“Here are some handy rules of thumb. Anyone who calls themselves a thought leader is to be avoided. A man who does not wear socks cannot be trusted. And a company that holds an employee-appreciation day does not appreciate its employees.
It is not just that the message sent by acknowledging staff for one out of 260-odd working days is a bit of a giveaway (there isn’t a love-your-spouse-day or a national don’t-be-a-total-bastard week for the same reason). It is also that the ideas are usually so tragically unappreciative. You have worked hard all year, so you get a slice of cold pizza, or a rock stamped with the words, “You rock!”
Makes you want to read further.
Most so-called business columnists these days rely on tired Top Ten lists or PowerPoint slides disguised as prose, offering Proven Success Factors, or Key Mistakes to Avoid. One can generate such stuff effortlessly using List.ly and/or our newfound realismo mágico tool, ChatGPT. No thought or writing skill required. It is the rare business columnist who uses satire to get a reader’s attention, then provides well researched, up-to-date managerial advice. Such a writer is Andrew Palmer, aka Bartleby.
If you are not often in a reading mood, the Bartleby column can be found in podcast form also. Called Boss Class, it provides a wealth of practical advice, properly seasoned with pithy observations of present-day office culture. Check it out. You won’t regret it.
Peter has spent the past twenty-plus years as an acting/consulting CFO for a number of small businesses in a wide range of industries. Peter’s prior experience is that of a serial entrepreneur, managing various start-up and turnaround projects. He is a co-founder of Keurig.
