There are no small jobs, just small minds
By Wayne Spivak
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
Every organization has a hierarchy to assist it in reaching the goals stated in their mission statement. Management, supervisors, managers, department heads, team leaders, workers, aides, assistants, there are some of the scores of titles used by people who work in the organization.
Organizations, whether they are corporate in nature, military, social, or philanthropic have always developed parallel yet unequal cultures. One internal organization is based on a business model. This model is used to meet the goals of the business plan. The other culture, which could be considered an unfortunate offshoot of the first, is the social classification establishment. Within an organization, there are often times many different, competing classification establishments at work, some formal or identified by the business organization (such in the Military 1), some informal, as in cliques.
Social Classification
Based on a person's title (most times), a relative pecking order can be determined. Pecking order's have existed throughout history, "In an age before mass personal documentation, there were few ways to prove who and what you were, 2" this was true in Roman times, and in many respects with identity theft could be considered true today.
Since at least Roman Times, we've as a species have created social classification, and from social classification, sub-classifications, in respect to family, job, role, education, indeed every aspect of our society is part of our classification system.
Ronna Lichtenberg 3, of Clear Peak Consultants in New York states if you "Take a group of high-achievers, put them together around a boardroom table, and give them ultimate fiduciary responsibility for a corporation. Some very interesting interpersonal stuff happens. 4"
In the volunteer arena, pecking order and the obtaining of advances within the order, as well as the creation of justification for a particular pecking order takes on a unique importance. The key to this importance becomes job importance. Whether it is a micro view of job or macro view, the job performed by the volunteer becomes the foci of the social order, which in turns corrupts the focus of the organization, and the payment system (praise, and recognition - see " Leadership isn't just about giving orders..." at http://www.auxguidanceskills.info/leadership/reward.html).
What is most disturbing about this trend is the value placed on perceived relevance of job importance. Specifically, whose job is more important to the entity, yours', mine, theirs, and ours'? But, are there really any small jobs? Or are their just small minds with myopic views trying to make mountains out of their mole hills?
What is Small?
How do we measure small?
- Is it based on a relative comparison of salaries?
If this is true, then POTUS 5 is not as important as A-Rod 6.
- Is it based on the size of the organization?
If so, then is the NYC Police Commissioner 7 more important than the Commandant of the Coast Guard 8?
- Is it the actual money earner?
If so, then in the modeling industry, the model is always more important than her manager, who assists in shaping the model's career and finding the contracts and products that indeed make the model a "star". 9
So is small the correct parameter?
Relative Importance to the Overall Mission
Another argument used for positioning of social status is the relative importance of the job which is performed by the individual or the group to which the individual belongs. This import is defined by how their job or function is more important to another's job or functionality.
As an Accountant 10 by training I have felt this bias in many of the organizations I have been associated. Comments like "the bean counters say" or "the accountants demand that we do this way" are meant to off-load blame and demean the function of the job.
Other methodologies used to segment functions that are deemed not as important compared with other jobs or functions is placement and types of work conditions. As mentioned previously, in volunteer groups, the types and participation in reward systems is often times based on job functionality.
So how does one gauge the relative importance of a job or functional area?
Gauging Relative Importance
Is there an accurate way to really gauge the relative importance of a functional area? Let's focus on the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, as an example of a multi-functional volunteer group.
This group, as far as "jobs" are concerned have three main foci: Operational - Search and Rescue (SAR); Operational - Support (Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), Marine Safety and Environmental Protection (MSEP)); Administrative - Record keeping, Public Affairs and Public Education (which can be argued to be part of Operational - Support).
The focus (internally) of the Auxiliary in recent years has been Operational, even though the Coast Guard feels that the primary focus of the Auxiliary is Recreational Boating Safety.
Given the predisposition of the Auxiliary culture, emphasis has been on becoming qualified in Operational areas, specifically SAR operational areas. Recognition of overall importance of the organization has tilted in favor of this functional area. Focus of other roles, whether in education or training, supportive roles such as record keeping and data entry have been overlooked and often times completely ignored.
But, in the overall scheme of things, how really important are these roles?
Let's examine closely the cycle of Boating Safety, which, whether recreational in nature or commercial has been the mainstay of the Coast Guard mission for nearly two hundred years 11.
Saving Life, the Life Cycle
In order to maximize assets, and focus on the many missions, the Coast Guard has instituted many different types of programs aimed at the recreational boater. Some of these programs have been aimed at the construction of vessels; others are required equipment that needs to be carried on board a vessel while underway.
Whether the program is about construction, equipment standards, or Rules of the Road, these programs, rules, laws, etc. have been focused on one area: Boating Safety. Boating Safety is focused on saving life and property at sea.
To this end, the entire collection of programs (the Auxiliary itself being one of these programs) that the Coast Guard has implemented is called Preventive SAR 12. The concept behind Preventive SAR programs is simple, minimize the risk (mitigation 13), which will in-turn reduce the chances of the SAR system from being activated by preventable issues.
The life cycle starts with Education. Education comes in many different forms, from the boat show demonstration, to articles; in-class courses to on-the-water education; public service announcements to literature displays at businesses that cater to the boating community at-large.
Each of these methodologies is designed to acquaint the boater with the basic (and hopefully advanced) concepts of navigation, rules of the road, safety at sea and overall recreational boating safety. As a popular television commercial in the New York Metropolitan area use to say "An Educated Consumer is our Best Customer 14". For the Coast Guard, an educated boater is a safer boater.
The next stage in Preventive SAR are programs designed to spot check the boater, in an un-threatening environment, to insure compliance with mandated safety equipment, and pointers to non-mandated equipment and programs. In fact, this program, called the Vessel Safety Check (VSC) program, up to a few years ago was only performed by the Auxiliary. Today, other organizations have partnered with the Auxiliary to reach more boaters.
Key to this program is one to one, face to face, examination and education of the boater about deficiencies of their vessel vis-à-vis Federal, State and Local boating laws. At the same time, the VSC Examiner extols the virtual of getting boating education or advanced education, thus again, using the slogan of "an educated boater".
At this point in our life cycle, we have utilized two groups of our membership circle, the Administrative and Operational - Support to provide education to the recreational boating marketplace. In fact, should the second phase of the life cycle work properly, either those boaters who undergo a VSC pass with flying colors and have boating education, or are turned back to the first phase, boating education. Successful circular movement between these two phases would go along way from ever having the last phase, Search and Rescue from ever actually occurring, for events that are preventable.
Our last phase is Search and Rescue, where those Operationally qualified Auxiliarists, whether on boats or in the air, provide direct support in all phases of Search and Rescue, as either an integral component in the Coast Guard's response, or as the primary provider of these services.
A successful Preventative SAR program is dedicated to reducing the number of SAR events, due to mitigation of the factors that are most prevalent in SAR cases; lack of knowledge.
- Lack of knowledge in how to avoid a situation or set of situations that would lead to the need for SAR.
- Lack of knowledge in what to do in the event of a situation where you find yourself in the need for SAR.
- Lack of knowledge in what the SAR system is, and how to activate it.
Who is more important?
So, if you were a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, which group would be more important to the overall mission, and should be given "special" status among the overall membership?
Is it the educator's or administrative support personnel?
Is it the Operational - Support members?
Or is it the Operational - SAR group?
In the micro view, each group is more important, because membership in that group denotes a commitment to the principles and mission of the group.
In the macro view however, no group is more important, for without each group making its contribution, the overall mission; "reduction of death, injury and property loss" would not be possible.
Conclusion
In any organization, creation of a social classification system must be tempered with leadership oversight so that these entities, whether formal or in-formal strive for the same purpose, that of the business strategic goal(s).
Competition between social groups can be a positive experience, both in terms of inter-personal relations and inter and intra-group productivity, however, a balance between competition, accolades and corporate culture needs to be maintained and encouraged.
"Gekko: .greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind. 15"
One might want to change this stirring rhetoric; this speech that cumulates the perspective of many in our corporate culture. Change "greed" with the word "teamwork", for only with teamwork, can an organization truly meet its short-term and long-term goals in search of its holy grail; the mission statement.
Leadership is about bringing a vision to fruition. Teamwork, lead by both this vision, its leader and management, can bring a vision to life. For on any team, no one person is more important than another and no job is less important than another.
For those that believe not in this philosophy are they themselves owners of the small minds, for they are the impediments to success that every entity, every aspect of those who lead and those who are led seek.
1 The Military has a very formal social order, predicated on Officer or Enlisted, and within each, Rank and/or Position associated with Rank, as well as longevity in a particular Rank, specifying relative position. In addition, the spouse of said Military member also obtains equal "ranking", in the spouse social circle as well as when a social occasion brings member and spouse together.
2 "Social Pecking Order in the Roman World", By Dr Valerie Hope - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/social_structure_03.shtml
3Ronna Lichtenberg is the author of the book " It' s Not Business, It' s Personal"
4 " Clues To Your Boardroom " Pecking Order" ", Inc. Magazine -http://www.inc.com/articles/2001/07/23050.html
5 POTUS - President of the United States , whose salary is $200,000 per year.
6 Alex Rodriguez, the latest acquisition by the New York Yankees for a $112 million payable by the Yankees (not including other contractual obligations still owe to him).
7 The Commissioner commands 39,110 sworn Police plus Civilian and a Police Auxiliary.
8 The USCG has approximately 45,000 Active Duty, Reserve and Civilian members, plus another 41,000 Auxiliarists - as of July 2003 http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/comrel/factfile/factcards/PersonnelStats.html
9 Models can make anywhere from under $10,000 to $10 million per year. Top tier models (typically high-fashion, females) make in excess of $1 million per year. Successful models make anywhere from $250,000 to $800,000 per year. Model managers can make anywhere from $40,000 to $400,000 per year, with more making the lower end, then the upper end.
10 Currently I am the Chief Financial Officer of the number one rated modeling agency in New York City , as well as an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at the City University of New York's Lehman College campus. These comments do not reflect current working conditions, where both the Team approach and the overall responsibilities of model management demands equal participation of the administrative staff with the model management staff.
11 "The United States Coast Guard, one of the country's five armed services, is also one of the most unique agencies of the federal government. We trace our history back to 4 August 1790 , when the first Congress authorized the construction of ten vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect the collection of the federal revenue. Known variously as the Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, we expanded in size and responsibilities as the nation grew." - http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/collect.html
12 Only a sub-set of the programs, missions and duties will be examined.
13 "As the costs of disasters continue to rise, it becomes more and more evident that pre-disaster steps must be taken to reduce the damage and destruction. This strategy is commonly known as mitigation. Mitigation is defined as sustained actions taken to reduce or eliminate longterm risk to people and property from hazards and their effects. The purpose of mitigation is twofold: To protect people and structures; and To minimize the costs of disaster response and recovery." "IS-393 - Introduction to Mitigation", Chapter 1; Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Institute On-line Course http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is393lst.asp
14 Slogan used by the Syms (the discount men's clothing retailer)
15 From the movie "Wall Street" (1987), delivered by the character Gordon Gekko, portrayed by actor Michael Douglass.
AuxGuidanceSkills.Info is geared to providing "Public Service Articles in the pursuit of Recreational Boating Safety" to that end, we will continue to add to our series on Help Wanted, Homeland Security, Public Education, Public Service, Vessel Safety and Environmental Issues, though the use of 'case studies', as our teaching tool of choice. In addition, our Leadership series offers those within the Coast Guard family, as well as outside, an insight into values that will improve their leadership skills.