Mihaela Mustaca

The modern Roman arena

I am reading a remarkably interesting book. “The Big Five for Life” by John Strelecky. Although the book appeared more than 10 years ago and refers to the American working life, it has a couple of points which are truly relevant for our current professional life.

It would be a great Christmas gift for the “gods” in the companies today. The ones who get to decide who “lives” and who “dies”.  The ones who treat people like numbers. The ones who dehumanize our working life to the extreme.

Let us be honest, the professional world Corona hit was far from perfect. But maybe, just maybe, there should be a chance that the people who accompanied a firm during its best days, deserve also to stay with it during its less glorious ones… Like in a marriage “for better or for worse”. But then again, they are also getting rarer nowadays.

The aim of the company is to make profit. At any cost, maximize the profit. Pay shameless amounts of money to CEOs, CFOs, and externals just to treat people like numbers and percentages. Just to transform the working days in the private companies in a modern Roman arena. 

All along my professional life, I tried to work WITH the company, not FOR the company. My work was my hobby. This attitude is made impossible today. When the colleagues think “Better she than me”, when everybody is just concentration on saving their own skin, how can the teams work closer together, when all they can think about is “Who will be the next one to leave? He or me?”?

I wonder what kind of professional life Corona will leave behind. I do hope for a change in the attitude and human quality of the managing people. Because motivation and joy at work bring so much more to the company than fear! So that trust can regain its value among colleagues.

Corona brought us closer together in the private life. We are more willing to help our family, friends, and neighbors. But it did exactly the opposite to our work life.

I am just a humble professional hoping for the best.

Stay safe and avoid the worst!