I had finished most of what I intended to write here and haven’t been back in a while. I was down to the little qualities around the edges, and had other life going on. This was a passion project for me, to share my observations on what forms Competence, and maybe a few posts on how to build it in yourself. Just a way to make more value from the time I’ve spent watching and learning about this confluence of skils over decades.
But now we’re here, in a different sort of world. One in which competence and Competence, along with expertise, ethics, and integrity, rather than being ignored and overlooked, are now being at best devalued and exploited, at worst, demonized. Competent people form frameworks and structures that are good for everyone. When the opposite forces are at bat, they come for those structures and tear apart the work. Competent people by their nature strive for reliability, structure, effectiveness. Without those people quietly doing that work, the result is chaos, disparity, and misery.
It’s very easy to destroy things, it doesn’t require Competence or even competence (it requires some opposite skills actually). And while destroyers might be not-smart or they might be very smart, they might be effective at destroying or be easily thwarted, one thing they aren’t is Competent.
So here I am again. Because these Competence skills and attributes are core requirements to counter authoritarianism, or bad authority of any kind. Of course no one Competent wants an authoritarian society. The fraud and inconsistency, inefficiency, graft, and kakistocracy are antithesis to people who thrive on efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness.
So let’s start with a baseline. When governments are corrupt and abusive, and employers are unfettered and abusive, and law enforcement is emboldened and abusive, you will see (probably already are seeing) situations where people are forced into decisions to either comply or not comply, accede to wrong things or not accede. These situations come in all sorts of forms. Ratting people out (undocumented people, trans people, people deemed “disloyal,” etc.) Having to express wrong things, wear or not wear certain things, leave organizations, associate or not associate with certain people, or just stand aside while unjust things are done to others. Or feeling powerless while unjust things are done to you.
So I’ll be writing for a bit about how to apply the skills and attributes of Competence to counter wrongful authority. Whether it’s an incompetent or bigoted boss, a tainted workplace, or a more general societal need.
Please go back to read the series, there’s hardly a skill described that doesn’t apply. But the first one I’ll reference is Gumption. Jumping in (or out), deciding, and acting. Choosing to do right and not to do wrong in situations where massive pressure and leverage are applied to push for wrong.
But Gumption doesn’t just arise. Some skills and preparation make it harder or easier to pull it out and use it. Being surprised by decisions makes it profoundly hard to use Gumption. If you don’t see things coming, at work managing a project, at home tending to too many things, or in society resisting authority, you will be surprised and not resilient. That tactic of wrongful authority, to overwhelm with “unthinkable” evil, to surprise people and force choices, is predictable. Not “unthinkable” at all. Only not previously considered.
Actions are predictable. Primarily your own. But also others’.
To have Gumption, you need to either be resilient enough to respond to surprise, or see it coming. Pick one to work on. I find it easier to anticipate what might come (or rather, prepare for a range of possibilities).
Follow a process to get to predictions and preparation:
LEVERAGE What matters to me that would give a boss, police, a church leader, local authorities, or others leverage to press my behavior to their will instead of my own? Losing prestige, reputation, a job, home, money, possessions, or (in the truly heinous cases) safety of friends or family or self.
RISK What might someone want of me? To fire a person for their race or gender? To represent a position of the authority that is opposed to what is truthful or right? To give information that is confidential or that would make another person unsafe? To buy or vote in a particular way? To drop association with groups or people? Think about small things and big things. Direct demands to accede and general pressure to accede (like pressure to repress knowledge or expertise because it counters prevailing authority).
LINE When you know those things, consider “my line in the sand beyond which I will not go.” I will not fire a good employee to make way for a crony, or because of their gender, though that might result in losing my job. I will not give information that could help authorities find a trans or undocumented friend though that might result in unjust prosecution. I will not take down my Black Lives Matter sign though that might result in vandalism or worse.
CONSEQUENCE Then consider vividly what those consequences look like, and what you will do. Picture how you will express your gumption. Overtly or quietly. Outright refusal to the face of authority, or quiet noncompliance. Quitting or being fired. And work through your plan to mitigate the consequences. The fear that holds back action is usually the fear of the unknown. Even if consequences are quite bad, choosing them with eyes open is a courageous act, not the act of a victim.
In a work context the risk is easy, it’s the job or role or pay. Which may be hard to replace. It may be unthinkable how to survive if it’s lost. So your planning needs to take that into account. It’s perfectly thinkable, it’s just hard. And somewhere is your line. You wouldn’t do ANYTHING for your job, but you don’t want to find yourself shoved to a line you can’t help but refuse, you want to choose your line. So what is it? Is it firing someone for being black/trans/whatever? Is it being forced to espouse wrong things? To work on a project that will harm people? Or do you not want a single toe down a slippery slope by being complicit in smaller ways?
Slippery slopes happen when people are not prepared. Acceding to small things leads to acceding to big things, leads to entire compromise of values. But to a prepared person with gumption, the small things are predictable and need not be a slippery slope. Very few choices are binary. Authority will present them as binary, but that’s nonsense. “You’re either with us or against us.” Or that acceding to small things means losing yourself or your values, feeling failure or loss. Choosing to accede in small things in order to preserve options is not failure.
I might make a choice to accede, or appear to accede in small ways to preserve a job I need, but then up resistance in other ways like being in a position to keep a more vulnerable person protected or employed. Or by being a mole. I might find ways to make the small concessions moot, to counter them. I might find ways to maliciously comply (to go farther than asked in the same direction, showing the failure of the wrong requirement. Like using proper nouns every time if not permitted to use correct pronouns.) I might comply and undermine the authority.
When taking action with gumption, planned choices to give ground in one place in order to take it in another, you are not on a slippery slope. You are on a battleground. Keeping in mind always the tendency to use justification to preserve comfort or avoid ethical choices. “I’ll go along at work, but donate extra to this good cause” sounds like justification.
But eventually people are pushed to their line in the sand. Unprepared people will fall to logical fallacies “if I don’t do it, they’ll just fire me and the next person will do it, so I might as well do it.” We rationalize so hard against doing uncomfortable, or outright dangerous things. But if you’ve chosen your line in the sand ahead of time, and conditions look like what you predicted, you have a bulwark to stand fast at that line.
The prepared person will have considered those possibilities and made at least a sketch of a plan to implement for when a line is reached and sacrifice is required to avoid crossing it. “If asked to fire a junior person of color to make room for a crony, I will not. I will then be fired, and I will call the press contacts on my list as well as sharing a story on social media. I will apply for unemployment and pare down my spending and send out the resume I updated when I made this plan. I will support former colleagues in holding their own lines against illegitimate authority.” Competent people are watched by others, and can lead a revolt. Competent people are a big loss for incompetent leaders. And, of course, Competent people can find ways to manage bad things that others cannot. Better that the bad things happen to those who can absorb the consequences than to those who cannot.
It is incumbent upon Competent people to manage risk by considering their boundaries, identifying ways to make apparently-binary choices into losses for illegitimate or just incompetent authority, and it is incumbent upon Competent people to lead when there is a vacuum or an environment of fear that causes others to hide or retreat. Its time for us all to put on our Gumption boots.