Rising to our level of incompetence

#41 - 6.27.2021

Brother -

There is a phenomenon in the corporate world called the ‘Peter Principle’. It theorizes that we are all promoted to our level of incompetence. The result is that over time, many positions end up being filled by people who do not have the skills necessary to perform well in that role.

To put it more simply - there is a wide range of talent for any given position. Some employees will be very good, and others not so much.

This can be frustrating in your corporate journey. You’ll inevitably have a person in a position that is one level above yours that is not great at their job.

Once when I was approaching a promotion cycle, I said something to a colleague along the lines of “well, if this person is a level 7 - surely I should be too”.

My colleague quickly put me in my place. She called out my insecurity and gave me feedback about how immature it is to compare myself to others in this way. I was embarrassed.

Over the next few years, I started noticing other employees make comments using the same reasoning. They looked petty. In addition, it ended up working against them in any subsequent promotion discussion.

The bottom line is - don’t compare yourself to the lowest performers. Better yet, be content with being yourself.

Let me leave you with a quote and a question.

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”

Lao Tzu

Are you content right now?

Enjoy the dance,

Nate