One-Trick Ponies And The Seniority Myth

To be completely honest, I’ve never seen a pony do a single trick. Not one. Ever. Unless standing around grazing in the grass is a trick or being tethered to a turnstyle at the county fair and walking in circles with a small child on its back.

Eating grass or walking in circles aren’t exactly what I’d call show-stoppers. But even if a pony could do one actual trick like riding a unicycle, juggling chainsaws, or walking a tightrope high aloft, it would only entertain the crowd for so long before they got bored and moved on to watch a two-trick pony — now that would be something.

Bare Minimum

I’ve worked with people who are one-trick ponies, and you probably have, too. Translation: they do the bare minimum like show up for their shift, have a heartbeat, and breathe. Sometimes they also eat or walk in circles. Sometimes they do even less.

Because they have succeeded in not getting fired which has resulted in them being around for a long time, they think that their seniority means something. Well, if you think that, I’ve got news for you. Seniority alone is nothing more than a one-trick pony; it’s cute and all, but gets boring pretty fast. I mean, congratulations, you have a heartbeat and still work here, now go do something.

Double Digit Slugs

The overemphasis that we put on seniority is our own dang fault. Our unions, collective bargaining agreements, and paramilitary-style organizations have made seniority into a thing, but we perpetuate it by putting it on a pedestal and keeping it there. We bow to seniority like it’s some kind of god — a man-made one nonetheless. The ideal of seniority is a myth.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s no substitute for experience, but experience and seniority are not the same thing. There are plenty of slugs with double-digit years on the job who have made avoiding any actual work into an artform. If they put as much effort into doing work as they put into avoiding it they would probably be a Supercop.

Perks And Jerks

Instead, they wave their seniority around like the neighborhood rich kid showing off his new toy. They take advantage of every opportunity to remind anyone and everyone how many years they have on the job and employ their seniority at every turn to benefit themselves. They pick the best shifts, the best details, avoid the dirty work, and skate through their career like an Olympic gold medalist. The perks of seniority have become an entitlement, all the while undermining their own personal and professional growth.

They might have tenure but they don’t have experience because they’ve spent the better part of their career avoiding it. You can’t tell them anything, you can’t teach them anything, and you sure as heck aren’t going to learn anything from them other than the imperative of avoiding them.

The Anti-Slug

Then there are those who could care less about their own seniority, who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and who intentionally contribute to teaching and mentoring those that come behind them. They are lifelong students who know that they don’t know everything, who are always learning, and who don’t see themselves as ever having arrived. They are approachable and humble, admit when they’re wrong, and are willing to listen to the input and insight of those around them — even the ones with less time on the job.

Because they are lifelong learners, they are well-read, well-trained, and willing to try new things, which makes them diversified in their experience. Good students often make good teachers because you never really learn something until you have to teach it. To them, seniority is just an arbitrary number that in and of itself does not amount to a hill of beans.

Be The Unicorn

As you learn and grow in your career, don’t chase seniority, chase experience. Be a lifelong learner, a reader, and a good listener. Season your speech and your work with humility. Do the dirty work. Don’t ask others to do something you haven’t done or put them in a place you haven’t been. Have the kind of career that makes those around you better. Be the kind of person who actually knows what to do and does it with excellence. If you do, you’ll be a unicorn instead of a one-trick pony.

I’ll take a cop with a couple of years of experience who isn’t a one trick pony over a twenty year veteran who is any day of the week. I mean, who would you rather work with?

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• How big is the pedestal that seniority is placed on at your department?
• Who are the senior officers that you look up to? Who are the ones you avoid?
• How can you work toward gaining experience instead of just tenure?
• Who can you mentor?

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