Bob Haase Another Can Of Worms

It isn’t What You Know it is Who You Know!

Remember the good old days when most people were hired because of their knowledge and background experiences.  Yes.. I realize that there has always been situations where a person was hired because of who they knew rather than what they knew, but that was the exception more than the rule.

I think everybody that works has seen new people hired or current staff promoted because of who that person was friends with rather than their ability to do the job.  When this did happen years ago it was referred to as the “good old boys club”.  I think we are seeing more and more of this happening today and we wonder how that person got hired.  We see this very often with political appointments to reward a person for helping them get elected even though they might not be the most qualified individual for the position.

There is also a saying that if you are a good manager you can manage without knowing anything about what you are managing.  This might be true in some situations.  Because a person knows a lot about a certain process or operation it may not make them a good manager.

I think it takes both to be a good manager.  First you should have good management skills and be good at working with and getting the most out of people.   I guess this is a lot like any professional sports such as baseball, basketball, or football.  Just because a person might have been a great player it may not make them a good coach, but very few coaches are successful without some experience and knowledge of the sport they are coaching.

If there was a search to hire the most qualified person for the position of Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources I doubt that Kathy Stepp would have been hired here or any other state.  I don’t think she would have been appointed if it were not for her efforts in helping our Governor get elected. This being said I believe that she is a good person and has tried hard to make some needed changes. It is difficult to make decisions based on fact and science with the political pressure that currently exists on her or any other person.   That is why it would have been better for the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources to have been appointed by the Natural Resources Board like most citizens wanted.

Today I read that Governor Walker is considering appointing Bob Seitz, the lobbyist for Gogebic Taconite,   as  Deputy Secretary of the Department of  Natural Resources.   He was the person that was working for Gogebic Taconite to try to get the iron mine in Northern Wisconsin.  Do you think he is being considered because of his knowledge and desire to protect our natural resources?  Do you think he would make decisions based on fact and science and act in the best interest of the people of Wisconsin or big business that might not be worried about polluting our air and water?

This is one example of how politics from both Republicans and Democrats have made appointments based on reward and power rather than on knowledge and experience.  Both parties are equally to blame when it comes to appointing positions for personal and party gain rather than appointing the most qualified candidate for the position.  If you think I am wrong you might ask how the decision was made, how the position was advertised, and who were the other candidates?

Bob Haase is the host of “Outdoors Thursday” heard Thursday mornings at 9:10 a.m. on News-Talk 1450 KFIZ.