MANAGEMENT
I was always marvelled, while studying management, auditing and corporate governance, at the university, by the usage of terms like, “… has been decided, by the ‘competent authority’ or ‘competent authority’ has approved”. It prompted me to wonder if there could be situations, where authority was not invested with ‘competent’. Provoking me further to ask, “do incompetent people, possess authority”? I, in a state of unfettered idealism, would conclude that there never can be a case of incompetent people exercising authority.
Perhaps after spending more than three decades on the shop floor, I have with a pinch of salt, come to terms, with the reality that not only do incompetent people possess authority; but the most competent also always rise to their own level of incompetence. There is abject bankruptcy of talent, be it in the field of politics or economics or social development.
Look around – why is incompetency so pronounced and prevalent. It is certainly not inherent or nature’s gift. No person is incompetent, unless by sheer dint of lack of attention and application, the element of incompetence is developed; sometimes to its absolute perfection. Incompetence is a consequence of a long time decline and decay in formulation of a curriculum of studies at Kindergarten to university level, and if it were to be done, that would go to instil the great capacity of confidence to not only live and survive with competitive talent, but also to seek it out, and nurture it, to its fullest potential.
The blind leading the blind, fall into the ditch (The Bible). The squint eyed is a natural leader of the blind. Blind following is a pre-cursor to the development of incompetence. The incompetent do not realise that sometimes their brains actually go to their heads. Nothing in the world is haughtier than a man of moderate capacity once raised to power (Wesserbung). Incompetence in Urdu, would mean “Na-ehal”. We have recently witnessed a case in point!
The incompetent have a very different kind of orientation when it comes to hiring, planning, handing over the baton, developing raw talent, finding and grooming the intelligent. They resist all such initiatives. The insecurity is so pre-dominant in their minds, that ‘incompetent managers’ only “select and hire”, the most incompetent from the list of the incompetents.
Incompetence is the night of the mind. Deceitfulness and conceitedness clouds over rational behaviour and by casting an overarching cloud; it prevents the rays of reason to enter the thought process.
Faulty hiring (pre-meditated mostly) is the major impetus to putting small-minded people to position of authority, leading consequently to the murder of talent in its infancy or nascent stage. In an interview, I asked “describe yourself?” The candidate responded, “Competent and honest”. Said I, “Suppose that means that you are neither.” Just as patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrel and wily politicians, so is the case of playing the honesty card, while seeking a job of many traits, honesty is one, which is a fore-gone conclusion. Any mark of distinction sought on this basis, is an indication of prevalent incompetence.
Incompetence is the root of all evil. You look around regardless of which organisation, you work for; you would find that the incompetent do not avail their “mandatory leave”; because they are perpetually on leave, while at their desks. The incompetent need to be admired for their failure to recognise their levels of ignorance and competence. Said, Dr Samuel Johnson, “you have taken great pain, Sir; you could not have naturally been so stupid.”
Incompetence is a pathway to obscurity; in fact obscurity is the refuge of the incompetent. That which comes into this world to disturb nothing deserves neither respect nor patience. Obscurity and a competency that is the life that is best worth living. (Mark Twain). It is only when “half-gods go; the gods arrive.” In the republic of mediocrity, genius is dangerous. (Robert Green Ingersoll). “Lacking breeds laziness, panic breeds pith.”
What do your incompetent colleagues do at the office? Firstly, think they are Mr Know-all’s and secondly ensure they have a party and a ball. Since they subscribe to the elasticity of time, they have this rare commodity in great abundance. This asset of time is deployed in back-biting, spreading rumours (in fact such have ownership to multiple rumour mills), and indulging in gossip and hear-say -- the devil tempts all, but the incompetent man tempts the devil.
Most managers have this innate desire to surround themselves with the “incompetent”, largely because no opinion or their decision is ever put to challenge. No other music to the ears of a manager, is more entertaining than, “Yes, Sir, three bags full…” The submission of the incompetent to the incompetent is a sight to relish.
And this is done with great finesse; in fact some acquire this as an art, with fine dexterity. And why do managers encourage such behaviours? It is the fear of competition.
An intelligent sub-ordinate or colleague will not shy to ask “why”? Against this the incompetent supervisor and the incompetent report, are quite contended with remarks like, “Sir,…as you say...” or “as you please”.
The fear of competence promotes the prominence of incompetency. With a workforce comprising such “talent”, what can you expect in terms of advice, opinion or comment? All responses to seeking opinion will yield a safest answer of “you know the best, boss”. If you doubt the use of this lingua in the corporate setting, then I am afraid, you are living too far away from the corridors of corporate power.
The workplace should be the last station for the mediocre to rest in peace. Managers must wake up and climb down the ivory towers, to hunt for talent and competence; only by doing this, they would be able to sustain their corporate position.
The writer is a senior banker and freelance columnist
