I’m going through a phase.
Well of course I am. I’ve been going through nothing but phases for my entire life. But this time I’m aware of it and it feels a little different. This one started a few years back for a variety of reasons (many of which I suspect I’ll write about down the road), but can be best summarized as “the end of the acquisition phase.”
Or more accurately, “how did I end up with all this crap?”
The true talent at most companies will tell you that they want multi-skilled employees with the ability to shift, change, and learn. Specialists have their place, but it’s the renaissance employee that makes a company flexible and responsive with an eye on the big picture.
Everyone wants a renaissance employee in their company. Nobody wants to hire one.
And by “nobody” I mean HR.
“I speak for all mediocrities in the world. I am their champion. I am their patron saint. Mediocrities everywhere, I absolve you!”
In short, I am your typical fat, balding, middle-aged, cynical, stressed-out, smart-assed white guy watching the engineers argue over who gets to pull the brake lever while the train roars toward the abyss.
