Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for August 30, 2010

Funny how logic works, Roz. When you get a promotion, it’s due to your superior skills. When someone else gets a promotion, it’s due to dumb luck. I don’t know about the luck part, but I think that the dumb part certainly applies to you.

There’s always ten percent. Always…

MAN that is way to familiar…Got back in January from a year of doing that with Chinooks.

And we smoked the Marines on every metric you can name. LOL

Orion

While Roz is complaining Mel is working as she always has. Pulling rank? No, a reasonable request. Roz will get used to it, or drive her self crazy. Hope this dosen’t ruin thier freindship.

\\//_

Mel - no fair lying there on your back while the rest of the team is working… :)

“Just fix the d!&^ thing and leave my private life out of it, OK, pal?”

@zev.farkas:

Why not just head over to the Oyster Bar? ;-)

@Wildcard24365 -

it took me a while to get your obscure reference to my obscure reference… cool!

I thought Mel was going to do desk time? And I think GBT got the op wrong. Shouldn’t grease monkey’s be wearing overalls?

Sheik: in the real world, promotion is based on both competence and luck. For every promotion opportunity, there are many competent candidates, so factors other than skill and knowledge play a major role in determining which candidate is actually promoted. To someone who hears (and foolishly believes) the official story that promotion is based solely on “merit,” this looks like luck… or something worse.

So, let’s see. Mel re-enlists even though she’s still all kinds of shocky from MST. Roz points the Chaplain at her and everyone goes “Yay, Roz!” Oh yeah, and that lasted a long time, didn’t it?

When it comes to sexist environments, promotion and reward is given for reasons as trivial as your looks, or whether you can do an about-face in high heels. It’s not always a meritocracy. It may not apply in this particular scenario, but that’s the cold hard truth in real life.

Sheik,,,,,,,,, What world are you living in? Too many times I have seen promotions for all the wrong reasons, to get rid of someone, because they cater to the boss, for sexual favors, etc, etc. I had an instructor in advanced training who told me, “If you want to get ahead in this army, (mess up) it makes them notice you.” I came back to the states with this man who was a PFC rather than the Staff Sgt. he had been.

@Zev Farkas. Okay I give up. Where’s that quote from? Sounds familiar but-

From the “Hell-hole” in Hueys, aft transmission filter on hooks, tracking blades, don’t miss it, even after 40 years. Now, thinking the most deserving always get the promotions in any large organization? Wipe that brown off your nose.

Is it just me, or is the one that’s complaining the most working the least? Nothing like a promotion to ruin a friendship.

i don’t see anything in the strip that could not be light hearted banter among friends. maybe not, but i don’t think there is yet enough to assume otherwise.

@ Frankr -

“Wet Dream” by Kip Adotta

Look over there – two cubicles over – to your left – Roz in Corporate gear.

Roz gets acquainted with the “Beast of Kandahar”.

Roz is very bright.

We had to know this had to happen.

That’s why it’s best to move someone when you promote them to a supervisory rank…if you can. Going from buddy to boss isn’t easy for anyone.

In my time, merit was important but time in grade/time in service plus getting your ticket punched at all the right jobs and schools (getting those did take a bit of brown nosing and friends in the right places) was the only sure thing.

Mel violates a cardinal rule of leadership when she says, “I need….” What SHE needs or wants is irrelevant–it’s what the unit and mission need. That imperious attitude may be one of the things that bothers Roz, I expect. A better approach is, “We need…” or “The chopper needs its blades balanced.” A “superior” certainly MAY “order” people around, but doing so will result in less output and more complaints and resistance. At least, that’s what I learned from a 22-year career in the US military. (Retired as a lieutenant colonel.)

@Chrisnp -

I would venture that time in grade/service and doing the right schools and jobs are part of “merit”. You are definitely right, though, that needing a bit of pull to get into those schools and jobs is unfair.

@gslusher -

I agree with you that Mel might do better by carefully choosing her words, but she hasn’t yet had the benefit of 22 years in service. Does the army provide leadership training to NCO’s when they get bumped up to positions that need it? Does it include the subtleties we’re discussing? If not, maybe it should consider it. I doubt that Mel is trying to antagonize Roz - she probably just needs a little help in smoothing out the rough edges.

It’s probably not too easy to remember your manners, or to be aware of how your words will be taken, when you’re flat on your back trying to fix a helicopter in the desert heat, with the thought of snipers always in the back of your mind…