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 No Shame in the
Game
Workplace politics can sometimes make you feel like
you’re sitting in your old seventh grade
classroom listening to the same person brownnose the
teacher. You cringed with disgust then, what makes it
different from your office situation now?
Some people have mastered the art of
shmoozing to the boss to get ahead in hopes of that big
promotion and a promising future. Others choose to
avoid the temptation of licking their superior’s
boots. According to careerbuilder.com, office politics
are here to stay, whether you want to play the game or
not.
Wherever you have people wanting greater
compensation or a promotion, you’ll find office
politics. “If you refuse to play the game you
might be seen as a troublemaker or hard to work with.
The trick is to play to win, and not sell your soul in
the process,” says Jim Krouse, a sales
representative.
Keith F. Luscher, author of
“Don’t Wait Until You Graduate!”
claims that brownnosers make better workers.
“Look at the missions of the organization, the
interests of the people you’re working with, and
the opportunities where you can serve those needs,
which may go above and beyond what your function would
be,” he suggests.
No matter if you’re starting out in
the business world or you’re CEO of your own
business, you will always answer to someone. It’s
all a part of the big scheme to get ahead in any
business.
 Watchful Eyes
Executives everywhere are under pressure from investors
to increase profits during the current economic
downturn. But the first generation of women to break
through the glass ceiling is feeling a bit more
pressure than their male counterparts.
Still few in number, women CEOs are being
closely scrutinized and compared to other female
executives who are dealing with completely different
situations. According to the Wall Street Journal, many
women have climbed the corporate ladder by accepting
the jobs that no one else wanted, including digging a
company out of debt during difficult times.
Debby Hopkins, executive vice president
and chief financial officer of Lucent Technolgies
inherited the company’s troubles when she was
recruited from Boeing nine months ago. Having
contemplated leaving the ailing company several times,
Hopkins plans “to see this through.” She
has adjusted to having her every move analyzed by
employees, investors and customers and claims to still
see the light at the end of the tunnel. In recent
months, she has raised a $6.5 billion line of credit
for Lucent in addition to forming a strategy for
restructuring.
The challenge has tested her strength and
has forced her, and many other women, to grow as
leaders. “You can’t learn about how to face
[a corporate crisis like] this by reading
someone’s book,” Hopkins said.
Is This All
There Is?
As the baby boom generation inches closer and closer to
retirement age, problems are multiplying for them both
inside and outside of the workplace. Although they
still have plenty to offer the corporate world, the
oldest baby boomers are turning 55 this year and being
stamped with the label of “older worker.”
According to a recent article from the Wall Street
Journal, the obstacles to their future continue to
grow, but they haven’t stopped fighting.
For the men and women of the baby boomer
generation still working hard in America today, their
uphill battle will become steeper. A 56-year-old
account executive wanted to slow down on the
development of new leads to pay closer attention to the
still very profitable customers he had worked with for
decades. He was told by a younger chief executive that
“it was growth or else” and that there was
“little room for long-term productive people who
wished to slow down a little towards the end of their
careers.” In his case, loyalty and service were
not appreciated. A 60-year-old executive assistant
agreed. When her coworkers found out her age, she
overheard one say, “You can’t possibly be
sharp when you are that old.”
For those already in the retirement world,
the problems are understood as well. As the article
states, “Boomers will have just as much, or more,
trouble throttling down for retirement as previous age
groups.” The main reason is that this was the
first generation of both men and women to hold work as
a central element of their identity. As a 64-year-old
retired woman states, “Two weeks and I was ready
to take a shotgun to my head. Is life
over?”
No, life is not over for the baby boomers.
The article states to “expect a raft of age-
related businesses by boomers in their second
careers.” Many are opening placement agencies for
people like them—retired, but still willing and
able to work. For others, perhaps lobbying will be a
good starting point. The article reminds us that this
is the generation that sparked changes like childcare
help and flexible scheduling, among others in the
workplace. “If boomers replay that act over
aging, expect even bigger changes to
come.”
June 2001 News for a Change
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Issue Highlight —
A Sad and Grateful Remembrance
