Notes from Work: Ladder Kickers
I have observed individuals walk out on their commitments and let me down, but I have never come across someone who intentionally sabotages others’ success until now. I am not even sure if the term ‘ladder kicker’ exists, but it perfectly describes this person.
It bothers me not because I am insecure, but because it is unjust to hinder someone’s progress. The lack of humility and gratitude in our society is distressing, and that is why I am writing this article.
“No matter how great you ‘think’ you are or how successful you’ve become. Never forget those who have lifted you. Never forget life’s experiences, both good and bad which have shaped you as a person. You’ve had help climbing the rungs of life’s ladder. And, those rungs can break at any time, sending you back down to a place of humility, to remind you of where you came from and how you rose to the top….”
― James A. Murphy, The Waves of Life Quotes and Daily Meditations
It takes a seriously bent mind to push the ladder down after climbing on it. Kicking the ladder away brings three major attributes.
a) Lack of Gratitude:
Kicking the ladder means that you turn around and abuse or denigrate the person who gave you the opportunity over other choices that they had, and the fact that they believed that you could do the job well. The amount of trust that was placed on your shoulders disappears when you climb the ladder. You may have lifted a few along the way, but when you kick the person who was your ladder, it shows immense temerity and ingratitude.
I was shocked by the brazen callousness of the person who kicked me. Her resignation came out of the blue, and she had the gall to not even talk to me once, instead talked to my other partners. Given the era of workplace sensitivity, I kept my counsel and let the other partners deal with her exit. Her last message to me was a bland and insipid response to a structured weekly work plan and review. In a sense, because I was the last one to give up on her, not because of her lack of work ethic, but her lack of gratitude. This was the person who I picked to lead the organization, and I got myself into a hole, backing her up when my partners cautioned me to let her go. When she finally left and I kept my silence, there was a sense of relief. I still have the scars, but I have learned to move on. Of course, this is my side of the story.
b)Lack of Humility:
When somebody kicks the ladder, it also reveals their lack of humility. Look at it this way — the person complains about everything, yet the ladder stays where it is, and the person climbs one step. Then another. Such a person can never work with humility or listen with an open mind. They don’t believe in your wisdom or vision but act as an eternal skeptic. If that person is the bridge between the employees in the bullpen and the management, such an active cynicism poisons the well. The ladder is an opportunity to engage, learn, and grow — the challenges that come are the opportunities in disguise.
This role was supposed to translate the strategic inputs into operational elements. Initially, we involved this person as a ‘partner’ giving her full access to partners. The open-door policy backfired, with the person making snarky comments and cynical remarks about how the management worked. We learned the hard way there are lines to be drawn and transparency comes with its price. Her understanding of being a partner was about passing remarks and trying to fly along the flock. Her inability to work as a peer among partners finally showed, and she blamed it on the ‘multiple communications’ that partners had. But that is how peers work, right? In October, when my partners pointed out her lack of humility, I defended her as I looked at her good side blindly, and ended up defending my turf.
There was a time when I walked into her cabin and asked ‘how she was’ and I got a snarky look down. I have never been more humiliated in my life.
c) Breach of Trust:
Trust, my friend, begets trust. Or so, I thought. If one has to know if a person is trustworthy or not, the person has to be trusted at first. It is up to the trustee to prove that he or she is trustworthy or otherwise. In the formative stages of an organization, the amount of trust a founder places on his or her first employee is almost blind. It might be naive to expect the same in return because after all, they are employees. They are not bound by the umbilical cord to the startup as the founder. The founder goes to do things assuming these first employees will hold the fort and build things, while when he returns he sees that it is all graffiti and debris lying around. The trust is also about comprise and faith in the future, but to be offered a shorter path and visibility to the top of the pile and then stomping all over it as if the offer was dirt at the most crucial time when the spurt of growth is visible, is a travesty of immense proportions.
I could not believe the trail of destruction that a person could leave behind. It made me question my faith in people. I am in the one in the middle, and others support or critique. I am fine with all that, but it is so hard to find out who could let you down in the most crucial moment. It is easy to conclude that an employee is after all an employee, so no plan can be built based on them. But that is exactly the opposite of common sense and humanity. I stood there, almost alone, because my partners had warned me about her. It was me who had to pick up the pieces of destruction she had left and build it back, all with a smile. And that, I did. But the scars of travesty still itch inside me. I will get over it with time, but the learnings will stay with me forever.
The Aftermath:
I still smile when I go to work. We have not filled that crucial position. Instead, we have divided the work at the founder level, because this responsibility is that crucial. We will build back and remove the breaches in the wall and barricades put between the employees and the management.
“Leaders get to tall heights by taking short steps. Being faithful, diligent and consistent with little steps is the secret to mounting greater heights.”
― Israelmore Ayivor, Leaders’ Ladder
The truth is that I feel better. I have been taught a few lessons in this episode about humility, gratitude, and trust. I shall be humble and grateful to my teams, and I will still place immense faith in them. I don’t know any other way to build an organization.
~Ashok Subramanian © 2024
