Is it possible to get to…
Discussion
the top, whilst being stupid?
I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
Same in business.
Some very senior people make some very stupid decisions. Is it that I don’t see something others do or are these people (the list of names is long) as thick as mince?
Mods please move if it’s not a lounge topic.
I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
Same in business.
Some very senior people make some very stupid decisions. Is it that I don’t see something others do or are these people (the list of names is long) as thick as mince?
Mods please move if it’s not a lounge topic.
Thankyou4calling said:
The top, whilst being stupid.
I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
Same in business.
Some very senior people make some very stupid decisions. Is it that I don’t see something others do or are these people (the list of names is long) as thick as mince?
Mods please move if it’s not a lounge topic.
I think you can exhibit some stupid (Elon Musk) but you'll need more drive and critical reasoning than Dave down the pub.I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
Same in business.
Some very senior people make some very stupid decisions. Is it that I don’t see something others do or are these people (the list of names is long) as thick as mince?
Mods please move if it’s not a lounge topic.
PositronicRay said:
... you'll need more drive and critical reasoning than Dave down the pub.
Nail on the head there I think! The ability to filter information, know who to listen to, drive to keep going and willingness to take risks seems to be the key - rather than outright intelligence or technical genius.
History has plenty of people who are very very clever but have had terrible business sense and ended up broke despite their ideas or inventions being everywhere, and making (someone else!) a fortune.
The successful business types tend to be able to spot the clever people to get ideas from and make money out of it.
It's similar with politicians - the ones at the top are not the brightest people with deep understanding of every issue there is, that's what advisors and so on are for.
They are obviously not stupid, but I reckon their skills are more in reasoning and communication (or manipulation, bullying and backstabbing!) than a thorough understanding of technical subjects, economics, etc.
t on others the most / suck up etcSee David Dunning and Justin Kruger, otherwise referred to as the Dunning Kruger Effect
In summary; Stupid people often exude confidence in their ability do do something simply because they lack the intelligence to understand the very thing they feel confidence in doing.
Conversely; Intelligent people often lack the confidence to do something precisely because they do possess the intelligence to more completely comprehend the difficulty or complexity of the task.
In summary; Stupid people often exude confidence in their ability do do something simply because they lack the intelligence to understand the very thing they feel confidence in doing.
Conversely; Intelligent people often lack the confidence to do something precisely because they do possess the intelligence to more completely comprehend the difficulty or complexity of the task.
I suspect this thread is going to be full of the usual “the CEO / board of the company I work for are clueless” type replies. Whilst this is true in a few companies most people have no real clue as to what people do at that level to really know. Yes of course it is possible to be stupid but end up in a very senior position but it’s not as common as those at lower levels in organisations assume.
Some decisions, let’s take the firing of half of Twitter staff as an example, can appear on the face of it to the average employee or person on the street to be a stupid decision. In reality though, with full data to make decisions it can actually be quite sensible.
The take away is that assumptions are easy to make when you read media, hear people talking etc but don’t have full information
Some decisions, let’s take the firing of half of Twitter staff as an example, can appear on the face of it to the average employee or person on the street to be a stupid decision. In reality though, with full data to make decisions it can actually be quite sensible.
The take away is that assumptions are easy to make when you read media, hear people talking etc but don’t have full information
Jasandjules said:
Yes. Or certainly quite high up. IME there is a "who you know" that trumps "what you know" and "what you can do"....
It's not so much "what you know" or "who you know", more "what you know about who you know". But I guess using that information isn't stupid, just ruthless.
However, I have seen some numpties promoted to a level where they can do less harm through their incompetence.
IME it’s one or a combination of
Pure luck.
Not understanding risk / willingness to take risk.
Knowing the right people. Aka smokers / boys club.
Bribes.
Being in the right place at the right time.
Extortion / criminality.
Being the only choice / time served.
Inheritance / family money.
Having the right qualifications.
One of the things that shocked me when I went into business was just how corrupt the people are at the higher levels in other businesses and local authorities.
Then what those people would do to get their mates into higher positions to ensure they retain full control and can hide their activities.
Pure luck.
Not understanding risk / willingness to take risk.
Knowing the right people. Aka smokers / boys club.
Bribes.
Being in the right place at the right time.
Extortion / criminality.
Being the only choice / time served.
Inheritance / family money.
Having the right qualifications.
One of the things that shocked me when I went into business was just how corrupt the people are at the higher levels in other businesses and local authorities.
Then what those people would do to get their mates into higher positions to ensure they retain full control and can hide their activities.
gotoPzero said:
IME it’s one or a combination of
Pure luck.
Not understanding risk / willingness to take risk.
Knowing the right people. Aka smokers / boys club.
Bribes.
Being in the right place at the right time.
Extortion / criminality.
Being the only choice / time served.
Inheritance / family money.
Having the right qualifications.
You missed two options there -Pure luck.
Not understanding risk / willingness to take risk.
Knowing the right people. Aka smokers / boys club.
Bribes.
Being in the right place at the right time.
Extortion / criminality.
Being the only choice / time served.
Inheritance / family money.
Having the right qualifications.
Promoted out of trouble (probably won’t get you all the way to the top but should find a cushy and harmless job in the middle).
Looks/acts like the boss. Not necessarily capable of doing the job but has the X factor that people follow anyway.
Thankyou4calling said:
The top, whilst being stupid.
I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
Same in business.
Some very senior people make some very stupid decisions. Is it that I don’t see something others do or are these people (the list of names is long) as thick as mince?
Mods please move if it’s not a lounge topic.
I think Trump is the best example. I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
Same in business.
Some very senior people make some very stupid decisions. Is it that I don’t see something others do or are these people (the list of names is long) as thick as mince?
Mods please move if it’s not a lounge topic.
Thankyou4calling said:
The top, whilst being stupid.
I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
In the cabinet, yes.I have my own opinion and that is yes! You absolutely can, and this is confirmed for me by some of the government officials we’ve seen in senior posts.
There isn't a knowledge/delivery career path to work through for years.
You are given a postion heading a dept that you may have little experience of because you are on good terms with, or have dirt on, the PM or an influential group.
Once somebody gets to board level of a big firm, it often appears to be a bit like Premier League football managers. Get sacked with a big payoff, new job with a different organisation.
21TonyK said:
A good friend has pretty much made it to the top of his game. He's a very good leader and decision maker but has always openly admitted his lack of knowledge or experience in certain areas. So he surrounds himself with people who do.
That is the key. I know my weak spots so I try to solve them but also get the right teamGassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff