Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I've been out of the corporate world for over 5 years now, and overall I don't miss it.
However, I am finding that many of the volunteer activities that I was so looking forward to before retiring, are diminished if not ruined by people who just refuse to get along. Everyone has their own strongly held opinions, and they don't change no matter what anyone else thinks. And often, their opinions are on what everyone else should be doing, not themselves. I'm involved in two organizations, both activities I love dearly, that are going downhill - with seemingly intractable differences. Weak leadership yes, but you can't force volunteers to do anything they don't want to. So we go in circles (downward) year after year.
Maybe it's always been this way, and I'm just waxing nostalgic for good old days where people could get along and reach consensus on problems, that really never existed.
I swear internet connectivity has made it worse, too easy to silo ourselves and only interact with like minded people if we choose to (and many do evidently) - just the opposite of what I thought connectivity would bring, boy was I wrong.
Hopefully I've just stumbled into the only two volunteer organizations in the world like this, but those key activities haven't lived up to my pre-retirement expectations.
Whatever else their faults, at least corporations are forced to move forward or die - they can't go in circles for long.
[/mild rant]
However, I am finding that many of the volunteer activities that I was so looking forward to before retiring, are diminished if not ruined by people who just refuse to get along. Everyone has their own strongly held opinions, and they don't change no matter what anyone else thinks. And often, their opinions are on what everyone else should be doing, not themselves. I'm involved in two organizations, both activities I love dearly, that are going downhill - with seemingly intractable differences. Weak leadership yes, but you can't force volunteers to do anything they don't want to. So we go in circles (downward) year after year.
Maybe it's always been this way, and I'm just waxing nostalgic for good old days where people could get along and reach consensus on problems, that really never existed.
I swear internet connectivity has made it worse, too easy to silo ourselves and only interact with like minded people if we choose to (and many do evidently) - just the opposite of what I thought connectivity would bring, boy was I wrong.
Hopefully I've just stumbled into the only two volunteer organizations in the world like this, but those key activities haven't lived up to my pre-retirement expectations.
Whatever else their faults, at least corporations are forced to move forward or die - they can't go in circles for long.
[/mild rant]
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