If you visited a number of businesses around the world and asked who is the biggest jerk in the company? Most will point to a manager, minister, supervisor or head chef.

Why do nasty narcissist people get to keep their job let alone be the ones getting the promotions, over hardworking, loyal and diligent employees?

Productivity will always win over likability in a business owners made for profit mind. Nice guys do lots of work, but the jerk will make it their mission to be seen as working more. Jerks always put the company and themselves first, whereas nice managers will consider the company and the lives of the staff within.  

A jerk fails to appreciate the perspectives of others around her, treating them as tools to be manipulated or fools to be dealt with rather than as moral and intellectual peers.

Like peacocks, they strut around being obnoxious, exuding power and their aggression to others is seen by the owners as a sergeant major keeping staff in line and focused on the job to make profits at all cost.

There is a rule for management that says be friendly but not familiar – all for good reason. However, finding friendly managers is becoming non-existent while bullying is getting more familiar. Also, some bullies abuse and use their power to be too friendly and familiar with staff, they can risk law suits. Sadly, the abused remain silent or leave quietly rather than face the tyrant in court. Thus, the cycle continues.

These people are big brown nosers, who suck up to the owners. Like obedient lap dogs but two-faced with the staff. They get promoted because they can manipulate and lie in a convincing and charming way. They know the letter of the law and will apply it to the finest detail when it benefits them, and break it when no one is watching.

We have several of these holding political office at the moment. They are charm-eleons. They have the charming public face they present for the voters and then an entitled nasty face which they use while managing their overseas travel.

The difference here is we the voters are the boss. It is us they are supposed to work for and have our needs foremost in their minds. They have access to all our tax money and they know the important areas we have asked them to fix and improve. They promised to do such when they wanted our votes. But now they are sitting on their pile of gold salary, perks and air points earning more than most of us and somehow these areas are not given importance or priority. 

The productivity of these political lizards is low because they don’t actually go to work most of the year. We know outside of the Parliament debating chambers the laws, acts and policies need to be read and understood. Parliament sitting is the end result of this work where the final decisions are made to move forward.

However, they argue there are people to see, hands to shake, away from the public eye overseas, and the profit of our country declines.

Teachers are on holiday. They only get paid for the hours in the classroom. But many will be spending most of their break marking exams and planning next term to assist our tamariki across the intellectual line. These are hours not seen, not recognised, not valued.

While they are hands-on doing the work, guess who was promoted, then in Paris and Palau representing sport not education?

There is a major sporting event being held over the school holidays, where people are having to juggle work and child care, they have been preoccupied preparing and training for this for quite some time.

There is a saying ‘Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt’. While the tax paying people are focused on island sporting pride, the politicians are sneaking through important matters that benefit them more than us. Passing next year’s budget for ministries who have not disclosed what they do with the money allocated since 2019 means corruption goes by unchecked. They support charging voters for water but don’t ask why six executive staff are paid $100,000 each. They continue to ignore their incompetence of governance that has put at risk 3000 companies potentially unable to re-register under the 2017 companies act that can affect many jobs and our economic growth. They encourage people to protest giving them hope their voices matter in our democracy. Meanwhile, they have no intention of listening and the Crown will always win what they want.

We are the bosses that allow these roosters to rule when we ignore their corruption of money and minds. We can stop the rot by not voting for liars and cheaters but then who are we left with?