Does anybody else not really understand their own job?

[Imowningup]

I’ve been in a particular sector for 14 years. I know I’m good at delivering outcomes at operational level.

2 years ago I was promoted to strategic level and now I spend a lot of time talking in corporate jargon. It’s made me realise that I’ve just learnt what to say- I don’t really have in depth knowledge of it in the way I had real in depth knowledge when I was delivering at operational level.

I feel a bit of a fraud but I honestly think a lot of jargon is meaningless and will only be around until another buzz word replaces it. I feel like now I work less, get paid more and just parrot out jargon because it’s expected.

I should say that my line managers/anybody I’ve worked with at this level are all very happy and complimentary of my work- I just feel a bit of an imposter.

Does anybody else feel
like this or has experienced it?

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18gnncYGQ8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I was once shortlisted from hundreds of people to attend an all day interview (with a group panel, activities, aptitude test etc). I was there 8 hours. To this day, I have no idea what the job was that I applied for and what anyone was talking about the whole day.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't get the job.

That’s what she’s saying - she’s moved out of the operational role where she knew what she was doing to a strategic role above all that where it’s often a lot of postering and fluff in meetings.

Here's a video on 'kate waterfall hill year end speech'
https://share.google/gbMuRQaJvtJtLtgDK

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdGcmVuN/

Sorry those 2, Kate's year end speech, and Joe's mission statements are 2 of my favourites! 🤣

Yes. You have reached bullshit level. I have recently taken a role where everyone just talks and not much gets translated to action. It’s mind numbing.

The emails are ridiculous. Getting cc’d into everything all the time.

Not that different to the kind of 'nonsense MAT role' I was thinking of then 😊. Don't you feel a bit guilty knowing they could be paying people to teach with the money they pay you to not even understand what you're doing?

When I worked ( happily retired now) I worked a lot in operational roles, rather than strategic ones.

I found I didn't have to buy in to the language of the moment. It was really quite simple. At a strategic level, it could be articulated as what the outcome should b e. At an operational level, I would have to figure out how to achieve that strategic aim at an operational level.

The idea (strategic) cannot be realised without answering the question, so how can we accomplish it? (Operational).

Yeah, me OP. I’m sort of junior bullshit level now. The senior bullshitters are fully adept at endless meetings about “aligning strategic deliverables” “evaluation methodology” and “psychological safety”.
I do or produce very little that makes any difference to anything at all. No one seems to notice. It’s utterly miserable but I have a mortgage to pay. If I could I’d quit and do something actually real.
I have a feeling the whole country is actually run by these people, hence why we are in such dire trouble.

I stepped up temporarily into a strategic role, and I was shocked at how little the others on the same level knew about the services they were talking about. It was scary. I was glad when it came to an end. At least now I’m back in my own little world and have more control, work more hours for less money.

Strategic Planning and Development

This chapter delves into the concept of strategy formulation, exploring its
definition, characteristics, and the different levels at which it operates within an
organization. It also examines various approaches to strategic planning,
including the rational model, emergent approach, logical incrementalism, and
freewheeling opportunism, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages.

Additionally, the chapter discusses the role and responsibilities of directors, the
impact of corporate governance on organizational strategy, and the evolving
field of strategic management accounting.

Key Concepts Covered:

1. Definition and characteristics of strategy
2. Levels of strategy
3. Strategic planning process
4. Approaches to strategic planning
5. Role and responsibility of directors
6. Corporate governance
7. Strategic management accounting
8. Definition and Characteristics of Strategy

Definition:
A strategy is a course of action, including the specification of resources
required, undertaken to achieve a specific objective.

Characteristics:
It involves a comprehensive understanding of resources (assets,
employees, cash, etc.), the environment (political, economic, customers,
competitors), and stakeholders (anyone who has an interest in the
organization).
Chapter 1 1Strategic decisions are affected by the scope of an organization's activities,
the match between the organization and its environment, the alignment of
activities with resource capabilities, and the availability of resources.

I know the operations inside out.

You've summed it up perfectly.

I get what you are saying. There are so many people spouting shit and not delivering anything it can be easy to end up confused yourself as to what actually SHOULD be happening. I take comfort in the fact that they eventually get found out...

Nope. If it wasn’t me it would be somebody else. Out of the team I’m in I have the longest service in the classroom and have very good chance of making significant difference. Also,
who wouldn’t take significantly more money for significantly less stress?!

😂😂😂

I think a lot of corporate jobs are made up and just good to have as taxable expenses for the company

Do you work for Cafcass?

It’s not just corporate jobs. I’m public sector and I’m so demoralised by the amount of time spent on nonsense by senior leadership. We have a head of strategy. I swear, if his job didn’t exist nothing would be any different.

This is exactly the type of bullshit required.

I could absolutely see why you feel that way if you are in teaching or health. I think a lot of that at the operational level is complete bull-pucky. With education in particular I sometimes think they don't even really know what they are trying to achieve or what education is.

I work in libraries, at the operational level, and I think we do really good work. At the managerial level is is much more variable. A few are really good, but a lot are not, they are often so distanced from what we do that they couldn't plan an effective strategy if they fell face first into it. I would say fully half are ineffective; of those, half are lazy and do little, the other half are running around like headless chickens while being completely ineffective.

The main use of the group as a whole seems to be grant writing.

I run a creative agency and we are 100% dealing with marketing directors who haven’t got a Scooby what they are talking about 😂😂 different industry but I do sometime laugh at the level of utter waffle in this world. Take the money and keep waffling!

@declutteringmymind

I don't think that is bullshit.
The dictionary definition of strategy is a plan to meet long term objectives.

How on earth is that 'bullshit'.

it's the dictionary definition!

The bullshit only comes into it when twatty companies, should you be stupid enough ti make your own choice to actually work for them, try and bamboozle you with corporate jargon bullshit.

@Imowningupthat Armstrong & miller is exactly what we are talking about! 🤣

The dictionary definition of strategy is a plan to meet long term objectives
Ok, but in my organisation the programme director and project manager do that. So, the strategic objectives may be decided at the top, but after that it’s the programme team that plan and monitor that plsn. So beyond the initial decision on what he strategic objectives are, Strategy really don’t DO anything.