Some classic myths at work places

In my wee bit of experience I have had in the co-operate world I had observed certain myths people have, which usually leads to epic failures.

Myth 1: Lets try to sort out the problem among us without letting higher level authorities know about it.
Covering up major things is almost like pasting some antiseptic less plaster on a festering wound. It just covers it up for a day or two to eventually come out as a bigger problem. Within an organization there should not be cover up of issues. If its happening either its an unhealthy organizational culture or the particular individual's approach is wrong. Certain issues that we consider as issues might not be issues at all, so discuss openly and most of the time it can be sorted out by other means

Myth 2: He is my boss, so I take his word on work related instruction.
This is the typical "Yes bass" culture. Get a life, he is human, he can make mistakes and might not have seen the different perspective. If the objective is shared among the team and if everyone is striving for common good its a duty to take it up and rectify it.

Myth 3: I am sure I can always do a better job than my sub ordinates. 
If its real then its a serious cause for concern and it indicates that your recruitment strategy is good for nothing, on the contrary it might be that you are bad at delegation. Think about it, people have different strengths and weaknesses and everyone cannot be good at everything, so identify the strengths and use them. Instead of trying to live as the know it all.

Myth 4: He is inexperienced to do it
More the years better the work output is a big myth.  I think at any job role the steepest learning curve is during the first six to 12 month period. For someone who has at least 6 months experience give them a chance, support and time they would do it, as long as they have the capacity.

Myth 5:  When you recruit, always recruit people who can be kept "under control". 
You would observe that most of the amazingly talented people have alarmingly eccentric characters. They would have a lot of confidence in their abilities, a no nonsense attitude and endless energy. These are the type of people who can transform organizations and take the organizations to a few levels of standard above. But at an interview they wouldn't get a tick if you are looking for a character who could be kept under control. There is a rule which says, whenever you recruit always recruit people who are better than you! It takes a strange level of realization to accept this reality and reap the reward of such recruitment decisions.

Myth 6: I need to be popular 
Job is not a popularity contest, unless you are a politician who has to run for office every 5 years. The success is not measured on how popular you are but on the output you produce. Do the right thing which is coherent with the overall objective of the organization, if the right thing makes you unpopular so may be it for the time being. This applies specially if you are in a management role.