There’s a man in my office who hasn’t been promoted in 6 years.
He arrives before everyone. Leaves after everyone. Knows the company’s systems better than the people who built them. When something breaks at 2am, they call him.
His name is on the bottom of reports that directors present to the board. He doesn’t complain. He says he’s just “not political.”
Last week, a 26-year-old joined us. MBA. Firm handshake. Calls the MD by his first name. Within 3 months, he’s already sitting in meetings my colleague has never been invited to.
I watched my colleague train him.
Smiled the whole time. Answered every question. Shared shortcuts it took him years to figure out.
Afterwards I asked him, don’t you feel cheated?
He looked at me for a long moment.
“I used to. But I realized something. I’ve been loyal to a company. Not a purpose. Those are not the same thing.”
He resigned two weeks later. Took everything he knew with him. Started something of his own.
The MD sent a company-wide email. Called it “a great loss to the team.”
Eleven years of emails. And that was the first one that mentioned his name.
The system will celebrate your exit more than it ever celebrated your presence. Stop waiting to be seen. Build something that sees you if you’re not appreciated where you are.
You can be very popular at your workplace, but if you're laid off today, no one from work will call you after 2 weeks.
Avoid gossip. Don't brag. Do your job. Get paid. Go home. Keep your private life to yourself.
The calls to replace Biden will stop now. No Democrat can beat Trump. They’d rather have Biden lose to him than waste one of their up and coming stars on a fool’s errand. Biden’s job now is to lose, absorb all the blame, then shuffle off to the nursing home and disappear.