A list of any kind is limited, not an endless scroll-like Instagram. Which means people and organizations that are worthy of being on the list but don’t care about it, won’t be on it.
Have you ever tried to make sense of a ranking system? Or a ‘best companies to work for’ list?
I have never tried because most of them never made much sense to me. My disinterest in rankings could also be because I never was a so-called ‘rank student’ when I was studying.
The ranking system, where students are ranked according to their marks, has been abolished in most schools and colleges. The reason for is that it creates needless competition and marks aren’t a true representation of a student’s capabilities.
Whenever I see rankings of organizations and individuals, I always wonder how they arrived at that list. Of course, there is some logic that has been used that I can’t comprehend and make much sense of owing to my limited abilities to decipher such complex methodologies.
But this brings me to another important question — if the ranking system is frowned down upon when it comes to marks and education, how does it make sense when it comes to sports teams and workplaces?
In sport, there is very little that separates the top 5 players or teams from one another. The International Cricket Council has lists for the best ODI, Test and T20 teams. For instance, in the ODI rankings, India is ranked Number 2 and New Zealand is ranked number 3. In the just-concluded cricket World Cup, New Zealand lost the finals by sheer bad luck and a terrible rule. And the World Cup is the biggest tournament there is. By that logic, shouldn’t New Zealand be second as they were the runners-up?
That’s the thing with rankings. They follow a methodology that is part logic and a lot of grey areas.
A few points about ranking systems and the lists they produce:
a) The whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me whoever — A ranking system of any kind, even if it puts you on a pedestal, doesn’t tell the entire story. I remember seeing an organization on one such list and the person next to me telling me how that place sucked the life out of employees. In one swoop, that put a question mark on the methodology of the ranking system.
b)There is no God ranking— By that I mean there is no system that covers all bases. So ‘fastest-growing company’ tells you that the place is growing in size but it tells you very little about the work-culture, diversity, and balance, things that a lot of people are looking for. In other words, most lists work on tangibles and not on the intangibles. In the real world, people ask around and do their own checks before joining an organization. They want to know about the quality of leadership, the work hours, the culture, none of which are usually covered on any list. For instance, in 2000, Enron was ranked the best energy company to work for. 2 years later, it collapsed owing to fraud committed by senior management.
c) All’s not fair in love and rankings— A ranking system doesn’t placate everyone. There will always be someone who has a bone to pick about where they find themselves on the list. While some of this may or may not be valid, it underscores an important point — many things are overlooked and not taken into consideration while compiling ranking lists. In some cases, the difference between ground reality and a ranking is as big as day and night while in a few cases, a ranking is a fairly accurate reflection of how a company functions.
d) If the rank race doesn’t suit you, get off it — A list of any kind is limited, not an endless scroll-like Instagram. Which means people and organizations that are worthy of being on the list but don’t care about it, won’t be on it. Just like the best students in school don’t always go on change the world, the best-ranked organizations aren’t always what they are made up to be. This doesn't mean they all suck. To be on a list, an organization must have done something of repute. At the same time, it is important to realize that there is life and learning beyond a list.
Finding yourself on a list feels good, no doubt. But if the entire objective of life is to get on some sort of list, the approach is flawed. There is music beyond the ‘top 100 songs’, great people to work with beyond the ‘best leaders’ list and great places to work in beyond the ‘best companies to work for’ compilations.
Pulling rank doesn’t mean being on a list of some kind. It’s not bad or wrong or evil but it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t find yourself on one.
It’s possible to do work you’re proud of, make a mark and inspire people, all without being on a ranking list of any kind.
