#expectationsversusreality

“Use your words.”

It’s an unexpected side-effect of growing up, but there are things about which I’m growing more disappointed... not less. Of course, disappointment’s a part of life. I get that. We all get that. What I’m talking about is the kind of disappointment I felt when my dad told me there is no Santa Claus.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. :-|

To some degree, I’ve felt, am feeling, the same way about any number of adult things. You probably do, too. Not 24/7, of course. But it’s this thing kind of always humming in the background.

Anyway, these last years have accumulated a recurring theme, not just for me but for any number of random friends with whom I crossed paths and talked, and fretted, and, in some cases, mutually ripped out hair.

The theme is Professionalism. Or, rather, lack thereof.

Here’s the thing: I’m not talking about unrepentant governments, soul-less corporations, or mindless brands. I’m talking about human organizations closer to the ground.

To my dismay, there’s a recurring discovery in progress that people at the top aren’t as skilled as you’d think. As I hoped. They’re not actually the best and the brightest. They’re simply a disappointing kind of regular. 

Now let me back up a little.

What I mean by Professional goes like this: demonstrates... 1 A mastery of knowledge in a particular discipline 2 A mastery of process within the discipline 3 A mastery of communicating with fellow professionals 4 A mastery of team building with fellow professionals 5. A mastery of troubleshooting and course adjusting with fellow professionals

It’s a random list I pulled from the characteristics of people I worked with and for over the years. Probably the most important aspect of the list, the spirit of it, if you will, is how the professional works with others. And, of course, the higher the professional is up the food chain the more I expect to see scores maxed out across all five items of mastery.

The other thing I wanted to point out is that I know what it’s like to be wrong. To have someone say hey, here’s what we should do and how we should do it... then to think they’re wrong... and then have circumstances unequivocally demonstrate they were right the whole time. I’ve been proven wrong not by words, but by outcomes. People demonstrating mastery in a very real world.

Lately, though, the conversation’s been a lot about being unimpressed. A ton about being disappointed. You expect to see The Great Oz, you know? But turns out it’s some regular person behind the curtain in the throes of being completely, totally, underwhelming.