The Energy Crisis (No Not That One)

Last week I was talking to a colleague who had recently been let go from somewhere he'd worked diligently for 5 years.

It's seems the VP had hired a new Director and the Director wasn't fond of my friend so he wanted to let him go.  The VP, who has known my friend for a long time, didn't want to overrule his new hire so he let my friend be fired.

Shortly afterwards the new Director when to the Board of Directors and accused the VP of not knowing what he was doing.  The Board of Directors, who had wanted to see more progress, believed the new Director and let the VP go.

What goes around, comes around.

Or, as my friend put it, "Karma is a Real Bitch."

True enough.

My friend, who is very good at what he does, has been hired into a new role at a much higher level than he was at before.  The whole situation has actually been very good for him.

While we were talking he said, "You know what the worst part is?  The worst part is that I stayed until they fired me.  I KNEW they were miserable bastards.  I should have quit."

"We get sucked into what we know." I told him.  "Until we don't even realize what hell it is."

"I dont understand how people manage like that." he told me.  "I try to care about my people and support them." he added.  "And when I support them, they work harder and support me."

"It's like this," I agreed.  "When you smile at someone who is having a bad day, it picks them up, it energizes them so they have energy to put into their work, energy to give back."

"When you are miserable to someone it bring them down." I went on.  "It drains them so that they don't have energy to do the work - or to do anything else - an certainly no energy to give back."

"Exactly." he agreed.

So smile.  It's the best gift you can give yourself.

Comments

[D H ARZA]

so true...sometimes were need a kick in the pants to get moving..

[joeinvegas]

Yup, easier to stay where you are than change, even when you know change would be better.

[TM]

Read this . Quick, easy read that talks about the power of positive energy.

http://www.theenergybus.com/

[Christine]

Change is scary; even if it will make one's life better. I stayed in a miserable job because I doubted my abilities and I thought I was making an awesome wage with fabulous benefits but I hated it and I used to dread going in every day. I ended up moving to another position within the same company and my level of happiness increased exponentially! Then I got pregnant and decided to stay at home with my babies. LOL

[My Half Assed Life]

It's the best gift you can give anyone working under you.

I'm always amazed by how far just a good morning, or thank you for your hard work and time this week goes. Then I wonder why more managers/supervisors don't do the same. It costs nothing, and wins loyalty and productivity.

[Lisa @ Floating Along...]

Crazy but so true. I'm glad things worked out well for your friend in the end!

[The Borg Blog]

You said it right! Positive begets positive! :)

[Jen@whenpigsfly]

So true. It's about what you choose to put out into the world. Be a miserable creep and you'll get that energy back. A smile does do wonders.

[Terrye]

My dad always said, "Do what you love and love what you do." If I notice I'm miserable in a job, I look for ways to make it better - even going to the boss and airing my concerns. If it doesn't get better in 6 months, I move on. It's worked for me for 20 years and I have always left my previous employment on good terms. In fact, I still get requests to come back. :)

Glad your friend found a position that suits him better. And extremely good advice! :D Have a wonderful weekend!