RESET Chapter 9 — Freedom from ego
Career Doctor
strong sense of ego
,
limiting factor
,
working relationships
,
action plan
,
existing organisational chart
Which of the characters displays a stronger sense of ego, and why might this be a limiting factor in creating successful working relationships?
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Feeling guilt for switching allegiance
I hold myself to a high moral standard. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always believed that being a professional meant doing your work, doing it well, and that great work done with a good attitude would earn you career advancement over time. Credibility, trust and respect should be at the cornerstone of all professional relationships; nothing more, nothing less.I’ve been at my company now for a long time, and have seen a lot of staff come and go over the years. However, the leadership was effective and remained relatively stable, and the company had a good reputation. But this all started to change in the last few years as the previous generation of board members gave way to younger ones.As that happened, the new board tried to implement some changes, which would have been a disservice to the staff. Rightfully so, the long-standing CEO resisted those changes in order to protect the employees. Unfortunately, the board used this as motivation to replace him with a puppet CEO who would do as he was told.The new CEO then instigated a witch-hunt to root out his predecessor’s most loyal supporters, and to pressure the remaining staff to disavow and discredit our old CEO. The staff who weren’t purged were offered bonuses and forced to sign new contracts for their compliance, and anyone who refused to sign the updated policy was let go.I have a family to support and reluctantly signed the contract for our continued financial stability. But that decision eats away at me as it went against everything I believed in. The former CEO is a good man who was doing the right thing by his people, even though many of us allowed our silence to be bought. How can I live with myself?
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Worried about the future
I have a decent job, but I’m worried about whether I can continue to be relevant and stay employable in the long term. The cost of living in Hong Kong is high and there are so many uncertainties. It’s stressful thinking about the future and whether I’ll be able to keep providing for my family. For now, I can, barely…there’s only so much the salary of a mid-level manager can afford.I’m conscious of the fact that I’m only somewhat average in my education, skills and career. I already feel that the next generation are much more skilled than I am. I’m not very technologically literate — technology was not as common an influence from childhood as it is to today’s young. I have a bachelor’s degree, but there are so many more people now getting their master’s. I’m fluent in English and have conversational Cantonese, but my Mandarin is terrible and the positions in my industry where being bilingual is advantageous are increasingly favouring Mandarin.I know that companies are embracing technological solutions that are starting to reduce and replace the need for human workers, especially those who don’t have specialist skills. I also read that there are even A.I. lawyers doing legal research for major law firms and A.I. robots taking over certain surgeries, so not even highly technical fields are safe. So what hope do I have as an average Joe?
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