Posts Tagged Peter Principle

Basking in the glow of yet another championship, I was greeted at work this morning by a preponderance of Yankees paraphernalia (I didn’t notice any Phillies or Mets caps.  Even the Red Sox fans are keeping their heads down this week).  Not that I mind; I am a big fan.  But many of these “fans” have just recently jumped on the bandwagon.  They weren’t around when the team started off lousy.  Like sharks, they must have smelled the blood in the water.

Frontrunners

This happened when the Giants won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, too.  But I’ve found that the most egregious bandwagon jumpers in the workplace.  These are the people that hover around the periphery of a challenging project, keeping their distance until success is assured, usually by someone who’s heavily involved.  Look at any photo that’s posted of the honored “XYZ Team” and you’ll find at least one person who didn’t contribute much to the effort.  These frontrunners weren’t there for the tribulations, but they are immortalized in the lobby photo.

Like rats jumping ship

As much as they seek to be included in the adulations, you can bet that they’ll be conspicuously absent when the project goes bad.  They’ll have moved on to a more successful project, leaving the blame for someone else.  I’ve worked with a guy who made this an art form.  He kept getting reassigned before the shit hit the fan, and left his mess for other people to clean up.  Some companies perpetuate this behavior, as they encourage turnover to promote employee development.  Too often, it becomes The Peter Principle incarnate.

Secret decoder ring

So, how do you recognize a true bandwagon jumper for who they are?  Is there a special way of identifying these sharks, a secret decoder ring for frontrunners?  I’m afraid not.  You’ll probably wind up getting screwed by one, and you’ll be wiser the next time.  Over time, you’ll know who you can count on, and who’ll jump ship at the first sign of trouble.  The ones you can count on will stand by you through thick and thin.  Make sure that you return the favor.

So, I’ll share the ecstasy of this Yankees championship with the frontrunners.  It’s easy to be a fan when things are good; they never had to suffer through horror of Celerino Sanchez at third base, or of Stump Merrill making out a lineup card.  But I know they’ll disappear at the first sign of trouble.  I’ll just make sure that I watch my back.

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