Years ago I used to be sent around the country to do "ethics interviews" of upper down to mid level management -- actually, down to field supervisors in some cases -- pursuant to performing an "ethics audit" of the organization. (I was the "associate consultant" who provided the data to the full consultants.)
We worked with leading F 500 and even 200 companies as well as professional organizations. My view of the disconnect between the C's and Directors and VPs and the lower levels was very striking; also striking was the forlorn confusion among the lower ranks from the orders to be "ethical" -- in one company a mgr was fired on the "no thieving" rule because he took somebody's Sprite from the refrigerator -- and the much more important rule to get more done and make more sales while cutting costs and resources. It's the damned system! At any rate, I swore I'd never do their jobs, and so far I've more or less managed to keep this promise, with results for my wages. I work with many very intelligent and personable clients, mid to upper level (say, functional VPs and regional and country Directors; C's from smaller and mid size orgs) and what strikes me is how much their identity is bound up with their jobs, and how much -- incredibly much! -- energy and time they spend on things that make for success, look good in Business Week, but that have my eyes glazing when I have to read about it. As they say those who can, do; those who can't, write resumes. (OTOH again, I do have interesting clients doing interesting things besides managing the $XXB capital budget for power infrastructure and what have you; entrepreneurs and solo professionals.) Point of this self indulgent ramble: man, if you can earn even a modest living doing what you like, and what you like is something truly humanly useful, you are so far ahead of the game that little else counts! On Thu, Oct 15, 2015 at 3:19 PM, Allan in Portland <allan_f...@aracnet.com> wrote: > If it helps, a lot of what people spend their money on is self-medicating > something else they are miserable about in their life. > > A former co-worked joked after going back to grad school, "yeah, my income > has dropped by about 90%, but I'm saving so much on hookers and booze I > hardly notice the difference." > > Personally, about 7 years ago I quit work and took a personal a > sabbatical. I can say almost the day after I walked out the door, and for > the duration of my sabbatical the long list of "stuff" that I had wanted > and been saving up for prior to my quitting lost all its desire to me. I > was completely contented with what I had and more than happy spending my > time on doing stuff that interested me and had personal meaning. It was > remarkable, and totally unexpected in its degree. > > If the homestead experience is something you've always wanted to do, and > it's going to give you a lot of personal fulfilment, then I can almost > guarantee you won't miss the Clem and you'll probably even marvel at your > state of mind that had you sending your original email. On the other hand, > if you're going into the homestead as kind of a last resort/escape from the > broken middle-class economy we as a nation have found ourselves in, well, > odds are you're going to find it tough going with or without the Clem. If > you think having it around will be a source of life's small pleasures, go > ahead and get it. If you think it will be a source of friction and > resentment, by all means pass. > > Best Regards, > -Allan > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten ************************************* *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the rim of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu *Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.* Carthusian motto -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
