I was reminded of this last night when talking to a colleague... A gentleman recently left the company. From a few whispers over the wall, I assumed he was let go for not being up to the challenge. It turns out that this guy just got his PHd and was probably on to bigger and better things. Perhaps he didn't perform well in his position because he wasn't inspired by the work. I can see how he could feel that way. There are times when I am less than inspired by the work I am doing. My consolation is that I have 2 kids to feed and it pays well. A friend told the story about how Vanessa Carlton said in a concert, "I'll be singing this song for the rest of my life (her billboard hit song A Thousand Miles), but it allows me to write/sing these other songs to you so I don't mind." I'm reading the Covey book, The 8th Habit. It says much of the same thing. The environment you work in should not be about politics and backbiting and character assasination. It should be about respect and inspiration. In the past, I think I've been part of the problem. I'll try to do better.