Trying to work your way up the ladder by climbing on the backs of those you’ve betrayed, mistreated, or taken advantage of is a bold strategy… which is why it’s often only attempted by imbeciles, psychopaths, and sycophants. The rest of us are burdened by heavy things called “morals,” thanks to the constant nagging of our conscience urging us to do the right thing. Still, it’s surprising and disappointing how far this strategy will get you. Even the barest sense of company politics and “playing the game” will get you further than actual demonstratable skills or experience, and being willing to use deceit to your advantage will only get you further.
This tactic must have gotten this worker through the majority of his career; who knows how many times he threw someone else under the bus to cover his own mistakes. It didn’t work, however, when he ran head-on into this lawyer who was on retainer to help his company out with any legal issues they might come across. The worker thought that all lawyers were cheats, thinking himself wiser and capable of navigating a massive insurance claim on his own. When things went belly up, despite the lawyer’s constant warnings, the worker tried to throw the lawyer under the bus. Luckily, the lawyer had been two steps ahead and came with receipts.
