Daodejing, Verse 75

Daodejing - Other Voices

On the Dysfunctional Company
(or: A Fish Rots From the Head Down)
The projects are failing
because those above leave them insufficient resources;
that is why they fail.
The employees are hard to manage
because those above abuse their power;
that is why they are angry.
The developers take their jobs lightly
because those above make demands that consume their life;
that is why they scoff at layoffs.

Well, he who does not trade his life for his livelihood
is wiser than those who value their jobs.

chapter notes:
In this case, I have translated the abuses of the aristocracy to those of management. I have also adapted the general to the specific; in particular, I have split concerns over life and death into concerns about “jobs” on the one hand, and “life” in the modern colloquial sense (as in “get a life”).
~ from The Way of the Consultant, author unknown, original post date: 4/2/10 ~

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