You're a Cog in a Giant Wheel

You think you’re important to your organization? Well, you’re not. That simple revelation may come as a shock but it is true! In an episode of Friends I saw a few weeks ago Chandler exclaims, “All right, kids, I gotta get to work. If I don't input those numbers,... it doesn't make much of a difference...” In the movie, Jerry McGuire, Jerry (Tom Cruise) gets fired. As he walks out of his office with Dorothy (Rene Zellweger) he states, “Let’s see how they do without us.” As they leave, the office workers are quiet and motionless as they watch. Once Jerry and Dorothy are gone and the door shuts behind them, the office resumes business as usual.

Cube Monkey’s are expendable. Ask yourself this question. If you stopped going to work, could the company go on without you? Be honest. Unless you are the sole employee or work for a VERY small company, the company will be fine without you. Sure, they’ll struggle for a week or two, but the company will still thrive. An organization is built with structure and processes to ensure its survival. Despite what management and popular leadership books state, the organization must survive. In order to do so, it must make employees expendable.

The organization is a machine. Its parts are its people. Like any machine, if a part breaks down, falls out or is taken out, it can easily be replaced. Perhaps some parts are more expensive than others. Some parts may even be hard to find. But a part is a part. It can be replaced.

Sound depressing? It shouldn’t be. It is reality. That is why you shouldn’t base your life on your work. Think of the other areas of your life where you are important and essential. If you died, your family would never be the same. You aren’t replaceable. Sure, your wife or husband may re-marry, but there will always be a place in his/her heart for you.