The Sell By Date

“The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, it’s culture, it’s history. Then have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long, the nation will begin to forget what it is, and what it was…”
— Milan Kundera

They’re tired. They’ve been doing this twenty-five years. Time to retire. So, many do, taking their payout and moving on. But what they take with them is not just their accumulated payout, but their share of the intangible culture.

As your elders move on, what goes out the door with them is much more valuable than their retirement check. Their experience, their stories about what worked in the culture, and what didn’t.

Culture is ephemeral, and invisible for the most part. It’s an enormous battle to establish it, and an ongoing challenge to keep it fresh and genuine. Each time another crisis hits and the team comes together to weather the storm, it grows stronger. But when people begin leaving, those who remain are faced not only with doing their daily tasks, but going above and beyond to handle things in ways that speak to the larger culture. Many, however, resort to merely getting through the day, over the hump, or just taking the paycheck.

Aging organizations mature away from their root culture and morph into colossi. They forget their stories, and destroy their core assets. Big, successful, fat, self-absorbed, bloated and committed to their past. They have lost their gladiators, and only the get-by people remain. Those left, are not concerned with continuing to build a reputation and a shared pride, but just with keeping on.

It’s indicative that in the best years, people come to the shop to learn the culture, to compete like crazy to earn their place and mature into leaders. In the bad years, people arrive at the firm considering that their new place of employment confers on them the badge of having arrived. That’s it! Just getting hired proves that they are at the apogee of their career. Sadly, they probably are. Arrive at ten. Lunch at 2:00. Cocktails at 5:30. It’s all downhill from here. In certain cultures, this is called an “Iron Rice Bowl.”

When you’re choosing your next organization, look for one that loves its stories and culture. Where people take you aside and tell you the history of the firm with relish and style. There’s history around every corner in a winning firm, and not all of it is obvious; so, you may have to buy some people a drink or two to dig it up, but in a winning firm, you can smell it. People are staying late to grow the place and their own piece of it. A company on the path is all about the clients, and service.

In the colossi, sadly, it’s no longer about growth and creativity, but about following the rules, staying out of the leader’s way, not making waves and not taking risks. It’s political, with mini-empires everywhere. You can also smell that. A company passed its Sell By is all about who’s in charge, and how to preserve and enhance the exit package.

Choose your next employer carefully, not for the money, but for the way you’ll spend your time in that cultural milieu. It’s either culture in the making by design, or culture on the decline by default. It’s about what you make in either place, but it’s not about the money.

When you look for work, consider the Sell By date.

Applications

1. For You
Anywhere you are is either getting bigger, better, stronger — or something else. Then you make a decision. Stay and fight for more! Or Go find a better opportunity. Don’t be swayed by reputation! Sometimes the decay is far along before the world finds out. Make your own choice and live with it, cause it’s debilitating to live life on the down escalator.

2. At Home
Help your family get sensitive to the indicators of trajectory in the school, the martial arts club, the band and the community board — also the political clubs. You can feel it, smell it, notice it, but not just in words. Honest pride is a wonderful aphrodisiac, and a boon to association. It’s easy to fall in love with a place that’s going up.

3. At Work
Your career is an investment. Your time, your energy, your heart and soul are all assets to be entrusted to the work. But only if they get that, and care. If you’re only allowed to invest your time, that’s a limited pay back. On the other hand, they might want everything, but only to prey upon your energy and good will. Discover that when you evaluate that next job. Think carefully about the kind of place you’re committing to, and whether they are able to pay you back in kind for the investment of your life.

You’ve put a lot of your life into your work so far, and it’s not over.

So, check the Sell By date, and dig in!

Dessert:
Earlier we referred to an “Iron Rice Bowl.” Here’s more.

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