I was never a very good employee. It's not as if I couldn't or wouldn't do the work. I liked working and was happy to have a deadline. But workplace culture would do me in every time, every job.
I am not a "team player." Sure, there's no "I" in "team," but there's an "M" and an "E," and that spells me, so leave me alone to get something done! (Confession: I stole that, but I don't remember where I saw it, so it will go uncredited.)
I have a very low tolerance for staff meetings, mission statements, leadership trends or the latest evaluation system. I hated mandatory seminars in which the speaker drew boxes and lines on a big white pad on an easel; later I hated PowerPoint presentations just as much. I wanted thunder and lightning to change the weather on that blue-sky thinking, always had the urge to rip down inspirational posters and reacted with horror when I heard about sales rallies (and vowed never to go into sales).
Because of all this, finding my place in freelance writing and contract employment was wonderful. It was a simple game: You got the work, you did the work, you turned in the work.* What a joy!
Alas, the buzzwords and meetings and fads have followed us outside of the offices and conference rooms. Facebook, which should be reserved for grandchild photos, cat videos and political screaming, is a marketing source. People are "crowd sourcing" - in effect, asking a thousand of their "friends" to help them do their work. If we're not vigilant, we become enrolled in various groups based on age, where we went to school or a one-time online purchase of a joke gift (really, the waving statuette of the Queen was a gag, folks!). I am invited to about five Webinars a week!
It's no wonder that the latest corporate fad is the attempt to foster creativity and innovation. Who can be creative or even think with all that noise?
Yes, it's nice to get support and feedback now and then, and it's good to know that you're not the only one who has problems (oops - "faces challenges"). But let's not forget the simple power of one. One person. One goal. Getting something done.
* If this sounds familiar, it's because it's a paraphrase of one of my favorite lines from "Bull Durham."
I am not a "team player." Sure, there's no "I" in "team," but there's an "M" and an "E," and that spells me, so leave me alone to get something done! (Confession: I stole that, but I don't remember where I saw it, so it will go uncredited.)
I have a very low tolerance for staff meetings, mission statements, leadership trends or the latest evaluation system. I hated mandatory seminars in which the speaker drew boxes and lines on a big white pad on an easel; later I hated PowerPoint presentations just as much. I wanted thunder and lightning to change the weather on that blue-sky thinking, always had the urge to rip down inspirational posters and reacted with horror when I heard about sales rallies (and vowed never to go into sales).
Because of all this, finding my place in freelance writing and contract employment was wonderful. It was a simple game: You got the work, you did the work, you turned in the work.* What a joy!
Alas, the buzzwords and meetings and fads have followed us outside of the offices and conference rooms. Facebook, which should be reserved for grandchild photos, cat videos and political screaming, is a marketing source. People are "crowd sourcing" - in effect, asking a thousand of their "friends" to help them do their work. If we're not vigilant, we become enrolled in various groups based on age, where we went to school or a one-time online purchase of a joke gift (really, the waving statuette of the Queen was a gag, folks!). I am invited to about five Webinars a week!
It's no wonder that the latest corporate fad is the attempt to foster creativity and innovation. Who can be creative or even think with all that noise?
Yes, it's nice to get support and feedback now and then, and it's good to know that you're not the only one who has problems (oops - "faces challenges"). But let's not forget the simple power of one. One person. One goal. Getting something done.
* If this sounds familiar, it's because it's a paraphrase of one of my favorite lines from "Bull Durham."
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