This is a very timely article personally for me and I think this is a really important issue that companies of all shapes and sizes need to be aware of.
I've had a couple of times in the past where I've come very close to being this guy. I'm a very hard worker and take my job really seriously (probably too seriously), and have had management that either doesn't appreciate my contributions, or is driving the company in the wrong direction that you can just see it's going to fail. In this situation, the best thing to do (for both parties) is to simply quit.
And now I'm my own boss, and putting just as much pressure on myself as the management mentioned in the article. I've come to realise very recently (and after some wise advice from a very good friend of mine) how dumb this is, and that there's a certain point you reach where doing more work actually produces less value. In fact you could draw a graph of working hours vs. output, and it would rise steadily up to something like 40-50 hours, and then drop pretty rapidly after that.
I'm learning that not treating everything as urgent, and getting priorities right and accepting that some things just have to wait ultimately ends up being the best thing for everyone involved, including customers.
I've had a couple of times in the past where I've come very close to being this guy. I'm a very hard worker and take my job really seriously (probably too seriously), and have had management that either doesn't appreciate my contributions, or is driving the company in the wrong direction that you can just see it's going to fail. In this situation, the best thing to do (for both parties) is to simply quit.
And now I'm my own boss, and putting just as much pressure on myself as the management mentioned in the article. I've come to realise very recently (and after some wise advice from a very good friend of mine) how dumb this is, and that there's a certain point you reach where doing more work actually produces less value. In fact you could draw a graph of working hours vs. output, and it would rise steadily up to something like 40-50 hours, and then drop pretty rapidly after that.
I'm learning that not treating everything as urgent, and getting priorities right and accepting that some things just have to wait ultimately ends up being the best thing for everyone involved, including customers.