The expression âinitiative is punishableâ is quite common. As a rule, it is used in an ironic sense. But not everyone understands that it is not so harmless if we accept it as a guide to action. About when it is most often said that the initiative is punishable, we will discuss the meaning of these words and authorship in the article below.
In the army, "itâs better not to lean
There is a version that initially this saying was born in the army and sounded somewhat different. âIn the army, the initiative is punishableâ - such is its alleged initial version. It is no secret to anyone that military people attach great importance to the hierarchical structure of relations. But that is right. Indeed, without strict discipline, protecting the country will not work.
But, as in any business, there is a flip side to the coin. Sometimes the relationship of strict subordination does not allow a person who is lower in rank or position to take a creative approach and initiative. There are at least three explanations for this.
Three reasons to stay on the sidelines
Firstly, this may be hindered by the provisions of the charter, by accidentally or intentionally going beyond the scope of which one can be held accountable. Secondly, a rookie or a junior officer, unsure of himself, will try not to "lean out" so that, as they say, not to break firewood because of his incompetence and not to get scolded from his superiors.
The third reason is the pressure of the authority of the boss, who believes that people should serve in the army who unquestioningly carry out orders and do not meddle with their proposals. And if you had to take the initiative and act according to it, then in case of failure there will be punishment, and in case of success - either silence or dissatisfaction of the higher ones with the excessive "sticking out" of their own person to subordinates.
It seems that it would be appropriate to recall the words of Peter I that a subordinate person, standing in front of the boss, must look dashing and silly so as not to embarrass him with his mind. These words of the Russian emperor completely coincide with the expression âinitiative is punishableâ, which directly follows from their meaning.
The opinion of Soviet engineers
There is another assumption - about how engineers of the Soviet Union decided why the initiative is punishable. After all, they are also credited with the âinventionâ of this expression. As you know, for the planned economy that existed in the USSR, along with all its many advantages, such disadvantages were characteristic as excessive bureaucracy, regulation, a certain share of routine and slowness.
On the one hand, new undertakings were welcomed, and people who took the initiative were held in high esteem, awarded with orders, medals and certificates. But not everything was so smooth. Having once succumbed to a creative impulse, in order to realize new ideas, it was necessary to overcome the very bureaucracy and routine. It was necessary to go to instances, prove, punch, but this was far from always possible. And having achieved the implementation of a project, it was necessary to accompany him to obtain the result.
Lack of material incentive
There was another important point. In the USSR, every working person was guaranteed a monthly wage, even a delay of one day was excluded in principle. But at the same time, the difference in wages could not be very large, whether it be a worker or a plant director.
According to statistics from that time, the second could not exceed the first more than seven times. In contrast to the current state of affairs, when in society there is simply a gigantic scale of stratification.
Therefore, the Soviet engineer, fulfilling his daily immediate responsibilities, getting a good salary, could well think about whether he should rush ahead "for embrasure" if as a result of this worries and troubles he gets a lot, and the material reward may not be so high. Therefore, the expression âinitiative is punishable by executionâ appeared.
Act or do nothing - thatâs the question
Does the expression we are considering and the conclusions that were drawn from it by the military and engineers have a real basis? It seems that yes rather than no. Indeed, such traits as prudence, prudence, and caution are qualities that a person needs to survive as a species, and are useful for a particular person.
If, for example, in a market economy, working in a commercial company, you start to work at a level âabove averageâ, then, of course, you can attract the attention of superiors. But not the fact that this will be followed by a worthy reward, and not a banal increase in both the load and the requirements. Often in such cases, the initiative is punishable.
But even in response to such âsoberâ reasoning, a lot of objections can be made. There is a high probability that the company will appreciate a smart, purposeful, issuing original ideas employee. It is such people who make a successful career and at the same time benefit themselves, the company, and the whole society, despite the certain risks and difficulties encountered in their way. There are their representatives both in commerce, in the army, and in the public service, undoubtedly, they were in the USSR.
It seems that there are a lot of them. Therefore, it seems that the proverb about the negative consequences of the manifestation of the initiative should be treated with a certain amount of irony, but not forgetting about the reasonable approach to business.
The expression âInitiative is punishableâ: who is the author of the expression
The question of who exactly is the author of this common saying remains open. As mentioned above, her âcompositionâ is attributed to such collective authors as military personnel and Soviet engineers. But there is another âcontenderâ to whom they attribute the âcreationâ of this expression. This is I.V. Stalin.
As you know, very much is attributed to this historical figure, which was not really there. Let's try to deal with the punishability of the initiative. In order to affirm or deny the fact that the words belong to a particular person, you should turn to the documents.
On April 17, 1940, a meeting of the command staff of the Red Army was held, devoted to the generalization of the experience of military operations against Finland. It was made by I.V. Stalin, who, among others, raised the issue of the weak manifestation of initiative by the Red Army fighters in this campaign.
He said that the Soviet fighters lacked initiative, because they were not yet individually developed enough. Another reason is the poor training of the soldier, as a result of which he can not take the initiative in any way, not knowing the case. Therefore, his discipline is lame.
Based on the foregoing, Joseph Vissarionovich concluded that it is possible and necessary to create new fighters who will be developed, disciplined and initiative. Where is the punishment here? As they say, comments are superfluous.