And yet another reason for RE

[tangomonster]

DH handed in his two-week resignation yesterday. I will need to stay a month or two longer at my job to finish up some work and to make sure that his health insurance converts.

At times I could almost see myself chickening out about resigning from my job of 19+ years. But not after yesterday. We have been assigned a book to read and then will discuss it in a group facilitated by a consultant.
(Keep in mind that I work in a smallish nonprofit human service organization, so I've been spared some of what goes on in the corporate world, but nobody's completely safe!) I'm sure some of you are familiar with Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. A simplistic, trite book with a parable about two mice and two "little people" (also known as corporate drones) who deal in different ways with the cheese that they're used to always getting suddenly disappearing in the maze. The idea is to embrace change. Of course change can be good---but not all change. And the managers in my organization are always making changes because nothing they ever do works, so they're always floundering. But we're just supposed to accept the decision du jour with a "good attitude" and "be flexible."

I hate stuff like this. I wouldn't mind discussing meaningful change and how to evaluate what needs to be changed, but this drives me up the wall! I looked at reviews on Amazon because I was so shocked that anyone would buy into this and like it. We were given our copies (supposedly a lot of companies give them out before major layoffs and reorganization); I would have died if I had spent $20 on this tiny, trite book! About 75% of the reviewers thought this book was profound and life-changing. 25% feel like I do.

Yup, no question, RE for me. I like to pick my own reading material and not take lessons from mice and "little people" in a maze who are dependent on "the man" to lay out their cheese. Stopping work at 52 may mean that I won't always have the fanciest cheese, but I won't need to beg for it or put up with this nonsense!

 

[brewer12345]

Since you are a short-timer, try to resist the temptation of pointing out that the cheese is often used as bait in the mousetrap.

In my last job, the head of the group assigned a couple of guys to read "The Tipping Point" and give a 30 minute presentation on it. I could tell that they were just about at their own "tipping point" that could easily have resulted in the book being thrown at the boss' head...

 

[tangomonster]

And I think it was Lily Tomlin who said "the trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

At times I could almost see myself chickening out about resigning from my j*b of 19+ years. But not after yesterday. We have been assigned a book to read and then will discuss it in a group facilitated by a consultant.

I feel your pain. Over the years I have been invited to participate in more "leadership development academies" than I can shake a stick at. They generally involve some combination of lectures, discussion groups, role playing, leadership style inventories, 360-evaluations etc. This year alone, I am about to conclude my 48th hour (yes, 48) of such training. It has truly become very wasteful of my time.

I think there was some value in doing this earlier in my career, and still I always pick up an insight or two. Many of the younger participants gain alot: active listening skills (though this decays rapidly), negotiating conflict, etc. I don't want to sound like I am above all this or have nothing more to learn, but at this level of redundancy, the value-per-hour-spent has long crossed the fabled "point of diminishing returns." Wish they would tailor it to better meet the needs of all the levels of attendees.

Well, I go, participate, daydream a bit too much, and move on.

 

[SteveR]

Tango,

You just hit one of my "hot buttons.!"

I have a bookshelf (3 full shelves) of such books I have be forced asked to read over the years. It is quite a collection of stuff...everything from "The One Minute Manager"...to "Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers"..to "Winning" (which is a loser of a book)...to the latest HR management feel-good-how-to-screw-your-employees-without-them=-knowing-before-its-too-late books.

The current boss eats this stuff up like a pig in a corn crib. And the stuff that comes out the other end is then given to us. We had a book report session on the latest crappy book he sent around...I develped a sudden illness and could not attend.

My tolerance for these things is gone. After 30 years in management you either get brainwashed and love this stuff or you see through it and despise it. I guess it is no suprise which one I am on these things. 8)

Good luck on the ER for DH. I wish you both the best. Hang in there until you too can jump from the burning plane. Enjoy the parachute ride knowing that you are free.

 

[retire@40]

Since you are a short-timer, try to resist the temptation of pointing out that the cheese is often used as bait in the mousetrap.

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

 

[sgeeeee]

I used to read all the BS books the executives circulated, or recommended. Then I would write a very succint book report and circulate it to my staff. I didn't want them wasting their time on the worthless ones, but it was sometimes important that they were conversant in the buzz words of the day. We all had to live in the corporate environment. Every once in awhile I would actually enjoy one of the books and think it was worthwhile. I would mention that in my book report and would usually write a more detailed report of those. It wasn't uncommon for questions about the books to come up during weekly staff meetings. This seemed to work pretty well to keep my organizations up to date on the corporate initiatives and corporate think without bogging them all down with reading assignments.

I used to think there might be a real market for Cliff Notes versions of management books.

 

[Leonidas]

I used to think there might be a real market for Cliff Notes versions of management books.

There is: http://www.executive-book-summaries.com/

(Keep in mind that I work in a smallish nonprofit human service organization, so I've been spared some of what goes on in the corporate world, but nobody's completely safe!)

I thought not worrying about profit made it easier for my employer - not like there was a bottom line to worry about. We read every goofy book that came down the pike, but the worst was all the mandatory training that they spent tons of money on. I signed up for an "elective" course once that was supposed to help managers learn to "juggle" all of their commitments. I learned nothing about how to better manage all the demands on my time, but I did learn how to keep three little balls in the air for almost a minute.

 

[Nords]

Let me just start my response with three words of a program that strikes fear & trembling into the hearts, minds, and two other anatomical organs of every one of the Navy's steely-eyed killers of the deep:

Total. Quality. Leadership.

I will need to stay a month or two longer at my j*b to finish up some work and to make sure that his health insurance converts.
Yup, no question, RE for me.  I like to pick my own reading material and not take lessons from mice and "little people" in a maze who are dependent on "the man" to lay out their cheese.  Stopping work at 52 may mean that I won't always have the fanciest cheese, but I won't need to beg for it or put up with this nonsense!

So, Tango, you can tell your boss that the cheesy book inspired you to get out of the rat race and start a new life outside the maze?  After all, you won't have to show up at your feeding trough cubicle anymore to pick up your cheese...

I think there was some value in doing this earlier in my career, and still I always pick up an insight or two. Many of the younger participants gain alot: active listening skills (though this decays rapidly), negotiating conflict, etc. I don't want to sound like I am above all this or have nothing more to learn, but at this level of redundancy, the value-per-hour-spent has long crossed the fabled "point of diminishing returns." Wish they would tailor it to better meet the needs of all the levels of attendees.

Careful, Rich, if you demonstrate this level of understanding then you won't have to attend them anymore.

You'll be leading them...