Office politics 101

[aesop]

@aesop

I usually stay out of these threads because they devolve into cynicism so quickly, but here goes. All that follows is IMHO. Caveat lector.

<snip>

2. Be positive instead of cynical. Positive people attract success. (I know that sounds New Agey and BS, but who would you rather spend time with - whiners or winners?)

@msmith537

True enough. But in my industry - Big 4 professional services firms / boutique management consulting firms mostly comprised of ex-Big 4 alum the billable hours up-or-out nature of these organization pretty much guarantees dickish behavior.

In my opinion, that is a cynical interpretation of your industry.

@msmith537

I would rather spend time with people who can realistically assess a situation and figure out ways to move forward. Whiners and malcontents are bad because they just bitch without ever doing anything to improve their situation. Pollyannas can be just as bad however, as they force their people to live in a fantasy world.

Conflating being positive with being a Pollyana is cynical.

If you let go of your preconceptions about people they may surprise you.

IMHO.

[Beware_of_Doug]

Aesop, walk gently when confronting smitty. What many consider cynicism is more like realism to him. I’ve been schooled a few times myself.

Think about it: why does he say 50% of his industry are dickheads, and yet he stays?

And don’t call him a whiner. Whiners are those who look for a sympathetic ear; he’s just telling it like he thinks it is.

[lindsaybluth]

@Beware_of_Doug

Think about it: why does he say 50% of his industry are dickheads, and yet he stays?

Because most people work for a living?

[Dangerosa]

@Beware_of_Doug

Aesop, walk gently when confronting smitty. What many consider cynicism is more like realism to him. I’ve been schooled a few times myself.

Think about it: why does he say 50% of his industry are dickheads, and yet he stays?

And don’t call him a whiner. Whiners are those who look for a sympathetic ear; he’s just telling it like he thinks it is.

I suspect he is paid rather well. His industry DOES have a lot of dickheads in it (I used to be a frequent customer of the services companies like his offer - Arthur Andersen used to send their people to six weeks of “being a dickhead” school…oh wait, it was “The Arthur Andersen Way.”) And you usually work long hours. But in consolation, the job tends to pay well, you do it for about ten-fifteen years, make partner and then haul in the dough, or don’t make partner and then get hired into a relatively cushy exec job for one of your clients.

And, some of us kind of like dickheads. Big 4 consulting types are often really charming amusing dickheads.

[aesop]

@aesop

I usually stay out of these threads because they devolve into cynicism so quickly

@Dangerosa

…His industry DOES have a lot of dickheads in it (I used to be a frequent customer of the services companies like his offer…)

QED.
Don’t confuse your perception with reality. Your experience does not translate into universal truth. It is just your perception, and in this case, it is a cynical, dismissive one. Blanket condemnations cover the good along with the bad.

[Beware_of_Doug]

@lindsaybluth

Because most people work for a living?

Ah yes, I forgot. The definition of work is not that they pay you for it, but that you wouldn’t do it unless they did.

[Dangerosa]

@aesop

QED.
Don’t confuse your perception with reality. Your experience does not translate into universal truth. It is just your perception, and in this case, it is a cynical, dismissive one. Blanket condemnations cover the good along with the bad.

Is it a blanket condemnation to say I like charming amusing dickheads? Or a universal truth that that industry does have a lot of them. LOT is one of those fuzzy “more that two, less than everyone” sorts of numbers.

[aesop]

@Dangerosa

Is it a blanket condemnation to say I like charming amusing dickheads? Or a universal truth that that industry does have a lot of them. LOT is one of those fuzzy “more that two, less than everyone” sorts of numbers.

It was more the general tone of your post. (The comment about sending their staff to dickhead school was a bit of a giveaway re: your feelings.)

I’m not here to condemn but to encourage, and to give my 2 cents of advice to the OP. And I sincerely believe the greatest determinant of a person’s future is not his skills or abilities but his attitude.