Today's random thought that is coursing through my mind:
What is it about human nature that makes people think that
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence ?
Being the rather short-fused, easily incited person that I
am, lately I've come to realize that unless you take a
cdent style leap out into the unknown or
shake a venture capitalist out of a tree and start your own
company, that politics are politics and bureaucracy is
everywhere. I know in some places it's better or worse than
others...but it's still there. If you pay attention to it,
it's always going to bother you. Maybe not today, but
someday it will.
I left my last job because I hated the politics and felt
trapped. I came to my new job, refreshed and ready to work.
The problem is that I also brought me with me. For awhile,
I worked well, keeping hunkered down and getting shit done.
It felt good. I was working hard, learning a lot, and
soaking in the smarts of the people around me. At some
point, perhaps because of my friendship with Chris, I
started paying more attention to the politics and problems.
It's like smoking (I'm an ex-smoker): you know it's bad, but
once you acquire a taste for it, it's awfully hard to quit.
I got mired into it, caught up in the power plays and trying
to work hard to push the agenda for us. Then, I became the
manager and it got even worse. Now I see even more of the
politics and machinations. It makes me feel a little ill at
times. I heavily considered for awhile that I needed a
change of venue. I think that may have just been my fear of
a company without my pal Chris being here. I'm not entirely
sure.
I'm trying to reign it in a little bit for my own sanity.
I've determined that until I figure out how to be happy with
just the work I do, that I'll take this baggage to any new
job and start the cycle anew. Besides, I've only been the
manager for about 8 months. Surely I can make it past a
year, right ? Perhaps longer.
I wonder, though, what can one do to boost the morale of a
group when it is low and upper management seems either
unable or unwilling to do much of anything ?
Any thoughts about that
?