Dumb Bureaucrats, Insufferable Bosses and … Courage?

CONSIDER

The observable universe is about 14 billion light years away. A light year is approximately 5,878,625,373,183.61 miles (you could round up to 6 trillion miles). But how far we can see and understand is not limited by space, but time. Beyond 14 billion light years light hasn’t had time to reach us yet (traveling at 186,000 miles per second).

So what’s that have to do with dumb bureaucrats, insufferable bosses and courage?

Time.

Time to look back through time.

Time to see that many things change.

Time to learn from the things that change.

And deal with those things that never change …

BUREAUCRATS DO THE DUMBEST THINGS

The man we know as Ulysses S. Grant was actually named Hiram Ulysses Grant.

As a boy he was known as Lyss. Thomas Hamer, the Congressman who appointed Grant to West Point, forgot all about the Hiram. Remembering that Grant’s mother’s maiden name was Simpson and thinking that was Lyss Grant’s middle name, he filled out the application in the name of “Ulysses S. Grant.”

When Grant arrived at West Point and discovered that the Academy had him registered under the wrong name, he tried to get the error corrected. He was told that it didn’t matter what he or his parents thought his name was, the official government application said his name was “Ulysses S.” and that application could not be changed. If Hiram U. Grant wanted to attend West Point, he would have to change his name.

LESSON 1:

Bureaucrats will blindly obey whatever set of rules they are instructed to follow even if this leads them to take completely illogical or patently nonsensical actions. Try to keep them out of your organization. Also, help prevent your people from turning into bureaucrats by regularly reminding them that your organization’s rules and regulations are designed to provide guidance to intelligent human beings who use their heads, and are not intended for slavish obedience by automatons.

INSUFFERABLE BOSSES

After the Confederates evacuated Corinth, Miss., and the Union forces occupied the town (May 30, 1862), General Halleck continued to give orders directly to Grant’s subordinates. He so totally ignored Grant that Grant found himself in the embarrassing and, to him, unendurable position of being a commander “with a nominal command and yet no command.”

“I had repeatedly asked to be relieved from duty under Halleck; but all my applications were refused until the occupation of the town. I then obtained permission to leave the department, but General Sherman happened to call on me as I was about starting and urged me so strongly not to think of going, that I concluded to remain.” – Ulysses S. Grant

Halleck was appointed to command of all the Union armies with headquarters in Washington on July 11th.

“When General Halleck left to assume the duties of general-in-chief, I remained in command of the district of West Tennessee. Practically I became a department commander.”

So only a month after Sherman had talked him out of leaving the department, Grant had become its commander.

LESSON 2:

The saying, “in time, this too shall pass,” holds true even for insufferable bosses. Hang in there. Jumping ship too quickly could cause you to miss a golden opportunity.

THE COURAGE TO TELL IT LIKE IT IS

One of Grant’s first acts upon being promoted to brigadier general was to name John Rawlins as his adjutant.

When rumors about Grant’s drinking started circulating, Rawlins wrote to one of Grant’s supporters, Congressman Washburne:

“I would say unequivocally and emphatically that the statement that General Grant is drinking very hard is utterly untrue and could have originated only in malice.”

Rawlins would rush to Grant’s defense if he had been falsely accused, but when in June 1863, during a lull in the Vicksburg campaign, Rawlins became concerned that Grant may have started drinking again, he lost no time taking Grant to task in a sharply worded letter.

“The great solicitude I feel for the safety of this army leads me to mention what I had hoped never again to do — the subject of your drinking. This may surprise you, for I may be (and trust I am) doing you an injustice by unfounded suspicions, but if an error, it better be on the side of this country’s safety than in fear of offending a friend. I have heard that Dr. McMillan, at General Sherman’s a few days ago, induced you, notwithstanding your pledge to me, to take a glass of wine. … If my suspicions are unfounded, let my friendship for you and my zeal for my country be my excuse for this letter; and if they are correctly founded, and you determine not to heed the admonitions and the prayers of this hasty note by immediately ceasing to touch a single drop of any kind of liquor, no matter by whom asked or under what circumstances, let my immediate relief from duty in this department be the result.”

LESSON 3:

Surround yourself with men and women of unquestioned integrity, who have the courage to tell you when they think what you’re doing is wrong.

Don’t be one of those managers who cut off criticism by saying that they don’t like what they’re hearing. You may not like it, and you may not agree with it, but you will be better off for having heard it.

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