01/19/09: Worth It
When I was newly promoted as TQA Supervisor over a year and a half ago, I was presented with a dilemma: I could use my new-found powers to advance the careers of someone who was close to me at the time… someone that I liked very much.
I could have used that power to have my way with him. And I probably wouldn’t have been questioned about it because I had the utmost trust of my superiors. But I didn’t.
I’ve always tried to steer clear of things that would put a question on my credibility. Even if it was unfair for other people. I don’t really care about what the general public thinks of me or the decisions I make. But I do care about what my subordinates and superiors think of me when it comes to how I conduct my business.
It’s important to me. And I take extra precautions to make sure that I conduct my personal and professional affairs separately. Like what my friend George said to me a while back… never shit in your own backyard. And I had always tried to conduct my business with that in mind.
Good thing about me is that I could deal with my professional and personal relationships separately. I mean, I could have a professional and personal relationship with someone and keep those relationships distinct and separate. I could reprimand a subordinate and still be friends with him. And I make sure that I treat my subordinates the same way whether they are personally close to me or not.
But the truth is… I’m only human. And I know in my heart if I wouldn’t be able to keep my personal feelings from my professional decisions. And that’s when I always make the decision to choose me over someone close to me.
Like I said, a year and a half ago I could have promoted someone I liked. He was qualified for the job, too. But the thing is, I knew I would have had given him small favors even if he didn’t ask for it. I would have had given him the best schedule… I would have had offered him offset RDs… I would have had let him off the hook if he was late… I would have had made excuses for him if he was absent… I would even have had offered him to report to Makati from time to time if I knew it would be more convenient for him even if he really had no business being there… and I would have had given him all the best trainings that the company could offer even if my other people deserved to have those trainings before he did.
And even if I really didn’t mean anything by it, I’m sure people, especially my people, would have noticed the little favors I would have given him. And I would have lost the respect that they have for me.
So, even if I wanted him to be so much closer to me, I was relieved when I was informed that he didn’t pass the HR process. I could’ve waived HR’s decision. I could’ve made a Policy Exemption for him. But I didn’t.
No matter how much I wanted him to succeed in his career… no matter how much I wanted him working close to me… I didn’t lift a single finger to help him out. I didn’t think it was worth it to lose the reputation that I had built in the last few years. When it comes down to it, I would always choose me.
I knew it was unfair for him. He would’ve been an excellent QA. But I don’t think it would be beneficial for him if people thought he only got his promotion because he was close to me. It would have hurt him in the long run, too. If ever he would get his promotion in the future, there should be no doubt that he got it because he worked hard for it and he deserved it. Not because he was close to me or anyone else.
Truth is, when it comes to me, the last thing one should do if one wants me to promote him is to become too identified with me. That was his mistake.
But I think he knows that now.
Like I said, if it’s just a random nobody who would question me, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. But I value my subordinates and my superiors’ opinion of me. My superiors assess my performance. And my performance is assessed through the performance of my subordinates. That’s why it pays to keep them happy. That’s why their opinions count above all else when it comes to work-related matters. That’s why they come first. Even if I had to sacrifice a friend’s career advancement.
I just don’t think it’s worth it.
I could have used that power to have my way with him. And I probably wouldn’t have been questioned about it because I had the utmost trust of my superiors. But I didn’t.
I’ve always tried to steer clear of things that would put a question on my credibility. Even if it was unfair for other people. I don’t really care about what the general public thinks of me or the decisions I make. But I do care about what my subordinates and superiors think of me when it comes to how I conduct my business.
It’s important to me. And I take extra precautions to make sure that I conduct my personal and professional affairs separately. Like what my friend George said to me a while back… never shit in your own backyard. And I had always tried to conduct my business with that in mind.
Good thing about me is that I could deal with my professional and personal relationships separately. I mean, I could have a professional and personal relationship with someone and keep those relationships distinct and separate. I could reprimand a subordinate and still be friends with him. And I make sure that I treat my subordinates the same way whether they are personally close to me or not.
But the truth is… I’m only human. And I know in my heart if I wouldn’t be able to keep my personal feelings from my professional decisions. And that’s when I always make the decision to choose me over someone close to me.
Like I said, a year and a half ago I could have promoted someone I liked. He was qualified for the job, too. But the thing is, I knew I would have had given him small favors even if he didn’t ask for it. I would have had given him the best schedule… I would have had offered him offset RDs… I would have had let him off the hook if he was late… I would have had made excuses for him if he was absent… I would even have had offered him to report to Makati from time to time if I knew it would be more convenient for him even if he really had no business being there… and I would have had given him all the best trainings that the company could offer even if my other people deserved to have those trainings before he did.
And even if I really didn’t mean anything by it, I’m sure people, especially my people, would have noticed the little favors I would have given him. And I would have lost the respect that they have for me.
So, even if I wanted him to be so much closer to me, I was relieved when I was informed that he didn’t pass the HR process. I could’ve waived HR’s decision. I could’ve made a Policy Exemption for him. But I didn’t.
No matter how much I wanted him to succeed in his career… no matter how much I wanted him working close to me… I didn’t lift a single finger to help him out. I didn’t think it was worth it to lose the reputation that I had built in the last few years. When it comes down to it, I would always choose me.
I knew it was unfair for him. He would’ve been an excellent QA. But I don’t think it would be beneficial for him if people thought he only got his promotion because he was close to me. It would have hurt him in the long run, too. If ever he would get his promotion in the future, there should be no doubt that he got it because he worked hard for it and he deserved it. Not because he was close to me or anyone else.
Truth is, when it comes to me, the last thing one should do if one wants me to promote him is to become too identified with me. That was his mistake.
But I think he knows that now.
Like I said, if it’s just a random nobody who would question me, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. But I value my subordinates and my superiors’ opinion of me. My superiors assess my performance. And my performance is assessed through the performance of my subordinates. That’s why it pays to keep them happy. That’s why their opinions count above all else when it comes to work-related matters. That’s why they come first. Even if I had to sacrifice a friend’s career advancement.
I just don’t think it’s worth it.
