The Potemkin Color Guard
Walk in somebody’s shoes for a bit.you have worked long and hard to reach a high profile position, as those who came before you had.
You did everything that was asked of you, and more. You believed in a system that told you all you had to do was work hard, pay attention to detail, excel in your efforts, show exceptional dedication, and demonstrate professionalism better than those around you. Do that, you were told, and you will be rewarded.
You understood that nothing was guaranteed - but you also knew that the system was a meritocracy based on fair, established rules that everyone agreed upon when they started.
Why wouldn’t you believe that? Those in positions of authority, those whose word was gold, those who asked of you only what they demanded of themselves - they told you so. Because they said it was so, it must be true - it has to be true.