A very talented friend of mine was recently fired from his job. At the end of the day, one could make an argument that the people the company kept were not as talented as he is and anyone, from the outside looking in, could look at the situation as unfair and ridiculous.
Not me. I can see why they did it.
If employers are not looking to change over or fix a situation, then they are looking for cohesion. Many employers say that they want to employ "trailblazers" and people with "out of the box ideas". What they really want is cohesion. A system. A group that shares one idea. Even if that idea or philosophy prevents them from taking the company to the next level or growing, they still prefer to have a group of people moving as one. Even if members of that group are capable of more-cohesion and shared ideas will beat potential everyday.
Using a football analogy-Let's say your favorite football team has an opportunity to draft a super fast deep threat wide receiver. A real game changer that can start on day one and add another potential weapon to the offense. Yet, your team is designed to run the ball and your quarterback is not a downfield passer. So why draft a guy that doesn't fit into your current system? Especially if you are successful with that current system. Teams that draft for needs and for their systems will be more successful than those who draft names or superstars for the sake of taking the "best" player available.
Going back to my friend-It's easier to remove one person from the group, opposed to changing the philosophy or removing several people. So, no matter how talented you are or how awesome your résumé is, you will not survive unless you make sense for that system. You might be brought into a situation thinking your job is to change the culture of the building or business and find yourself being the last one hired and the first one fired.
If you do not personally own the business, then you have limited power in changing the culture. Sure, you can make changes that help the group be more productive, but as long as you are not answering to just your customers for a living, your hands will always be somewhat tied. In the employers eyes, unless they have a need to make big changes, it will always be easier to remove one person from the mix opposed to rebooting the whole group.
In short, sometimes you are part of a system and sometimes a system is built around you. Figure out what works best for you and pursue opportunities that fit your goals. Are you a system guy like Tom Brady or do they build a system around you like Peyton Manning?
If you get canned, just remember the old adage....."one man's trash is another man's treasure".
#football #playoffs #systems #tombrady #peytonmanning
