It just is. But once someone's in the limelight, I guess it's fair game? I got my fair share of ribbing for my "national radio appearance yesterday..."
In a meeting I was in today, the subject of "employees-who-join-reality-shows-and-then-quit" was brought up. After visiting vernafelton.com, we got to know a bit more about her. Nearly everyone in the meeting was surprised she was an MS employee, so it's not a topic that's raging through the company, even though many of us watch the show. I have to admit that I haven't watched any of the shows on my PVR.
Did she do the right thing? I mean, sometimes the right thing to do is to walk away (at least that's what I tell my kids sometimes!). Do her actions make you think differently about the kind of employees that Microsoft hires?
Do your actions in public represent the image your company wants to portray? Does it matter what your company thinks?
This situation sort of reminds me of a Fast Company cover story from last year about
women who are dropping out of the corporate executive track (what I tend to refer to as
the Corporate Caucus Race). Those established in the hierarchy see women quit (mostly
because of quality of life issues) and decide they did so because they couldn't hack it.
The women themselves more often see it as exiting that particular playing field in
search of a better, more rewarding game. In this way, we all have a price, a threshold
beyond which we will not pass and remain as we are. Sometimes the price of accomplishing
something -- whether it's winning a hypercompetitive televised contest or holding the
top seat in a multinational corporation -- is not worth the reward of the accomplishment
itself. Sometimes there are other things we want more than simply winning.
Posted by: Jenny | Friday, February 11, 2005 at 07:39 AM
You know, it never even occured to me to ask my company what they want
my public actions (BrrrrrrPPBrrP) to portray. I wonder if folks that
have (Brrrruuuup) golden parachutes also get a list of behavior
expectations along with the parachute. Hmmm not that I think
about it I doubt it, right Martha?
Posted by: Eric | Saturday, February 12, 2005 at 11:04 AM