Corporate Life
Long time no post. I'll admit that now that this blog is in the public domain, it concerns me somewhat that my ramblings can or could be misconstrued, and perhaps have a ripple effect that I did not intend. But alas, one cannot remain silent forever.
Recently, we made some organizational changes, and as is inevitable with all of these kinds of cultural transitions, some folks "went home". The funny thing is, that everyone talks about the individuals that are/were involved - hoping, indeed praying - that management will see their way through to making the changes for the better good of the company. But when change is actually executed, people say, "oh, that's too bad... ", or "they would have been able to come around eventually". Sure, no one wants to see anyone experience personal hardship or suffer from the emotional turmoil caused by a rapid departure. But deep down, everyone knows it's the right thing to do. But if there was more at stake than winning a deal, or getting a commission cheque, would we be so sympathetic?
Ephilates, demonstrating his thrust technique to Leonidas
Take King Leonidas - the famous Spartan who led 300 of his men at the Battle of Thermopylae. On the eve of battle, he is confronted by Ephialtes of Trachis, a hunchback who would like nothing other than to serve (and die) as a Spartan. While Ephialtes has the heart of a warrior, and quite probably could hold his own in individual combat, he lacks the physical ability to augment and protect the team. Leonidas explains that the phalanx is the source of the Spartan strength; a single weak spot in the formation, and the phalanx shatters. Since Ephialtes is unable to raise his shield over his head, he cannot protect the Spartan next to him, and essentially becomes a liability to the entire unit. While Leonidas is sympathetic to Ephialtes' will to fight, he must let him go; if he were to allow Ephialtes into his infantry, he puts everyone at risk.
Ok, so no one is going to be killed by the invading Persians in a business environment, but these days, we all have far few resources, time and energy to put into questioning or apologizing for the changes that we need to make to be successful. Sometimes, we need to simply accept that there are those that we can't afford to have on the team when their abilities or negative energies detract from the strength of the overall unit.
Oh, and in the legend of the 300 Spartans, Ephialtes seeks revenge for being spurned by Leonidas, and shows the Persians a secret path to attack the Spartans from behind. The Spartans are surrounded and everyone is massacred. Let's hope legend doesn't hold true in this case.
