They have the skills to get things done, the passion, and perhaps most importantly, the patience required to make elephants dance (big companies get stuff done). Every time I meet one of these gems, I walk away believing a little more in the human condition.
I really wonder how often these three traits are all found in one person. I have a hard time imagining a person being passionate and able to get things done, but being willing to move forward at a rate mandated by the rest of a large, bureaucratic organization. Perhaps this is the group of people that is competent but also feels a stronger obligation to those they support to have something stable.
My reaction to this is slightly different than the authors: I actually find myself fearing for the human condition. Whenever I meet these people, I find that they are often on the brink of ceasing to care. They'll keep their skills, and keep learning new ones, if only because they are insatiably curious. They'll remain patient, because what they are dealing with at that moment is likely the hardest test their patience will have. But, they'll lose the passion, either because they tire from constantly pushing against the elephant, or because the feeling of obligation will force them to, so that they don't burn-out and potentially leave those who depend on them unsupported.
One might argue that their passion isn't lost, it is just redirected to other things (children, family, other hobbies, etc.). This I have a hard time believing, because I've run into people at small, young companies who are passionate about their families and hobbies, but they are also passionate about their work. These are the people that make me believe a little more in the human condition; they are the ones that have decided that sacrificing their fulfillment, although noble and heavily encouraged socially, has its own risks that are not trivial. It's possible that they can be fulfilled just by family and other hobbies, and their work doesn't have to matter. If they can't, depression will fill the cracks, and will bleed over into every part of their lives, in spite of how much they may claim success in compartmentalizing. Even if they can, treating this as a zero-sum game seems broken to me, if for no other reason than the people I've known who are counterexamples.
I really wonder how often these three traits are all found in one person. I have a hard time imagining a person being passionate and able to get things done, but being willing to move forward at a rate mandated by the rest of a large, bureaucratic organization. Perhaps this is the group of people that is competent but also feels a stronger obligation to those they support to have something stable.
My reaction to this is slightly different than the authors: I actually find myself fearing for the human condition. Whenever I meet these people, I find that they are often on the brink of ceasing to care. They'll keep their skills, and keep learning new ones, if only because they are insatiably curious. They'll remain patient, because what they are dealing with at that moment is likely the hardest test their patience will have. But, they'll lose the passion, either because they tire from constantly pushing against the elephant, or because the feeling of obligation will force them to, so that they don't burn-out and potentially leave those who depend on them unsupported.
One might argue that their passion isn't lost, it is just redirected to other things (children, family, other hobbies, etc.). This I have a hard time believing, because I've run into people at small, young companies who are passionate about their families and hobbies, but they are also passionate about their work. These are the people that make me believe a little more in the human condition; they are the ones that have decided that sacrificing their fulfillment, although noble and heavily encouraged socially, has its own risks that are not trivial. It's possible that they can be fulfilled just by family and other hobbies, and their work doesn't have to matter. If they can't, depression will fill the cracks, and will bleed over into every part of their lives, in spite of how much they may claim success in compartmentalizing. Even if they can, treating this as a zero-sum game seems broken to me, if for no other reason than the people I've known who are counterexamples.