The life of an executive is purely alien to me. Managing is not in my genes or family history or training, so I’ve carefully avoided getting into such jobs. The few times I had to do a little bit of managing, I failed and hated it.
Here’s a rare candid insight into how it feels, which might give me a tad more empathy if not sympathy for the aliens.
From an Ankler article on the turmoil at Paramount, which is in the middle of a weird supercomplex buyout that seems to involve part-ownerships by all the Tech Tyrants.
= = = = = START QUOTE:
Still, none of them are really entertaining the idea of just walking away. “I can’t imagine being an electrician or an accountant or all these other jobs that could offer stability, or even just a better work-life balance,” says an executive at a legacy studio. “I’m also not a parent yet, and I’m at a stage of life where I don’t feel like I’ve got other things that I would rather be doing.” But he looks at executives further along in their careers and realizes they feel stuck, too. “Their lifestyles are asking them to do a lot with the money that they make and that forces them to feel the need to keep their golden handcuffs on.”
= = = = = END QUOTE.
Their lifestyles are asking them is a powerfully condensed picture.
Lifestyle means status. For the exec type, the sole purpose of life is maximizing status. All else must be sacrificed.
Polistra's Mill 