Despite having lots of good memories from my corporate career I tend to remember a few of the bad ones more often. 

I remember flying to the head office in Birmingham for quarterly sales and business development meetings and thinking how utterly vile a lot of my “colleagues” were.

We have a saying in Scotland - “He/she TALKS a good job” -  That phrase rang in my head as I watched bullshit presentations which the top brass seemed to lap up even though they were clearly just so much hot air.

When my turn came I just told it straight: I’ve got this business coming in - these are maybe’s and I’m working on these…

No funny pictures of me on a camel inserted into my presentation slides “accidentally”.

No tall tales about wining and dining clients who might have a million in business to give me. 

I realised it was all just corporate game playing. These people would happily climb over your dead body to get up the ladder. Not my scene.

Then as the recession bit hard I was made redundant (comfortingly much later than many of the bullshitters - they all get found out in the end) and was approached by several competitors.

During one interview which seemed to be going well, the MD said I just have 3 more questions for you …

I honestly can’t remember the first two - just business related - but the third - OMG!

                “Are you a washed up has been?” 

That one threw me a curve! I know now that the intention was to gauge my reaction - another common corporate game. I answered by telling him that I had quite a lot of new business coming in so no - I’m not. He could tell he had thrown me though.

Needless to say I don’t miss the corporate mind games. 

It’s just a shame that so many people are stuck in that particular mindfield simply because they don’t know they have options. 

That’s the situation I found myself in a few years back when I was made redundant. I couldn’t see any alternative than to immediately try and replace the job within a different company. That’s when I got the 3 questions routine! 

And seriously - who, given the choice, would really want to work with people like that? 

Fortunately, these days there are much better alternatives. If you are stuck in the corporate rut or having to be someone you’re not It’s time to too up with the skill that will let you escape.

An application to join SFM is what did that for me and can for you. 

Click here to check it out.

Cheers!