Chapter 5 : The Pivotal Role Of Circumstance Part 4
If a father dresses his son in the finest clothing, places a purse of gold around his neck and then tells him to stay all day on the the steps of a brothel, is it possible in that context for the son not to enter and sample the wares? -Inspired by The Talmud. [i]
Take a smart person who wants to make a difference, and put him on the most exciting project at a small company. Is it possible for him not to work all the time? Here is how “Alan” describes his experience at a biotech startup.
“I loved my work. There were stages in my job both at the plant company and at the genomics company where I loved my work. I would get in early, I would stay late. I thought I was making a contribution and it all felt right to me. What made it good? It had to do with the corporate leadership, when I was really clear in my scientific heart that we had strengths to address what we were going after. What I knew from my training as a scientist, the company had resources and it really felt like we were aligned with the goals of the company.”
Being aligned with the goals of the company and making a difference are two of the most common answers that people gave me when describing a positive work environment. I can relate, and Alan’s story brings back memories of the best times from my career.
Then, Alan talked about his family life.
[i] The Talmud is a collection of stories and commentary to supplement the Torah, the Jewish books of law (aka the Five Books of Moses in the Old Testament.) This story is based on a passage in Tractate Berachos.
[...] <<Previous Next>> Please ShareLinkedInFacebookTwitterStumbleUponPrintMoreDiggRedditEmail Filed Under: Busting Your Corporate Idol, Chapter 5: Pivotal Role Of Circumstance, Featured Tagged With: Busting Your Corporate Idol, chapter 5, circumstance, pivotal role of circumstance, work life balance [...]