What Happens When Loyalty and "Yes Sir" Culture Matters More than Merit and Performance?

What happens when loyalty and "yes sir" culture matters more than merit and performance ? Very simply, nothing!

It is quite common to observe that not many positive things happen in an organization where such negative things happen.

The most obvious indication that one is working in an orgnization where such a thing is happening frequently and blatantly is to come across what can be called as the presence of a "pack of jokers".

The jokers along with the chief clown form the coterie or the inner circle. The primary reasons for someone to be a joker are - blind loyalty to the chief clown and blind faith in the power of "yes sir".

The jokers have hare-brained ideas, ostrich-like view of vision and strategy and fox-type cunningness.

So what all funny stuff do the jokers do?

• The jokers are good at writing negative emails.
• The jokers along with the chief clown go for lunch together
• The jokers are like stooges of the chief clown
• The jokers carry an air of hollow exclusivity and a sick holier than thou attitude
• The jokers are un-professionals to the core
• The jokers carry a third-grade smirk on their dirty faces
• The jokers indulge in manipulation and unethical conduct

Ignoring merit and performance implies that the organization's growth remains stunted and a distant dream at that.

The competency required for growing the business is, generally speaking, simply missing in the jokers and the chief clown.

So what happens in such an organization is very simply, nothing. Business growth remains stunted, margins remain under pressure and profits keep on going down.

However, and most worryingly, one thing keeps on going up in such an organization.

The jumbo-sized egos and incompetene levels of the chief clown and his pack of jokers. That keeps on inching upwards for all the wrong reasons!