This is sooo good. Honestly, I wish I was the dude working on the chart since February. But alas, I was not. This rings so true as your writing always does! You have such an authentic and beautifully unique voice, which also happens to be highly relatable. I’m not sure how you even pulled that off but keep doing it, please. It’s perfect. Articles that make you laugh while sending a big message are among my favourite. ❤️❤️
Humour is sneaky! I’d say that’s the same reason that Bracken Tide Emberfox also catches people off guard. I mean, it’s just a comic - it’s just a bottle.
Your humour gets me. You’re just so good! I love reading your work so much ❤️❤️
The so-called "visionaries" survive (and almost always fall up) because no one understands what they're saying. They have elaborate PPTs with charts and graphs and lots of tech babble, and for some reason, enough people seem to think they're smart that they not only survive, they thrive. If you have an actual, bona fide vision, which you can articulate WITHOUT slides (meaning, you can talk), that you have activated with tangible deliverables and measurable impact, and you have data to back up your impact, people blink at you as if you're speaking Sumerian. Then you're re-orged, so that you can tell your Sumerian stories to someone else. You get more projects that you are told align with your vision, but which are actually antithetical to and undermine it. When you say "no" (because sometimes you just have to hold up the stop sign), your whole team is fired. I speak from experience. :-) And I'd do it all again! :-)
Orgs tend to reject a vision when it threatens existing incentives, power structures, or ways of working. To me, that’s so counter intuitive 🙄
They often reward narratives that reduce uncertainty, even when they’re light on substance, and punish ideas that require structural change, even if they’re evidence-based.
Wow, I saw your article after I posted mine in Roger Browne's chat. I always try to read someone else's article, and I am so glad I clicked here. This was so dead on. I have been in retail 25 years, and this is 100% the truth. You give them a little, or show that you're efficient,next thing you're training, throwing freight alone, making schedules, and not getting any extra pay. You just get to do others jobs, and be abused. All the while everyone else just rides the wave. I am taking a much needed break from the corporate world. My husband has been telling me for years, just act dumb at work, don't show them what you're capable of. He is right, and i read him this, and he chuckled, yep dead on. This is excellent advice, because screw corporations lol.
It's both comforting and deeply distressing to realize how prevalent this phenomenon is across the globe. If all competent employees began slow walking it at once, maybe the world would change.
🥹shame … I was taking pride in being that person at my internship. And now I put myself in burn out leave . I’m not burn out but I felt so close … now I’m working on my Substack instead and looking for a job. At least something has got to give til I figure out my self destructive work patterns. Let’s go let’s go!
🥹I’m happy you shared this with me. I saw other colleagues doing and I was like what? So when I ask you something you’re referring me to Google but when you need something my door is expected to be open ! My! Sorry to hear ! What a work culture.
I laughed far more than I should have at "Greg has been making one graph since February." We've all worked with a Greg.
What I appreciated most, though, is that beneath the humor there's a very real observation about competence. The people who quietly keep things running often become victims of their own reliability. Their willingness to help slowly becomes an expectation rather than something that's appreciated.
The line about "It's quicker if I just do it myself" hit particularly hard. It starts out feeling efficient, but over time it quietly teaches everyone else that you'll always carry the extra weight.
Thank you for making me laugh while also making me rethink the difference between being helpful and becoming indispensable at my own expense.
This made me grin like an idiot from start to finish…all while wincing from recognising the real reality of this! Greg is a real person in every team, by the way 😅🩷🙏🏽💯🔥
I learned that being capable does not mean I have to become available for everything. Boundaries are not laziness, and protecting your energy does not make you difficult. Sometimes the most responsible thing you can do is stop rescuing people from the consequences of their own lack of responsibility.
Protect your gifts, protect your peace, and never let a workplace convince you that burnout is proof of loyalty. Powerful and hilarious writing, my friend. 🤍😂🙏
All four of those are great. I would add don't share your experience, pretend like it's your first day lol. Also, don't show them better ways, let people learn on their own. I always failed there, I had been a store manager in my past, and wanted to just be a part time worker, but every time I ended up being told I needed keys or to be in management. This last job I had I said nope to promotions, but still ended up helping out managers, ughhh the struggle lol. 😅 🫶✨️
Ugh I have such a “inner child” scar where I want them to know they’ve hired the right person so I share my experience early. It’s my way of saying, “I belong here …accept me” 🤦♀️ MISTAKE!
And, I always help people…and it’s never been a good thing 🤦♀️ MISTAKE!
Ok I’m adding these to the rulebook! Thanks so much!! 🫶💖✨
This is sooo good. Honestly, I wish I was the dude working on the chart since February. But alas, I was not. This rings so true as your writing always does! You have such an authentic and beautifully unique voice, which also happens to be highly relatable. I’m not sure how you even pulled that off but keep doing it, please. It’s perfect. Articles that make you laugh while sending a big message are among my favourite. ❤️❤️
Awwww 🥰 Thank you so much!!
I think the articles that make people laugh are my favourite to write too 🤭 Humour lets a message sneak in and dance in plain sight 😂🤣🫶💖✨
Humour is sneaky! I’d say that’s the same reason that Bracken Tide Emberfox also catches people off guard. I mean, it’s just a comic - it’s just a bottle.
Your humour gets me. You’re just so good! I love reading your work so much ❤️❤️
Aww thanks so much!! 🥹🫶💖✨
The so-called "visionaries" survive (and almost always fall up) because no one understands what they're saying. They have elaborate PPTs with charts and graphs and lots of tech babble, and for some reason, enough people seem to think they're smart that they not only survive, they thrive. If you have an actual, bona fide vision, which you can articulate WITHOUT slides (meaning, you can talk), that you have activated with tangible deliverables and measurable impact, and you have data to back up your impact, people blink at you as if you're speaking Sumerian. Then you're re-orged, so that you can tell your Sumerian stories to someone else. You get more projects that you are told align with your vision, but which are actually antithetical to and undermine it. When you say "no" (because sometimes you just have to hold up the stop sign), your whole team is fired. I speak from experience. :-) And I'd do it all again! :-)
Oof yes 🙌 I’ve seen this so many times 🤦♀️
Orgs tend to reject a vision when it threatens existing incentives, power structures, or ways of working. To me, that’s so counter intuitive 🙄
They often reward narratives that reduce uncertainty, even when they’re light on substance, and punish ideas that require structural change, even if they’re evidence-based.
Ugh corporate life 🙄😅🫶💖✨
Wow, I saw your article after I posted mine in Roger Browne's chat. I always try to read someone else's article, and I am so glad I clicked here. This was so dead on. I have been in retail 25 years, and this is 100% the truth. You give them a little, or show that you're efficient,next thing you're training, throwing freight alone, making schedules, and not getting any extra pay. You just get to do others jobs, and be abused. All the while everyone else just rides the wave. I am taking a much needed break from the corporate world. My husband has been telling me for years, just act dumb at work, don't show them what you're capable of. He is right, and i read him this, and he chuckled, yep dead on. This is excellent advice, because screw corporations lol.
Awww thanks so much! My partner says the same thing to me!!! The problem is…I dunno how 🤷♀️ A couple years ago, I started making rules for myself…
1) don’t submit your work ahead of the deadline
2) if you’re not given a deadline, don’t make one up
3) don’t schedule progress/update meetings or emails unless asked
4) NEVER work unpaid hours
So far, I’ve perfected numbers 1 and 4. But it’s made very little difference 🤦♀️ I must be missing a key rule. Thoughts?😅🫶💖✨
It's both comforting and deeply distressing to realize how prevalent this phenomenon is across the globe. If all competent employees began slow walking it at once, maybe the world would change.
I know, eh?! It’s soo wrong but seems to be the way things work 😓 Yes we all need to just slowly walk it and set up boundaries 🫶💖✨
🥹shame … I was taking pride in being that person at my internship. And now I put myself in burn out leave . I’m not burn out but I felt so close … now I’m working on my Substack instead and looking for a job. At least something has got to give til I figure out my self destructive work patterns. Let’s go let’s go!
Oof sorry to break it to you. But yeah, being competent is surprisingly self-destructive at work 🤦♀️
I’ve been on burn out leave too many times and plan to take some time off after my current contract.
If you can master it, burn out can be fought using the three Bs:
✨balance
✨boundaries
✨breaks
🫶💖✨
🥹I’m happy you shared this with me. I saw other colleagues doing and I was like what? So when I ask you something you’re referring me to Google but when you need something my door is expected to be open ! My! Sorry to hear ! What a work culture.
I laughed far more than I should have at "Greg has been making one graph since February." We've all worked with a Greg.
What I appreciated most, though, is that beneath the humor there's a very real observation about competence. The people who quietly keep things running often become victims of their own reliability. Their willingness to help slowly becomes an expectation rather than something that's appreciated.
The line about "It's quicker if I just do it myself" hit particularly hard. It starts out feeling efficient, but over time it quietly teaches everyone else that you'll always carry the extra weight.
Thank you for making me laugh while also making me rethink the difference between being helpful and becoming indispensable at my own expense.
Bahaha ! Oh Greg…teach me your ways so I can stop burning out!! 🤣😂🤣 Stay strong 💪 🫶💖✨
This made me grin like an idiot from start to finish…all while wincing from recognising the real reality of this! Greg is a real person in every team, by the way 😅🩷🙏🏽💯🔥
Bahahaha 😂
I think we’ve all worked with a “Greg” at some point… and if we haven’t, there’s always the terrifying possibility that we’ve been “Greg” 😅
NOTE: no offence to any Gregs out there…it’s just a placeholder name. Thanks for being a good sport 🙌👏 🫶💖✨
I learned that being capable does not mean I have to become available for everything. Boundaries are not laziness, and protecting your energy does not make you difficult. Sometimes the most responsible thing you can do is stop rescuing people from the consequences of their own lack of responsibility.
Protect your gifts, protect your peace, and never let a workplace convince you that burnout is proof of loyalty. Powerful and hilarious writing, my friend. 🤍😂🙏
Yes absolutely 💯 👏🫶💖✨
🙏🙏❤️❤️
All four of those are great. I would add don't share your experience, pretend like it's your first day lol. Also, don't show them better ways, let people learn on their own. I always failed there, I had been a store manager in my past, and wanted to just be a part time worker, but every time I ended up being told I needed keys or to be in management. This last job I had I said nope to promotions, but still ended up helping out managers, ughhh the struggle lol. 😅 🫶✨️
Ooooooh those are so good!! 🙌
Ugh I have such a “inner child” scar where I want them to know they’ve hired the right person so I share my experience early. It’s my way of saying, “I belong here …accept me” 🤦♀️ MISTAKE!
And, I always help people…and it’s never been a good thing 🤦♀️ MISTAKE!
Ok I’m adding these to the rulebook! Thanks so much!! 🫶💖✨