When Good Men go Bad - Being Promoted

I came across a former supervisor’s Facebook page this weekend and I was really surprised.  I would have expected to see written horrendous expletives and barrages on how awful we as employees were.  Instead, it was like a “Cinderella dancing through the forest with the birds singing all around” page.  It was about family, his church, and how God had poured blessings down upon him.  Isn’t it wonderful how some people can act one way in a management role, then put on a different mask when they get home.  That mask is also very convenient for all their friends to see.  In the old days, that was called being a hypocrite.

Hypocrite is defined as  a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion.  A person who acts in contradiction to their stated beliefs.   Now I admit we all have failings and moments of hypocrisy.  The problem is when it becomes a way of life.  One of those “justify the means” things.  They pay me well to act this way and I like living in my big house with all my stuff kinda thing.  God will understand, I’m not a bad person.  There are some serious problems with that logic… first of all, God does understand and that would be the number one problem!  Second, acting against your stated beliefs, merely to make money, means that money must be worth more than the rewards your beliefs offer.  Third, power corrupts and you’re corrupted!

I’ve worked closely with two guys who were promoted to management.  Both of their personalities changed drastically.  Both are divorced and seem unhappy to those around them.  I tweeted a quote from Lord Acton recently, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.  There are exceptions but they are very rare.  I’ve worked for only two Christian managers who I felt brought their faith to work each day.  I would enjoy working for either again!  I pray for their strength in these unhappy times.  It is difficult to keep the faith when Satan attacks down through the hierarchy of a company.

After my recent counseling entry for failing to meet my MSOC goals, I must admit the temptation was to forgo the type work I’ve done most of my career.  There was an announcement last week on how new changes have taken effect on the allotted time each job has.  We now have forty-nine minutes on most troubles to be 100%.  Again, the company is painting with a very broad brush.  Each trouble is different and the model for repair doesn’t justify time commitments.  Would you want your doctor only given forty-nine minutes on your surgery?  MSOC isn’t an employee or customer friendly system.

Anyway, last week I came across a trouble where the customer interface was on the opposite side of the house from the power meter.  Quality rules say to rearrange all wiring to meet electrical standards.  That means rerouting the wire to the house, replacing the wire inside, and it takes time to do that!  My immediate reasoning was, there is a new service wire to the house, so the last technician didn’t correct it.  If I correct this, it will take at least two or three hours and it will hurt my numbers plus I’ll have to crawl under the house or go through the attic.  In the end, I took the time to do it right.

There is a movie on the internet called “The 180 Movie”.  It’s awesome and might change your mind about a lot of things.  The beginning talks about Hitler and his obsession for killing the Jewish people.  I don’t want to spoil the movie for you but on that topic, Hitler issued the orders and other men carried them out.  Many of those men claimed they were only following orders but obviously were just as guilty as the guy at the top!  In the movie they interview modern day people asking questions about what they would do in similar situations.  The answers are startling.  Sadly, most people go along with “a wrong” all too easily!

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 to “ ⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Don’t be an easy target.  Be a Christian at work, at home, and at play.  Don’t put aside your Christianity because you think being a corporate manager has a higher calling.  There are several Bible verses that come to mind but these can suffice;
Leviticus 5:17  “If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.”

Luke 12:48  “and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”