Performance Enhancement Nation
By Tim Holland
The sport of baseball has been much in the news of late as
the poster child for the athlete who makes use of substances that will give him
an edge over other players. The question
that is posed for me is: is baseball unique, are athletes unique, or has the
desire to get an “edge” over ones competitors become completely ingrained in
I think that if you look carefully at the culture that has
developed in the
It is not just the world of sports where we have lost our way but in business and the way we work and more importantly the way we live.
All of our problems really started in the business world where the idea of “pay for performance” first began. Once upon a time, the way one determined the compensation of an individual was based upon what the managers of the company determined what they believed the actual “value” of the job was that the employee performed. It was not the employee that was the determining factor but the function itself. A particular job was assigned a compensation range, say $60,000 to $75,000. A person new in a position was given the low end of the range and as they matured and gained experience they would gradually make their way to the top, where they would either remain or be moved to a new more valuable position at the low end of its range.
That has now changed. Somewhere along the way it was suggested, probably by those evil, nameless, consultants that are now being blamed for everything, that greater efficiencies (read income and profit) could be obtained by underpaying the value of the job and overpaying for individual achievement. All things being equal, as the economists love to say, the concept looks like the proverbial win win solution, except, - all things are never equal. The human factor will always come into play and so the “edge,” much used in times past, has been reborn for the new century.
“Bring in more quality customers every quarter or watch your lifestyle decline.” But there aren’t any more out there. Result: your pay will drop because your job has been undervalued. Answer: bring in a lower quality customer and redefine “quality.” Shift numbers from one quarter to another. Get someone to sign up and then quit after the bonus is paid. Work ten or twelve hour days instead of eight. Get your hands on technology that permits you to have an “edge” over your competitors. Keep the economic “Ponzi” scheme going; the economy is so strong there will always be enough growth at one end to pay off the bills at the other end when they come due.
Sports have another variation of the same theme. Here it is individual performance that is used as the driver of the “edge.” But you must always keep in mind that when dealing with the “carrot and stick” approach (because that is what we are truly looking at) it is not only the individual trying to get the carrot but also the one holding the stick that needs monitoring.
When a baseball player (I use baseball only because that is
the one currently in the news but feel free to replace it with whatever sport
you choose) gives him or herself an “edge” to achieve a level of performance
they could not have achieved without it, who benefits? The individual, of course. They have manipulated the system to their
advantage. But what of the team that
offered the “bonus” for achieving the extraordinary…? The owners who watched the seats and cash
registers fill as the extraordinary is achieved and don’t really encourage
anyone to examine the methods used…? The
“Get that gold ring any way you can and don’t tell me how you accomplished it”
philosophy that has attached itself to the
There is always a basic desire in people to believe that playing by the rules, that fairness and good sportsmanship are the best way to approach all things and that quality is always more important that quantity. The problem is that those words “all things being equal” are always sitting there and nothing is ever equal and when given the choice of having a shot at the with “help” too often strength of character is loosing to the lure of “gold.”
So what does one do when sports drinks claim to give you an “edge?” When equipment will make you a better player? When changing the numbers on a form will get you the bonus? How big a leap is it from the drink with the chemicals to give you the burst of energy to make the play, stay up later, work longer to the chemicals in the hypodermic syringe that will make you play even better, think even clearer and outsmart the competition and the manipulation of documents to make the sale, get the bonus, avoid the taxes?
We are in a bubble that is generational and will surely burst. Only the next generation can fix it for I don’t believe the current one has the will to do it. I could be wrong. I hope so.
© 2008 Timothy Holland First published:
Note:
This opinion/essay is the property of the author. It is offered for use by individuals who are also free to copy and make it available to other individuals as they wish. Anyone wishing to make use of the material for commercial purposes must seek permission of the author, who can be reached at Impressions@Tim-Holland.com. Such permission will not be unreasonably refused.