Life Musings

I'd like to talk a little bit about management and engineering.

I normally don't care for reality TV, but I have been watching The Apprentice, for its educational value. It's interesting to see how people react in tense corporate situations, how conflicts are resolved (or not), and what types of personality traits are valued in cutthroat corporate America.

Through the years, I've learned that individuals with good people skills aren't necessarily the ones who rise through the corporate ranks. Oftentimes, it is the ones who lack intepersonal skills that rise most effectively. I suspect that in part, this is because they manage to get things done, because they aren't so afraid of hurting other people's feelings or disrupting morale. In addition, their forceful personalities help them get noticed by management.

Mind you, I'm not saying that's right. I believe that a good leader must exhibit a nurturing personality, and must have solid people skills. Unfortunately, these aren't necessarily the qualities that will get you noticed, or that will help you rise through the corporate ranks. Sometimes, people rise through the ranks due to the force of their personality. This can help them accomplish things in the short term, but with severe long-term costs.

It'll be interesting to see how this season of The Apprentice turns out. I'm learning an awful lot.