Patriotism, Loyalty, and Company Devotion
18 September 2006Recently, probably somewhat related to issue that led to the talks of
teamwork and my heated interactions with my boss and the general
manager, I haven’t been feeling particularly loyal or devoted to my
company. To be honest, this feeling isn’t new, but has only been
heightened. I look at work as a business, not a charity, not a
family. My company pays me to do work for them, which in turn makes
them money. In general, it makes them more money than it does me, so
I have very little pity. I do not feel like I owe them anything, and
neither should they feel they owe me anything more than they can get
away with paying me. I’m not saying that I am not loyal, but rather
that my loyalty stems from a working relationship, not from any
emotional or other connection. I’ve made it a point since starting
work to have my central group of friends and life be outside of
work. I have very few work friends, partly because they’re generally
older and I have little in common, but mainly because I want it to be
that way. Admittedly, that stance made the initial transition to
Germany much more difficult, but now I am really grateful that I held
out and waited to build up my own social life.
I have read stories about how Proctor & Gamble employees are
extremely company-centric, have almost exclusively P&G friends, and
really live and breathe the company culture. Honestly, I personally
find that boring and limiting, but if I were an executive or
shareholder of that company, I’d probably think it was wonderful.
Creating devotion and getting reliable hard work and good results
from employees is something every company wants. The Japanese in
general are also amazing in their ability to devote themselves
tirelessly (literally working often until “last train”) to the goals
of a company. It’s part of their culture, and it’s a large part of
what makes Toyota what it is today (and more importantly getting to
that point).
Despite some of the clear advantages, I know I am definitely not
built that way. And I also am not so sure that kind of devotion and
single-focus is always necessary. First, let’s look on a personal
level. I have always strived to be well rounded, never being too one-
sided. Although I was to a large extent a math and engineering nerd,
I made it a point to round out with foreign languages (minoring in
German), going to a liberal arts college, doing marine studies
programs, studying art and architecture. I’m socially well rounded,
multi-cultural, travelled, physically active (from intercollegiate
varsity rowing to German Kreisliga soccer to running marathons), and
well read among topics as varied as psychology, history, modern
novels, business, strategy, self improvement, philosophy. I say this
all not to show off, but to reflect the fundamental point: the reason
I am all of those things is because I want to be all of
those things. I have a relentless desire to do different things, be
a jack of all trades, be competitive on every front. I read
different subjects even now, 2 years out of graduate school because I
am interested in a variety of subjects. I enjoy rowing
AND soccer AND training for a marathon. I enjoy dancing all night to
techno, having a chill whiskey, and drinking cheap beer at a house
party.
So the point of that surprisingly long tangent was to stress that
being diverse is good for the company, maintaining outside interests
is healthy, and the way to be successful is not necessarily to get
really nerdy single-minded people but to establish a work environment
that is challenging, rewarding, and exciting. I know that’s what I
want. Not to cheer some lame corporate logo or new mission statement.
It’s a similar situation with patriotism. I’m a first generation
American, of Cuban and Peruvian descent, living in Europe. I was
born and raised in Miami (how ‘American’ Miami is, is a totally
different discussion). There are many things I love about the USA:
the unbeatable college/university system, the entrepreneurial spirit
(woo hoo, I spelled that right the first time without spellchecker!),
the short but principled history, the stable legal and political
systems that make it possible to build immense wealth honestly.
There are also things about the USA that I hate: McDonalds, ignorance
of other cultures, George W. Bush, Wal-Mart, urban planning built
around and reinforcing a debilitating and frustrating reliance on
cars. I am not afraid to challenge the things I don’t like, and I
feel that doing so will make my country a better to live for me, my
fellow citizens, and all of our offspring.
I know that if I worked at Apple, I’d have insane and probably
unhealthy company devotion, and if Bill Clinton were still President,
I’d be a hell of a lot more patriotic than I am now. So is the fault
in how I look at the situation? Or in the leaders and issues? And
furthermore, does unbridled company devotion and blind patriotism
really help? I do honestly feel that a little doubt, controversy,
dialogue and general challenges to the status quo should help bring
about change, ideally for the better, but at the minimum to help
think about the current situation.
Probably the best lesson I learned about my previous e-mail
situation, was understanding how and when to challenge. The way I
did it actually undermined the point I was trying to make, and ended
up putting me unnecessarily on the hot seat (nevermind that I somehow
loved the feeling and intensity of being in that position).
I will never stop challenging myself, my parents, my family, my
superiors, my company, my country. I just hope I can do it in a way
that actually brings about change, and doesn’t move people to build
up walls, defend their current position at all costs, and put me in
an undesirable position.
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