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BS to those who say it is not a popularity contest. It happened back in high school, it continued at blue collar jobs, it carries on to white collar and the C suite. You see it all the time in politics, and you see it every day on television. It's even a law of attraction, been called "the halo effect", and to some it even becomes a pedestal. It gives credibility to those who shouldn't have it (tv personalities and movie stars), and it takes away from those who have to keep earning it over and over. If the firm was a meritocracy, I would not need to get into arguments as to why you couldn't do something because it was a flagrant disregard of the law or established principle. Not saying that it shouldn't be this way, just saying that to those who claim that promotions are NOT a popularity contest are deluding themselves.
I don’t really care if someone is popular among his or her peers. I care that he or she has delivered for me or my partners. If we think they’ll make it at the next level based on the evidence and performance on projects, they’re promoted.
I think perhaps popularity @ the firm, being good at your job, having a positive attitude are all correlated so less happy/positive people take it as being a popularity contest?
Definitely some truth here. But folks need to realize promos are not about just work. There are many other factors (incl popularity, easy to work with, etc) that are all important
My two cents on this is that what you call popularity can be reframed as 'soft skills'. Having a good mix of technical and soft skills is generally the ideal for consulting - but i think that people who are intelligent and skilled my have a natural tendency to feel more bitter towards someone who they perceive as less intelligent or skilled but more popular, versus someone they can admit is similarly intelligent or more intelligent - but i this thinking is flawed because soft skills are definitely as important an attribute as technical in this industry, esp. At leadership levels. The fallacy is that people tend to use their own strengths as a basis for comparison. Anyways, i think we all know people that we feel like dont deserve whatever it is, but honestly, dont sweat it and take time to think about what you can improve about yourself to best achieve your own goals.
It is not a popularity contest. It has subjectivity but the analysis and debates are generally intellectually honest and complex.
I look at it this way. Every opportunity and interaction is a chance to impress or a chance to fuck up. Partners, directors, and yes even managers can have huge influence on people’s perception of you. Likability is certainly a factor. But given a tough project, I’ll pull the hard worker or the person I know will get the job done over the popular person. Every interaction we have influences that decision. Those people are the ones that tend to get the better opportunities and then advancement
Not a popularity contest. Just do good work and don’t give anyone a reason to not like or promote you. You don’t need to go out of your way to be liked