Business Leadership/Career Advancement

[ultrarunner]

Work Life Balance for lack of a better word seems to have undergone a fundamental shift. Not just in medical where I work but in industry and business in general.

The tractor dealership has more work than mechanics.

The days of competing individuals seeking promotion to managerial or career advancement with increased pay/responsibilities have changed.

Capable and proven individuals shun advancement and even step down in favor of shorter work week or work from home options.

As senior level individuals leave the workforce with institutional knowledge it can be a real struggle to replace... often the desire is simply not there and in cases with desire it could be ability is lacking.

I'm seeing this in hospitals, service departments, manufacturing, Telecom, Government, etc.

Maybe it's as simple as changing priorities? Some suggest job burnout where unlimited overtime offered and covering shifts is an ongoing management headache.

The local auto dealership shop rate is $225 an hour and mechanics are compensated well but openings are many...

Seems like it's a good time for those driven to advance.

 

[mikester]

Sometimes working salary with longer hours, more responsibilities and higher tax bracket ends up meaning you earn less per hour than a low paying hourly job where you get to go home at the end of your shift and turn your brain off.

The answer is to win the lottery getting a government job with a gold plated indexed pension, no responsibility and no accountability. Then retire early picking up high paying government contract work to pay for your new boat and cottage and holiday trips.

 

[ultrarunner]

It does seem upper level Government management is a revolving door... always the search to fill vacant positions... some police departments down 40% in staffing.

 

[Diggin It]

I don't go to my dealer very often due to the distance, but the last time I did, I found the owner under a tractor alongside one of his employees helping to work out a problem.

I kind of razzed him a bit and he said he does everything.

They're community people though .... suspenders and wide brimmed hat types, so maybe that makes the difference.

 

[oosik]

I worked for the government when in Alaska. I moved quickly to upper level management. It was all OK except the political part. It was all the politics that finally made me decide to quit - retire early - move to our 80 acres here in NE WA state.

I was fortunate. Retired at the age of 40. Made a fortune selling our house in Anchorage. Used every penny building what we have here now.

 

[Citydude]

I retired from mining from a mid manager position. In that arena, budgets are adhered to. I left out of there exhausted from budget cuts, production cuts and lay offs due to the then pResident.

I got bored after a year of retirement and was as offered a position as operations manager of the towns utility's.

After 6 months, I couldn't hack the waste of taxpayer funds and little to no accountability. Trying to make changes to those two areas was again, exhausting. It was an ingrained culture and I wasn't up to the uphill battles.

 

[workinonit]

Our business sector has dramatically changed. Companies are hiring engineers to work from home and most are getting 30 to 40% increases over what my company is willing to pay them. We have lost a half dozen engineers. I really struggle with how we can do wjhat we do in the power sector from home. I think we as an industry are headed down a slippery slope.

 

[Doughknob]

Sometimes working salary with longer hours, more responsibilities and higher tax bracket ends up meaning you earn less per hour than a low paying hourly job where you get to go home at the end of your shift and turn your brain off.

The answer is to win the lottery getting a government job with a gold plated indexed pension, no responsibility and no accountability. Then retire early picking up high paying government contract work to pay for your new boat and cottage and holiday trips.

Or…… just invest in stocks for 35 years…..

 

[oosik]

Local politics were simply an excuse to use taxpayer funds for "pet projects". I found a way around this and was wholly disliked by my superiors. We would apply and get federal funds. Federal funds were earmarked for specific projects. These funds COULD NOT be moved and allocated to local pet projects.

When I quit - 80% of my operating budget was federal grant funds. My God - how the local politicos hated this situation. Many considered my local money as a slush fund that could be moved and used for their pet projects.

It was a constant battle. I quit and let somebody else fight the "rats".

 

[EddieWalker]

My wife just did something like this. She was the Director of the BSN program at the University. She was getting tired of dealing with everyones issues, it was more about baby sitting then educating students to become nurses. Since her passion is nursing and not babysitting, she stepped down as the Director and took the position of RN to BSRN Coordinator. Same pay, a lot less work, works from home, and more time to focus on Research and Grants. They hired two people to replace her. In her case, it made a lot of sense to walk away from Leadership.