Cultivating Your Replacements

How the "these people" attitude clogs the talent pipeline

I won’t be here forever. None of us will be. I don’t like to think about it. There are days that I spiral into a completely disorienting dark place where I think about all the people I will miss and the moments that will no longer be mine to participate in. I am but a memory, a photo on a reel of digital images, a pile of programs and initiatives that are put into a circular file. 

It’s a humbling thought. 

Workplace happiness is something that has been studied by economists as well as sociologists. Bottom line, the happier you are at work, the more work that gets done, and having a life outside of work benefits you in and out of the office. It’s not that hard to understand, but it is difficult to create in practice as an employee and particularly difficult to promote as a manager. The knee-jerk reaction of managers when they see their employees enjoying their outside work activities is scrutiny. Especially when that employee is asking for time off to focus on these pursuits. 

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash