Animal Pragmatism

What does it mean being ‘pragmatic’? I hear it being banded about so many times, it’s ridiculous. “Ooh, that guy is very pragmatic.” Or: “c’mon you have to take a more pragmatic approach to this issue.” In some industries (i.e. mine supposedly) being pragmatic is great. It's high praise to be called a pragmatic person, and these people are respected, revered and well-liked. Not to mention that projects actually get finished, and you have the sweet, sweet illusion of expertise... The way the term pragmatic has been used in my business, it emphasizes kicking ass, taking names and getting things done.

The dictionary says about pragmatism the following: the compromising of one's ideals to better deal with the specifics of a situation. That doesn't sound too positive (especially if you're an idealist). A pragmatist doesn't necessarily do things by the book, or follow procedures properly, if it gets in the way of the goals they want to reach. That might get him in hot water with people who value order, formalization, protocol and so on.

Indeed the respect, the reverence only comes when a pragmatist reaches a certain standing in his career. If he's still below that, he's just a hacker, a loose-cannon, an unreliable and blunt nobody. In fact at that point a pragmatist is more an opportunist, whose success is not known to be useful to anyone but himself.

But as a pragmatist rises through the ranks, and he has enjoyed success more than most, respect and trust are gained. His bluntness is seen as honesty. What people found unreliable in him in the early stages of his career, are seen as evidence to his reluctance to play politics. His unstructured way of working seems to prove his skill to separate important from insignificant issues. Ad infinitum...

All this serves to prove one thing: once people reach a position of power, their undesirable traits are suddenly forgotten or argued away. Ugly becomes a unique presence. Nervous tics become eccentricities. Curses and swears are now deemed colourful language. A person who just mucks about on the job, becomes a pragmatist.