Lately I’ve been hearing lots of “inspirational” stories about people “reinventing” themselves in response to our challenging economic climate. For example, this one from CNN describes a couple forced to sacrifice “beloved trips to the opera and museum” in order to work on a farm (tragic, ain’t it?). I saw another on Fox News last night, a touching personal story about a thirty-year financial sector veteran who took a job “in retail” to make ends meet. I believe she was described as “heroic”.

As my young colleagues might say: “Lolwhut?” Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s wonderful that these people have adapted to the present economic situation, but since when is supporting yourself some heroic act? Isn’t it what you’re supposed to do?

Throughout my career, I’ve encountered many individuals who think they’re special for doing what they’re supposed to do–workers citing their completion of projects on-time as justification for a raise; salaried employees trumpeting the fact they stayed 15 minutes late (or, god forbid, came to work on Saturday) to meet a deadline. Since when does doing the job right merit special recognition?

When performing a task, you inevitably fall into one of three categories:

Lame (“You suck.”)
You don’t do the task, you do it poorly, or you do it too slowly.

Normal (“Thank you.”)
You complete the task as expected.

Awesome (“You rock!”)
You do the task better or more quickly than expected

If you suck, you should be punished. If you rock, you should be rewarded. There are no points for normal.You don’t get a pat on the back for doing what you’re supposed to do. There’s no reward for fulfilling your obligations.

Act without doing; Work without effort. Think of the small as large and the few as many. Confront the difficult while it is still easy; Accomplish the great task by a series of small acts.

Being on the telephone does not mean I’m working hard. The papers all over my desk don’t make me busy. Putting in overtime doesn’t mean I’m getting things done. Running around does not make me productive, and barking orders doesn’t mean I’m in charge.

If a routine job consistently requires extra time to complete, then there is something wrong with the job or with the way in which it is completed. “Overtime” is not to be admired–it is to be shunned as a salute to inefficiency. The best worker appears to be doing nothing at all. The best leader does not need to give orders.

And of course, the best “meeting” is one that never takes place. :)

It’s been about ten years since I designed my first web page and here I am, back where it all started. After building websites professionally for nine years, I feel like I’ve come full circle in some ways. I’ve gone from being an enthusiastic amateur designer to a cynical project manager at a web design firm. But all of that is behind me now. It’s time to go back to my creative roots. As I enter the blogosphere, it’s time to have fun again. (more…)