But are YOU good at spotting talent? Or at the least do you know someone who is?
This crucial first step (and it is only a first step) runs right up against the Principle-agent problem, and a major result of our inability to recognize talent generally leads to a Market for lemons.
Dictatorships suffer immensely from these problems because the dictator is a national focal point for decisions. Every swindler and scammer in the country is running around trying to fool the dictator. Since the benefits of being on the dictator’s good side are sky-high and the costs of being on their bad side are severe, the incentives for honesty and transparency in communications are nonexistent. This is the source of dictatorship dysfunction.
About the only thing dictators tend to be good at (if they survive) is navigating a complex web of sycophantic and untrustworthy relationships. There is a constant need for surveillance and purging of potential traitors which has the effect of inspiring fear and paranoia throughout the regime. This in turn feeds into the dictator’s own paranoia, which becomes a vicious cycle.
Then you’re not really a dictator then are you? You’re a slacker and the talent spotter is the real dictator. And then people start questioning why you’re even in the picture in the first place. No problem! They get rid of you!
If everything is running well, as it would when you hire competent people to do their jobs, empower them to do them, stay out of their way, and fire incompetent ones, then the people will love you and removing you will be political / actual suicide.
If it isn’t, then you can fire the people responsible (the person doing the hiring in your scenario - I’d argue that there’s be no reason to be loyal to the person that hired if them if they’re empowered to do their jobs, which I’ve covered, but I digress).
I’d argue that if the person you’ve chosen to appoint people is somehow acquiring / retaining the loyalty of everyone they’re hiring despite their job having nothing at all to do with the jobs that they’ve hired someone for is a) not actually good at finding talented people b) not doing their job and c) a great example of someone to be fired as per my original system.
I mean. If you get hired in a sales role and the hr person that hired you is like: tell me your secrets, you’re not going to spill all the beans just because she brought you on.
The system works. Hire people that are good at their jobs. Fire those that aren’t. Do nothing.
I think I see the issue. You’re not just assuming that you’ve been made dictator of an existing society, you’re assuming a completely blank slate society that you get to build up from scratch. Real dictatorships don’t have that luxury. They have to work within existing relationships and power structures. They need the loyalty of powerful people to become dictator in the first place. They don’t just get to hand-pick whoever they want for every role.
My comments aren’t meant to be a rigorous political philosophy.
But sure. Any imaginary scenario, especially one that’s a picture of two lines of text, can be altered, with complexity added or removed on the fly, to change the parameters of that scenario.
But are YOU good at spotting talent? Or at the least do you know someone who is?
This crucial first step (and it is only a first step) runs right up against the Principle-agent problem, and a major result of our inability to recognize talent generally leads to a Market for lemons.
Dictatorships suffer immensely from these problems because the dictator is a national focal point for decisions. Every swindler and scammer in the country is running around trying to fool the dictator. Since the benefits of being on the dictator’s good side are sky-high and the costs of being on their bad side are severe, the incentives for honesty and transparency in communications are nonexistent. This is the source of dictatorship dysfunction.
About the only thing dictators tend to be good at (if they survive) is navigating a complex web of sycophantic and untrustworthy relationships. There is a constant need for surveillance and purging of potential traitors which has the effect of inspiring fear and paranoia throughout the regime. This in turn feeds into the dictator’s own paranoia, which becomes a vicious cycle.
You only need to hire a person that actually is good at spotting talent.
How are you gonna do that?
Edit: also, how do you keep your talent spotter loyal to you when everyone they hire will be loyal to them, not you?
Ask around, then trial and error.
Who fucking cares? I’m doing as little as possible all day. As long as things are getting done well in a timely manner I couldn’t care less.
I’m here to do fuck all and make money for it, and the best way to do that sustainably is for things to work well.
When you empower the people under you to do their jobs well then you’re not an impediment to their goals.
Then you’re not really a dictator then are you? You’re a slacker and the talent spotter is the real dictator. And then people start questioning why you’re even in the picture in the first place. No problem! They get rid of you!
If everything is running well, as it would when you hire competent people to do their jobs, empower them to do them, stay out of their way, and fire incompetent ones, then the people will love you and removing you will be political / actual suicide.
If it isn’t, then you can fire the people responsible (the person doing the hiring in your scenario - I’d argue that there’s be no reason to be loyal to the person that hired if them if they’re empowered to do their jobs, which I’ve covered, but I digress).
I’d argue that if the person you’ve chosen to appoint people is somehow acquiring / retaining the loyalty of everyone they’re hiring despite their job having nothing at all to do with the jobs that they’ve hired someone for is a) not actually good at finding talented people b) not doing their job and c) a great example of someone to be fired as per my original system.
I mean. If you get hired in a sales role and the hr person that hired you is like: tell me your secrets, you’re not going to spill all the beans just because she brought you on.
The system works. Hire people that are good at their jobs. Fire those that aren’t. Do nothing.
I think I see the issue. You’re not just assuming that you’ve been made dictator of an existing society, you’re assuming a completely blank slate society that you get to build up from scratch. Real dictatorships don’t have that luxury. They have to work within existing relationships and power structures. They need the loyalty of powerful people to become dictator in the first place. They don’t just get to hand-pick whoever they want for every role.
This whole discussion is asinine.
My comments aren’t meant to be a rigorous political philosophy.
But sure. Any imaginary scenario, especially one that’s a picture of two lines of text, can be altered, with complexity added or removed on the fly, to change the parameters of that scenario.
Only if your goal is to “win.” If it’s to explore the issues and learn something then it can be worthwhile.