In working life there’s a huge emphasis on standing out – whether it’s marketing books about being remarkable or leadership guides about making your mark. It’s like the whole world is busy with some massive universal X Factor, desperately striving for attention and acclaim, wanting to be bigger, better, more fabulous and more interesting.
But with all the drama of this past year – the recession, MPs’ expenses, bankers’ bonuses – even Copenhagen, I’m wondering if our resolution for the coming year shouldn’t be to embrace the dull. We’ve had a decade of too many egos, too much lust for status and wealth. Behind all this posturing and power play lies the usual amount of human fallibility.
The sad truth is that we’re all bound to mess up in some way at some time, in spite of even very good intentions. And the mess has finally got out of hand.
So how about some modesty in 2010? I’m looking forward to things just being quiet and low key for a while.
16 December 2009
Embrace the dull
In working life there’s a huge emphasis on standing out – whether it’s marketing books about being remarkable or leadership guides about making your mark. It’s like the whole world is busy with some massive universal X Factor, desperately striving for attention and acclaim, wanting to be bigger, better, more fabulous and more interesting.
But with all the drama of this past year – the recession, MPs’ expenses, bankers’ bonuses – even Copenhagen, I’m wondering if our resolution for the coming year shouldn’t be to embrace the dull. We’ve had a decade of too many egos, too much lust for status and wealth. Behind all this posturing and power play lies the usual amount of human fallibility.
The sad truth is that we’re all bound to mess up in some way at some time, in spite of even very good intentions. And the mess has finally got out of hand.
So how about some modesty in 2010? I’m looking forward to things just being quiet and low key for a while.
Boring is the new rock ’n roll.
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