Beyond the Peter Principle

In their 1969 book, The Peter Principle, Laurence Peter and Raymond Hull described how people working in organizations tend to rise to a level of incompetence.

A guy who is very good at his job gets promoted. The new job may require some skills that weren't part of his previous job. He may or may not have those skills, but if he is able to master the new position and make a good impression, he is likely to get promoted again. Again, the skills needed for the new position are likely somewhat different. If he is good at that job, he'll get promoted again, If this continues, the guy will be finally promoted into a job that is completely beyond his ability. His incompetence means that he won't be promoted again, so he stays in that position, performing poorly.

According to this theory, hierarchical organizations eventually become filled with, and run by, people who just aren't very good at what they do. The Peter Principle is expressed as: "In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." Its corollary is: "In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties."

These principles are on very public display in our government's current administration, which has carried them to an extreme level in which incompetence does not prevent people from being further promoted, and may even be the reason some people of low ability are placed in positions requiring knowledge, skills, and experience that they lack.

Incompetent people in positions of authority feel threatened by those whose competencies are significantly greater than their own, and will, whenever possible, expell them and replace them with incompetents with whom they feel comfortable

 

Wounded

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

This is a summary of my research into "U.S. presidents' injuries and wounds." This includes adulthood injuries before, during, and after the time in office.

• Thomas Jefferson – Dislocated his wrist when he jumped over a fence; it wasn’t set correctly and caused pain the rest of his life.
• James Monroe – Suffered a life-threatening wound in battle during the Revolution; the bullet was never removed. In later life, he injured his wrist falling from a horse.
• Andrew Jackson – Before becoming president, survived bullet wounds when dueling or brawling, experienced lifelong pain.
• Franklin Pierce – During his military service, was injured in battle when his horse tripped and fell on him.
• Abraham Lincoln – Assassinated, shot in the head.
• Rutherford B. Hayes – Shot in the arm during a Civil War battle. Later injured when thrown from a horse.
• James Garfield – Assassinated, shot in the arm and side.
• Grover Cleveland – After a secret operation to remove an oral tumor, he suffered depression and apparent poor health the rest of his life.
• William McKinley - Assassinated, shot in the chest and stomach.
• William Howard Taft – Experienced relatively minor injuries due to several random accidents.
• Theodore Roosevelt – Survived assassination attempt, shot in chest. Seriously injured in a traffic accident that killed his bodyguard.
• Herbert Hoover – Suffer fractured vertebrae in a bathtub accident
• Franklin Roosevelt - was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down after diagnosis of polio.
• Dwight Eisenhower – Suffered a serious knee injury and infection while playing football. Re-injured the knee several times playing various sports.
• John F. Kennedy – Assassinated, shot in the head and neck. Also: Had been wounded while serving in WWII, received Purple Heart.
• Richard Nixon – While campaigning (1960), his knee was slammed by a car door, causing serious injury and infection, leading to chronic deep vein thromboses.
• Gerald Ford – Injured when an elevator door malfunctioned. Tripped and fell several times, extent of injuries (possible bruises or scrapes) unknown.
• Jimmy Carter – In his 90s, needed a hip replacement after a fall, then suffered a cut and black eye from a second fall, and a pelvic fracture from a third fall.
• Ronald Reagan – Survived assassination attempt, shot in the chest.
• George H.W. Bush – Prior to becoming president, was injured in WWII when he had to parachute out of his airplane.
• Bill Clinton – Serious knee injury from a fall.
• George W. Bush – After leaving office, suffered a facial cut and bruise when he fell after choking on food.
• Joe Biden – Had a sprained ankle and later a foot fracture, both incurred while playing with his dog. Experienced a couple of minor falls that did not cause injuries.
• donald trump – while campaigning, survived an apparent assassination attempt, claimed to have an injured ear.

 

Sic Semper Tyrannis - Maybe

Photo by Ian Noble on Unsplash

This is a summary of my research into "What finally happened to some of history's dictators and tyrants?"

Pol Pot (Cambodia). Sentenced to life in prison. Died of heart failure, age 73. His widow remarried.

Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union). Remained in power, experienced years of poor health, died of cerebral hemorrhage, age 74.

Benito Mussolini (Italy). Trying to sneak out of the country, he was recognized and shot to death, age 62, along with his mistress, age 33. The crowd displayed their bodies, suspended upside-down.

Adolf Hitler (Germany). Defeated in war, he and his wife committed suicide, ages 56 and 33. Their bodies were burned.

Francisco Franco (Spain). Remained in power. After a period of ill health, died of natural causes, age 83.

Idi Amin (Uganda). After several coup attempts and violent conflicts, he fled the country and settled in Saudi Arabia, where the royal family supported him. He died of kidney failure, age 77.

Fidel Castro (Cuba). Facing health problems, he retired. After a period of declining health he died, age 90.

Juan Perón (Argentina). After a violent coup, he spent 18 years in exile, then returned for a 3rd term. Facing much opposition and in failing health, he had a series of heart attacks and finally died, age 78.

Gaius Caesar “Caligula” (Roman Empire). Assassinated in a plot involving the army and the senate, age 28.

Mau Tse Tung (or Mao Zedong) (China). Remained in power, although in poor health. Died after major heart attacks, age 82.

Nicolae Ceausescu (Romania) He and his wife were tried for genocide, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad, aged 71 and 42. The execution was videotaped and televised.

Queen Mary “Bloody Mary” (England). Remained in power. Died of natural causes, age 42.

Maximilien Robespierre (France). The members of the National Convention turned against him and ordered his arrest. He attempted suicide, seriously injuring his jaw with a pistol shot. He was executed by guillotine to the cheers of the crowd, age 36.

Muammar Gaddafi (Libya). After the fall of his government, he was on the run with a small group of loyalists. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for crimes against humanity. After a NATO bombing attack on his convoy, he was captured by a militia and died violently, age 68.

Saddam Hussein (Iraq). His government fell after a U.S. military invasion. After hiding for several months, he was captured, tried for crimes against humanity, and found guilty. He was executed by hanging, age 69.

Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines). Ousted by a revolution or coup, he fled to Hawaii with millions in cash and jewelry. He died of natural causes, age 72. His widow returned to the Philippines and remained influential in politics.

Augusto Pinochet (Chile). Voted out, he moved to the U.K. He was arrested on charges that included genocide and terrorism, but was released on medical grounds. He returned to Chile and was granted immunity from prosecution, plus financial support. He lost his immunity and was indicted for many crimes and placed under house arrest, but was never tried. He died of natural causes, age 91

Kim Jong Il (North Korea). Remained in power. Died (probably natural causes) age 71.

 

Nitpickers

Thanks for thinking of me, but I'm really not here for literary criticism.