Is this where so many go wrong?

I came across this on a friends Facebook page and I was struck, by the power of its message. Initially I was thinking that it would be great if every teenager could really understand this and not have to learn it through the knocks and bumps of life, often only appreciating it later in life - or is that just me?

Then I started thinking about all the corporate management development courses I have attended that under "self awareness" have carried the message that one needs to fit in to get on. Of course there is the explicit support of diversity, but in practice the ability to clone yourself of your boss has long been a contributor to success. But is the right? It may be easy for the boss to handle staff who look, talk and think like he or she does, but does that really help the enterprise? From th eother side one hopes that if one looks like a boss, walks like a boss, thinks and talks like a boss otehrs will see you as boss and promote and reward you.

In contrast I was a) thinking about the times when I have felt myself, yet as one with the organisation and b) when one feels twisted out of shape just being there and the marked difference in energy levels and contribution between the two situations.

While there is undoubted wisdom in the saying as written for one's personal life, the wisdom in working life is that finding the workplace where you do not have to change to be valued and engaged is the key. All the time you are having to present a "face" just to get on, your contribution will be below optimum and your energy will be continually drained.

Sometimes this means saying no to a job opportunity as it is not the right place. This can be hard in times of economic difficulty, but is probably the right answer in the long run.

Anyway, food for thought.