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5/ Managers get props for trying hard and doing better than "utter, miserable failure" not for producing spectacular, elegant solutions
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6/ But the *moment* there is an alternative, and it is picked, it becomes clear how godawful the "best" previous solution really was
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7/ About 90% of the time, the "alternative" is for somebody to make an exit, removing the impossible problem altogether.
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8/ Over last 400 yrs, such exit options have proliferated. Serfs for example, had a once-in-3-generations chances to exit by revolt
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9/ Today, you're likely to have 10-13 jobs/3-4 careers in a lifetime. And 4-5 project-level exit opportunities within each job.
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10/ We've gone from 0.3 exits/lifetime to something like 30-40. Each exit "solves" an impossible management problem and improves things.
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11/ Managers are really stewards of pent-up emotional baggage and containers of pending explosions between stress-relieving exit events
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12/ Unfortunately, the exit option is MOST available to the MOST critical linchpin people with high demand elsewhere
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13/ This means exits often "solves" a critical people-problem by creating a new "talent" problem. Deadwood that won't be missed won't leave.
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14/ But net, this exit-centric way of optimizing net allocation of people at all levels from workgroup to national economy is a good thing
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16/ "The free market allocates things efficiently","labor immobility through cargo-cult loyalty norms/missions is a good thing"
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17/ "We want you to believe in this, do great work w/great people", "here are stock options to make it hard to form that belief honestly"
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