Using concepts
from the Kramer (2003) article as a baseline, share your insights on
dilemmas that happen in society, work, and in your life.
Large or small, dilemmas are a part of everyday
life. Issues or challenges arise on a daily basis and test me in all areas of
my life. As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, citizen, student and full
time employee, I am challenged to constantly maintain the relationships I have
at all levels of importance or significance. There are times when it can be
tough to uphold these connections or affiliations, however sustaining each one
and being successful them all is a challenge that many individuals face and
very rarely achieve.
While there are times when I do consider myself the
master of my domain, there have been plenty of times when I have found myself “on
the pavement looking up, wondering where it all went wrong” (Kramer 2003). I
like to think of myself as an intelligent woman who is dedicated and loyal,
self confident and enthusiastic. One of the traits I am most proud of is that I
am a very hard working individual who prides herself in her successes. While
being successful is important to me, I know that the dilemmas I have come
across over time have only helped to shape me to think outside the box,
critically think, and build the characteristics necessary to survive in
difficult situations.
Competition in the workplace,
society and even in an individual’s personal life can create enough tension,
stress, or frustration for someone that can lead them to fully entering or even
dabbling in the genius to folly syndrome. The genius to folly syndrome is
described as a “swift and steady rise by a brilliant hard driving politically
adept individual followed by surprising stints of miscalculation or
recklessness” (Kramer 2003). When life, society and people challenge you in
both positive and negative ways, no one really ever knows how they will act or
react unless specifically placed into the situation and required to take
action.
Many individuals spend their lives
in competition. In school we try to get the best grades we can, at home we try
and be the best daughter or brother. We also strive to be the best wives and husbands,
fathers and mothers, and at work we are constantly vouching for more
responsibility and work to prove our self worth and to try our best to make it
to the top, most of the time, as quickly as possible. The pedestals people
place before themselves are sometimes so unrealistic that if ever achieved and they
find themselves in a position of power, they feel a sense of entitlement and
prestige and they are all of a sudden untouchable. When this occurs, dilemmas
in all areas of an individual’s life are at risk.
“Moving up the ranks can be like
competing in a high stakes tournament. As you make it through successive
rounds, the pool of worthy candidates narrows the margin for error is much
smaller and the competition intensifies” (Kramer 2003). Is this one of the
reasons how and why dilemmas are created? When the winner takes all mentality becomes the winner wants all mind set, how can we be sure to not end up like
individuals such as Marjorie Peel? How can we be sure that we do not fall
victim to “uncharacteristic lapses in professional judgment or personal conduct”
(Kramer 2003)?
On the other hand, while some leaders
may fall from grace because they happen to get caught up in all the glory of
power and prestige, others won’t even get the chance in getting to the top. Dilemmas
in society, work, and your personal life can also stem from someone feeling as
though they are not successful. While it is important to make sure that we stay
focused on what we are giving for our successes rather than
what we are getting with our
successes, it is just as important to remember that in order to become
successful, there is a certain amount of risk and challenge an individual
should be comfortable taking on.
“The players in winner take all
markets must be extraordinarily aggressive about taking risks” (Kramer 2003)
and should also keep in mind that to get ahead, they need to be strategic in “finding
a back door to success that others have not been able to spot” (Kramer 2003). Individuals
should always ask questions, challenge mindsets and find new and improved ways
of being successful both individually, organizationally and personally. I have
heard that rules are meant to be broken and in many instances I can agree with
this. “If you aren’t willing to test the limits of what’s acceptable and what
works, you may never make it to the next level of performance or attainment”
(Kramer 2003). However, while I can respect
pushing the foul line to see how far you can really get away with in order to
be successful, I also believe there is a major dilemma that occurs when this is
taken too far.
The disdain for rules puts those who
are less fearful or even fearless of risk taking on thin ice. When a leader
rejoices in the amount of power they have and continues to push the envelope
with what they can get away with “they may consider themselves exempt from the
rules that govern other people’s behavior. Even more dangerous, leaders who
want it all and who break the rules to get it often develop contempt for those
who do play the rules” (Kramer 2003). The danger in succeeding with risk also
assists leaders in having self enhancing illusions of themselves leading to
overly positive views of their abilities. This creates dilemmas for leaders in
any situation whether personal or professional. If you can get away with
something without a slap on the hand, then why take your hand out of the cookie
jar?
Dilemmas in all forms are
situational and can be prevented from getting out of control as long as a leader
can stay humble in their ways. “It is not only what a leader does when they get
to the top that gets them into trouble; it’s also what they don’t do” (Kramer
2003). Leaders of all kinds; mothers, daughters, fathers, students, wives,
citizens and employees can be as successful as they would like by maintaining
proportion and a high level of self awareness as well as creating “a
combination of psychological and behavioral habits that helped them to stay
grounded” (Kramer 2003). Keeping life simple, remaining ordinary and handing a
lantern on ones foibles are just a few ways for leaders to be able to rise to
the top and stay there. While most leaders will experience the occasional
blunder, our shortcomings provide us with the motivations and encouragement we
need to keep pushing forward. While “the natural tendency with flaws and
imperfections is to deny them or cover them up, what we really need to do is
shine a light on our weaknesses to understand them better” (Kramer 2003). Then
and only then can we truly be successful.
Cassandra
R.
References
Kramer, R. M. (2003). The
Harder They Fall. (cover story). Harvard Business
Review, 81(10), 58-66.
No comments:
Post a Comment