. I’m a grown man with the freedom to choose with whom I associate, and that includes my employer. I certainly understand the realities of life and know that people need to work to provide from themselves, but you still have a choice about with whom you work.
When I interview candidates for positions, I fully expect that they are evaluating me as well. The prospective employee is no doubt trying to sell herself, but she also should be asking questions about me and the company. Why? Because if we offer her the position, she will have to determine whether she wants it. She has a choice to make about whether she wants to be associated with me and the company.
When I’m faced with what I think is an absurd position—as I believed was the case with the individual who asserted that it’s just part of life to work for someone you don’t like—I try to take it to an extreme example to test the theory.
I’m the father of three great kids. One is in college, and another is on her way next year. Imagine that I’m unemployed and struggling to stay afloat financially. I’m behind on my mortgage, I can’t pay tuition, and financial ruin is a real possibility. I feel a strong desire and obligation to provide for my family.
Does that mean I should work for anyone willing to hire me? What if a known drug dealer wants to hire me to do his accounting? I wouldn’t be selling drugs—just working for the guy who does. And accounting isn’t illegal. Someone has to count the money. Should I take the job? Remember, I’m really hurting financially.
Most reasonable people would agree that’s not a job you should take. But what if it’s not a drug dealer but someone who is known to use questionable business practices? Or what if the guy is just a complete jerk? Where do you draw the line?
Under certain circumstances, I understand accepting a job from someone I might find less than ideal, but I don’t believe it’s something that is just part of life. If I’m struggling financially and my options seem limited, then I might work for someone I don’t particularly care for, but I would be looking for an alternative the entire time. And I hope I’m strong enough never to compromise my ethics to provide for my family.
As a manager, you must realize that people have a choice. They can choose whether you are someone for whom they want to work. They can choose whether your company is one for which they want to provide their services. Just like you can choose whether you want to employ them.
The best employees aren’t the ones who interview well but are those who every day bring the same level of focus and enthusiasm that helped them get the job. Likewise, as a manager, it’s not just your ability in an interview to convince a prospective employee you’re someone with whom she would like to work—it’s your ability to demonstrate it each and every day. You see, people have a choice about with whom they work. If you stop being that person, they’ll likely be gone.
To the suggestion that sometimes in life we must work for people we don’t like, I disagree. Each day when we head off to work, we have the opportunity to choose whether these are people with whom we want to associate. The question is whether we have the courage of our convictions to do something about it if the answer is no.
I agree with every point you have made. As a famous statesman has said: “There are no easy answers but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” [Ronald Reagan]
A principled, but unworkable, position. As a lawyer, I have represented a number of clients that I dislike. But my ethical responsibilities did not allow me to do anything but zealously advance their interests, even if I disagreed with my client’s objectives. Unless I conclude that a client’s objectives are so repugnant that my representation would be adversly impacted, I will not decline to do everything that I can to advance that client’s interests. Ted Bundy’s lawyer didn’t agree with Ted’s actions, but Mr. Bundy still received a valiant (if ultimately unsucessful) defense. I don’t see this as being any different than the typical employment relationship.
Totally disagree with you. I have worked for the same employer for nearly 30 years. This is a medium size municipal government (500-600 employees). Over that course of time I have “worked” for a variety of bosses. One I liked, one not so much, one I hated (he was eventually fired). But during all this time, I loved my job. You don’t have to associate with people you don’t like. But you will have a difficult time finding or keeping a job if you must always like those you work for. The examples are just silly – drug dealer, person with questionable business practices – not common enough to be using as examples. In this day and age, there are more dishonest and morally corrupt people in the workforce than most of us can imagine…. never mind the religious fanatics, substance abusers, wife beaters, those who lie and cheat and steal. Let he who is morally perfect and completely likeable to everyone stand up!!!
Birds of a Feather….look for like minded people to associate (work for or with) with and your “happiness” should follow