I am by no means advocating working your fingers to the bone for the same company to not be rewarded, however there is a certain level of give and take in these relationships. You aren’t special until you prove you are special. bitching and moaning on the sidelines and blaming “the system” for your lack of growth is your problem, not anyone elses.

The company saved themselves from having to make a “lump sum” distribution to me at age 65 well north of $500,000. Now I will get monthly annuity payments of a little over $1,000 a month with rights of survivorship. This is my reward for years of “hard work, overtime and dedication” to the company.

If I were starting out again in my 20’s I would pursue every dream I ever had and live life to the fullest. In the 70’s we were still tied to conventions, tied to the “promise of the big corporation” and “upward mobility”. It doesn’t matter whether you “keep up with the Jones” because they are worried about keeping up with you. People would be surprised how little other people think about you or what they think about you. They are worried about their own problems.

Enjoy life to the fullest, use your creativity and energy to chart your own path. You will make mistakes, get hard knocks and bruises, but don’t lock yourself in a “prison cell” to placate some “responsibility”. I can’t tell you the number of times that when people at work asked me how I was doing I would answer “just respecting the pay check”….. it’s no way to live folks. Be wiser than me.

Here is a chapter from a new book (In The Event Of My Untimely Demise) that really captures the essence of what Ron was talking about, above; namely balance between merit and experience: http://www.glennbeck.com/downloads/ude.pdf

As always, it comes down to the value of all parties involved. Little or no value, little or no money in little or no pockets. Conveyance of the value provided is also something to keep in mind.

–Dave Charbonneau

At my previous employer (<250 FTEs), this was evident at the bottom as well as the top… where leadership was leadership simply b/c they never left (despite sometimes being inadequate) and top analysts quickly became jaded and lacking in motivation after learning/realizing that they would be promoted with their “class” despite their out-performance.

Even though I garnered tremendous experience in 2 years by working my tail off, the culture cultivated there made it at the expense of my happiness and overall well being.. so anyone in such an environment may well do themselves a favor by extricating themselves!

Sometimes it isn’t a matter of tenure, it’s a matter of maturity. Unfortunately they sometimes DO go together and those who have only a little of each get upset.