You could be the other bastard ...

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The famous American General George S. Patton (during WWII) told his men “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his” … very wise words indeed. YES, loyalty demand great respect but General Patton exploited other people’s loyalty … let the other bastard for his country. You don’t win the war by dying (of loyalty or otherwise).

Today, in big organisations or small companies, there are people who demonstrate the same loyalty for their companies. Maybe you are one of these good employees who walked the extra mile. You are a die-hard loyal soldier … when asked to jump, you simply asked “how high” … you don’t even ask what you are jumping for and why. You put the company first, often go all the way making personal sacrifice for the company. And for that, you may just end up being one of the many pieces on the chess board … being positioned, played, exploited and made to “die for the company” for the benefit of others. On the surface, it is business as usual but underneath the carpet are smiling backstabbing opportunists scheming for an easy climb up the corporate ladder. And the end of the day, the shrewd, cunning, conniving and scheming ones are the winners.

OK, maybe it is not all that bad and gloomy. There are still good people around but just too few of those “old school” types who still hold loyalty, honesty and trust close to their chests. I am a strong believer of loyalty, honesty and trust but unfortunately these good values are often exploited by many. In underhand company politics, loyalty is a weakness, honesty is a flaw and trust is a big mistake.

Do you think people really care about your loyalty, what you have contributed, how hard you have worked or how much you have personally sacrificed? The instant you are out of the picture, people will only talk about your imperfection. Someone told me once that when you cry, no one sees your tears … when you are in pain, no one sees you are hurt …when you are worried, no one sees your stress … and when you are happy, no one sees your smile ... but when you FART just one time, everybody talks about it. How true!

So, are you a die-hard loyal, honest and trusting employee? If so, you should mull over General Patton’s words … you could be the other bastard made to die for his country … or in this case, die for the company.
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