The usual pack of lies
Published on Oct 24, 2024 by Matt Bud, The FENGI often wonder to myself how politicians can do so much lying and get away with it. Okay, sometimes we boot them out of office for lying, but we only replace them with new folks who also lie.
The truth I suppose is subject to each person’s individual judgment. What one person considers to be an out and out lie, another person might consider to be stretching the truth a bit. To the degree that it suits one’s purpose, putting a positive or negative spin on someone’s job performance is what makes politics such great fun.
Man is a political animal. When I hear members tell me that they want to find a company that is less political, I say good luck. ALL companies are political. The important thing for you is to be affiliated with the right “political party.”
Truth telling is rare in corporate America, and I am not just talking about the senior executives at major corporations who have been caught with their hands in the till and given appropriate punishments. I am also talking about issues at a very personal level such as when we are applying for jobs or when we are being shown the door after “giving them the best years of our life.”
(Of course, your best years are ahead of you. This is a quote from a member of our Westport, CT chapter and represents an appropriate attitude for all of us, even those of us who are very old like yours truly.)
Many of the explanations you are given when you are not the candidate selected aren’t worth the air they are carried on if given in person, and certainly aren’t worth the paper they are written on if delivered by mail. Consider the potential legal liability for telling the truth. Matt, you weren’t hired because you were thought to be too old. Is that the basis for a lawsuit or what?
In much the same way, if you are terminated from a job, the “forces of evil” conspire to hide the real truth from you.
Most of what you hear usually falls into the category of “the excuse you can’t cure.” If you are being declined a job, pointing out that you didn’t graduate from a top 10 school is a good example of something you can’t change by 9AM the next morning. Neither can you fix the fact that you have no direct experience in their industry, even if that didn’t seem to matter throughout the entire interviewing process.
The take away I would suggest to everyone is to treat what you hear from employers with the same seriousness you take comments from politicians. Most of what is said about you has no real value to you going forward.
I will assume that if we accepted you as a member of The FENG that you have achieved something in your career. You have held senior level titles and been paid some serious money. The world doesn’t do that for just anyone. So, my assumption is that you must be someone special.
Before you allow yourself to fall for their pack of lies, I hope you will take a moment to regroup and remember who you are.
At least in my book, that is a pretty terrific person.
Regards, Matt