Friday, June 10, 2011

The Power Of Positive Thinking

So there we have it. 25 years in the same office, many happy years, though recently unhappy, I've been luckier than most.

25 years ago we had six full-time staff in our department. Now, we get a lot more work done with one full-timer and two part-timers. From next week, apparently, optimistically, that full-timer will be replaced by a part-timer. And that's me gone.

Computerisation is great. I wouldn't be able to do this without it, find new friends and show off in front of them. But it's replaced so many jobs over the years. Good, honest hard work is out and creativity is in. I don't mean traditional creativity like making music or art or literature, a much more modern kind of creativity, a knowing look, a bright spark in the eye, a brain trained in business becomes a brain that is so open to so many opportunities it can hardly contain itself within the brittle skull surrounding it. Why don't we do it this way? Have you thought of doing it this way? What about this, what about this, what about this? So many creative ideas flooding from the business brain, spreading over the boardroom table it's difficult to keep them apart. But do you want to? Maybe the ideas all interlink and organically grow into one big idea and we can see the big picture and we look up to the sky and look and look and realise just what a gigantic wonderful world this is and we're so lucky to be a part of it especially in this day and age when creative people are at the hub of a future that can only be sunshine and flowers and positive thinking is going to make it that way and this PowerPoint presentation is going to prove it, you bet it will.

18 comments:

  1. The sheer amount of creativity out there seems to have exploded at precisely the time that the money disappears. Hope things work out, sir.

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  2. Yes, I hope that things work out too.

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  3. I was going to make a facetious comment about pushing the envelopes out of a box into blue sky. But I won't.
    I also hope things work out.
    Sx

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  4. So you'll have to arrange your own cake? Oh well, you can make sure it's your favorite. And not share it!

    Lots of very bestness.

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  5. I'm not surprised your pissed Geoff.

    But you could be the next Stuart Baggs.

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  6. Anonymous5:13 PM

    25 years in the same office is something I can't imagine.

    When I turned 20, I was working in the tax office.
    When I turned 30, I was a university student.
    When I turned 40, I was working in sales/marketing.

    When I turn 50, I'll probably still be in teaching.

    You'll look back and enjoy this change of direction, I'm sure.

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  7. Was hoping this was one of your fictional escapades?

    If not, God, hope things are OK.

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  8. Thank you all for your best wishes. It's going to be an emotional day next Thursday, not least because I'm the firm's sex symbol. Or is that mascot?

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  9. Bah. Stupid bosses. I hope something you like better comes along and you can laugh in their faces.

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  10. It's not looking very promising.

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  11. Did someone mention cake?

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  12. This must be one of your mini-fictions, surely? If it isn't, then someone else, long overdue, can make much better use of your gifts. Do they extend to cake-making?

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  13. There may be a job going for you at Barlow's Bookies if John Stape screws up.

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  14. I'm thinking of writing a proper book. I've already checked out a quiet spot in the library.

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  15. I'd worked in the same office for 22 years when we fell victim to a hostile takeover in 2007. Quite a shock.

    I work in IT, and even in IT we never have enough humans. Computers can't do it all, and everyone's creative ideas aren't equally effective. They'll realize it someday :-/ Meanwhile, I am wishing you the best of luck -- and think the book idea an excellent one.

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  16. Thank you. I'd better get writing!

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  17. Sorry to hear you are losing your job Geoff. Rol has also just lose his over at Sunset over Slawit but seems delighted! I was made redundant 2 years ago but have a job again (albeit with fewer perks and less money).

    Yes computers replace jobs, but the real hope for humanity is that it's all counterbalanced by that supreme job creation scheme - incompetence. Normally aided and abetted by software malfunction and systems not doing what they are supposed to do.

    Good luck in whatever you do next.

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  18. Thank you. Employers seem very exact about what they want nowadays. They want you to have had experience of a very similar job before you apply.

    I'll probably end up temping if there are any temping jobs going.

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