Sorry Gallup....people don't really quit their bosses (despite what they tell you)

This is a continuation of my earlier post about why people leave their jobs. As you'll read in that note, I had stated that people leave their jobs as the equation between self-worth and net-worth goes south. From the comments that people left on the post, people seem to believe Gallup's finding that "People leave their managers, not companies".

I disagree.

Some people depend too much on their manager...for both self-worth and net worth. That is what I believe to be true. It's of course, true that one's manager is an important player. However, as I argue below, there are other sources of self-worth and net-worth, and most people would do well to find their true source of joy and wealth.

What brings joy... and satisfaction? You might get your jollies from any of the following people -your colleagues, your family, your community, clients your manager. If you have a bad manager you can just as well defocus from the manager and focus on your clients, for example. Treat the manager as an interesting (and irritating) side-show, and nothing more.

What adds to self-worth? Depending on your personality, your sense of self-worth could depend on your work, your social environment, your ideas (the ecosystem inside your head), and your moods. Maybe you like to engage people in stimulating conversation. Maybe you like to work hard and play hard. There are many things in this list, and the manager is just one of these items.

What adds to your net-worth? There are many ways in which your networth can increase- through your salary, your bonuses, your investments, and even "gifts" from other people. If you are too dependent on your company (and therefore your manager) for your networth, then you will be more sensitive to your manager. On the other hand, if your net-worth increases are not too dependent on your manager's largesse, you may as well not worry about how happy your manager is with your work.

The real question is...How much are you dependent on your manager for your sense of self-worth, and your increases in net-worth? If the dependence is high, you will have to figure out a way to reduce it, by adding other sources.

And now...the obligatory 2x2. Nuff said.

Cancer...Fat...Money???!!!

So here's another notion - Is too much money a disease?

Pause and think about this for a while...

Money that is not put into productive use just sits there and does nothing. It creates stress in the minds of people who own it. It causes families to disintegrate. It causes the mind to play silly games. It invites thieves and cheats. It causes kids to become lethargic and corrupt. Could this be a good reason that some of the richest people in the world - Bill Gates and Warren Buffett - are giving almost all their networth away before it addles their mind - and that of their kids - any further.

More money is good, then its bad: Its quite obvious, when you're poor, that a little money is a useful thing to have and that it brings you happiness. As you become richer, however, the marginal happiness that money can buy you keeps coming down until the point when an extra dollar saved brings you unhappiness - because now you have to worry about spending it, saving it, hiding it, storing it, protecting it.

Analogous to fat?: Its the same thing as being fat. The human body is designed to save the extra fat it gets. However, what is a good thing when you're thin, becomes a disease when you're not thin. Only in recent years social scientists have started looking at obesity as a disease, and are talking about an "obesity epidemic".

Now showing: Richness Epidemic...Perhaps, in a few years, there will be talk of a "Richness Epidemic". And it won't be a good thing then!

What is your worth?

This is a notion that has intrigued me for the last 15 years. A person's worth equal to the sum of the value other people place in him. Therefore, in order to increase his own worth, a person should strive to be of greater value to the rest of the world.

In Hindu religion, there is a concept of Shree (also spelt as Sree), which describes various forms of prosperity - wealth, respect, beauty and grace. In other words, a person's worth.

The unique thing about this definition is that all these attributes are relative attributes that can only be described in terms of other people's perception.

Now, given that a person's worth is relative (to what other people think he is worth), then the only way for a person to increase his worth is to strive to be of greater value to the rest of the world. The "rest of the world" is an abstract concept, and usually will include people that are not directly connected to the person in question. I cannot increase my worth through sheer will power. I cannot direct other people to think highly of me, as much as I can hold my breath and ask for money to be wired into my back account. It's not going to happen anytime soon.

So what is my bank balance worth? Only as much as you are willing to value it at. If I have a billion dollars in my account, and you think nothing of the money (as an observer), then my worth is nothing in your eyes. Depending on the context, therefore, even hard cash may be worth nothing. There is no absolute value of a person's worth.