Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Every organization and endeavor is unique to a degree, but not absolutely unique. Learn the prior experience of each person and find a way to benefit from it.

Like  many of my (hi)stories, this one is from yet another experience with morons in government. I had 20 years experience in the larger organization, but learned that everything that I had learned in those years was worthless.

“Your prior experience doesn’t apply here,” I was told.

It seems every person new to this little niche was told the same. We were all worthless in the eyes of those who had been in the office at least one week longer than us.

Arrogance? Yes, the epitome of it.

Every person who walks in the door has prior experience. All those experiences sum to a major part of that person. If you are employing that person, you are employing their prior experience. To deem that prior experience inapplicable means you hired a worthless person. Who wants to hire a worthless person?

Part of a leader’s job is to learn the prior experience of each person and find a way to benefit from it. If you can’t do that, or even try to do that, quit your job and go somewhere else.