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Seeking Approval

A former big tech VP's ruminations often end up on my LinkedIn feed thanks to his followers. There is an odd nugget of wisdom here and there but for the most part his writing seeks validation from his readers. He needs reassurance that he was and continues to be something special. As such he needs to deny that he got where he got through a lot of performative work and access to the speed lane on account of privilege. None of it happened because he was special - this is a hard pill to swallow once a person stops getting their ego fed every minute of the day on account of their title in the company. The truth is far more deserving and capable peers were left far behind because they did not choreograph their work theatrically enough and lacked all the social advantages this individual had. If he accepted reality he would find that the accomplishments that define his self-worth and identity mean very little if anything at all. 

It might a therapeutic experience for people like him to try solving real problems in highly constrained situations to see if they were ever worth the title they once held or the money they made. The real heroes in most large companies are unsung and unrecognized. They love what they do and are exceptionally good at it. The combination makes them oblivious to the fact their work needs to be showcased and displayed nonstop to powers that be in ways that makes sense to them. The packaging and presentation of the work done by these folks is lacking or entirely absent. Along comes someone like the author who "sees the bigger picture", "thinks outside the box" and "moves the needle". They are able to ride the wave of real work and further their own career. Needless to say, it creates the need to rationalize and justify why they deserved to get ahead and so they serve up all this advisory for lesser mortals -  many of whom are destined to toil away in anonymity and serve as catalyst for growth of others' careers. 

Thanks to the career coaching and mentoring this individual and others like him provide, the same pattern of bad and failed leadership continues to plague companies that employ the beneficiaries of their guidance. 

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