I’m not feeling motivated today, so I’m not doing any work.
And if others aren’t working hard, then neither do I.
It’s my manager’s job to constantly praise me and my work, even when I’m clearly messing up.
Besides, I’m not being paid enough for what I do.
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That was my attitude when I joined a team over 20 years ago.
I made a lousy $36,500 a year while working 80 hours a week. That’s $9 an hour.
I was managing people who made $250/hour.
And running projects with multi-million dollar budgets that were making the company a lot of money.
I worked harder than everyone else around me, as far as I could see. And I believed those other people didn’t do much, at least from my point of view.
I was defensive and entitled, blaming other people for my issues instead of owning up and taking charge.
It’s not until you become a manager yourself that you learn how ridiculous your behavior was when you were younger.
For my entrepreneur and manager friends– my empathy is to you since I understand how much time you spend helping your people, even if they don’t appreciate it now.
Keep on going, since a few of these eager, smart, immature young adults will blossom into incredible leaders– and you’ll look back on those moments with gratitude.
Set the example by getting the job done, even if those around you aren’t or are full of excuses.
