On Politeness and a Positive Attitude at Work

1.
There's an employee who always answers "yes" to whatever the director says.
That employee's title is "responsible."

But of course, this "responsible" can't always think the same way as the director.
Even in such situations, this "responsible" always answers yes.

This "responsible" is always kind to junior staff. Cracks good jokes, too.
And even when a junior staff makes mistakes, only says nice things.

Under a "responsible" who always answers yes, only employees who also always answer yes tend to remain.

The "responsible" sometimes says things like this:
"Personally I don't really think this is right, but sorry — looks like we have to do it this way."

The junior says, "Ah — lol, you know how it goes, if they tell you to shovel, you shovel.."
The junior consoles the "responsible."
The junior too always answers yes to the responsible.

But sometimes there are juniors like this:
"Like you, responsible, I also don't think this is quite right... is there no other way? How about doing it with the Aaa method?"

The "responsible" answers with a mischievous or amused face and tone, smiling.
"You think I haven't tried? But if you do that, it only becomes a bigger job, and when things go wrong they throw such a fit, lol."
The bright responsible's bright positive juniors laugh "ㅋㅋㅋ I guess so" and go "it's not like it's the first day — yeah, let's just do it their way and clock out," and then go off and do it cheerfully.

Under a "responsible" who always answers yes, only employees who always answer yes tend to remain.
Because if the junior who proposed the Aaa method doesn't have the capability to defuse the situation with an upbeat "ㅋㅋㅋ I guess so" at the responsible's words, that junior gets labeled a negative troublemaker.
Also, the positive "responsible" relays the situation in which the problem was raised to the director with a very bright face: "This sort of thing happened — I don't think that employee's negative attitude is fine, but they're not a bad employee. Well, all employees are like that." Very politely.

The most junior employee has no authority. Even if they raise an issue and propose a solution, they can't be the one to pass it upward.
Between the director and the key decision-makers, that junior becomes a headache that only "raises problems without alternatives." Yet the positive "responsible" and the director and decision-makers who want positivity always treat that employee with a bright demeanor. Because they find negative states too painful to deal with.

2.
Three minutes before lunch last Friday, three employees were fired.

After they left, in the meeting room, they were described as "troublemakers raising problems without any alternatives." Sure, there were also financial reasons for the company, but in the end, it was a dishonorable dismissal.

Until the day before at lunchtime, these were the very people debating how to save the business.

Those who remain are only the truly positive ones, or the "responsibles" and employees whose silence signals agreement.

3.
Why do CEOs and managers fail to recognize polite bad people?
Why don't they see the employees who always agree in front and mock others behind their backs?

Is it because they need positive employees around to firm up their own resolve in uncertain times?
Or, knowing full well, are they turning a blind eye for the sake of a smooth-running organization?

I've lost count of how many times this has been.

In cases where I've thought "wow, what an incredible CEO," there tend to be many of these mid-level managers and their followers.

And within a few years, that incredible growth ends up crashing.

4.
At least inside the company — in office life where the business's success raises the team members' livelihoods —
I believe that an employee who is better at work than I am, or one who can wait it out when the business is struggling, is more polite than an employee who is always bright and always says yes.
I believe that an employee who gives me a perspective I hadn't thought of — or one who gives me a chance to look again at what I'd written off as negative — is more polite than one who always agrees with me.
Tone and manner don't matter. Politeness is less about expression or tone and more about the authenticity of one's underlying intent.

Even toward oneself — not just toward the company.

Just in case it's useful for some future me, I write this down.

Snap out of it.

The social grind is brutal, and positivity is surely desperately needed...
But let me try to be someone who can see clearly through false positivity and true negativity.
Let me try to be someone who can act with a whole heart.