The Hard Work Delusion
There was a time when I actually believed hard work led to success. Put in the effort, deliver results, and eventually, you’ll be rewarded. That’s the fairytale they sell you when you start your career. But if you have spent even a day in the corporate world, you already know how this story ends.
I busted my ass for a promotion, taking on two or three times the workload of everyone else. I handled the messes, fixed other people’s mistakes, and made sure things actually got done. I thought that if I just outperformed everyone around me, my time would come.
Then one day, I noticed a colleague was pulled into a meeting. He walked out with the biggest shit-eating grin I’d ever seen. Minutes later, my turn came. I sat down, expecting some kind of recognition, only to be told they were “working on a plan” to move me up in the world.
Not even a full hour later, the entire company got a message:
“Join us in congratulating [Person Who Worked Significantly Less Than Me] on their well-earned promotion to Senior!”
That was my first real lesson in how corporate life actually works. Promotions aren’t about skill, effort, or impact. They’re about connections, bullshit, and playing the game.
The Second Reality Check: Titles Mean Nothing
After that slap in the face, I left the company. I was pissed. I thought, fine, I’ll go somewhere better. I’ll work with people who actually deserve their positions.
Then I met the Senior Engineer at my new company.
This was someone who allegedly built the system we worked on. You would think they would have deep technical knowledge. Instead, they knew next to nothing about how it actually worked. Their code was riddled with basic, rookie mistakes.
But here’s where they excelled. Talking.
They had perfected the illusion of competence. They could walk into a meeting, drop some corporate buzzwords, confidently state a few vague ideas, and suddenly, people believed they were a genius. No one questioned them because confidence often trumps competence.
That was reality check number two. Promotions and titles don’t mean shit. They don’t make someone smarter, more skilled, or more valuable. They just mean someone played the game better than you did.
Failing Upwards: The Real Corporate Skill
It was at this point that I realised something fundamental.
Some people don’t climb the corporate ladder. They fall upwards.
They fail just the right amount, take just enough credit, and never push too hard. They say the right things, nod at the right times, and make sure to be visible when the right people are watching.
They don’t need hard skills when they have soft politics.
I used to be angry about this. I wanted to climb the ladder, earn my place, matter in the world. Now, I see it for what it is.
A circus.
Titles mean nothing. Promotions are a joke. And I don’t care whether you are the CEO or the Janitor, I will talk to you with the same level of respect or disrespect, depending on what you actually bring to the table.
Principles, Directors, VPs, Founders. I have stopped assuming any of them are more competent than a monkey with a keyboard.
The Realisation: The Only Way Forward is Your Own Path
After all of this, I did what anyone would do. I started looking for another job.
And that’s when it hit me. Every company is the same.
Switching jobs is just joining another freakshow under a different name. The corporate world is one giant travelling circus, filled with clowns pretending to be leaders, strongmen who lift nothing, and ringmasters who don’t even know what act they’re running.
The only way forward is to wipe away the clown makeup and start your own show.
If you’re tired of being passed over, ignored, undervalued, and stuck in a system that rewards bullshit over actual ability, maybe it’s time to stop playing the game. Maybe it’s time to build something of your own.
I know that’s where I’m headed.
The Toxic Boss 
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