I had an epiphany this evening that could explain some things about my "career". I've always wondered why I didn't work my way further up the corporate ladder. Why did I always get stuck in dead-end IT positions? Why didn't my career advance as quickly as my friends and co-workers? I had all the qualifications. I had years of good, solid performance evaluations. I was innovative. I was proactive. When I found broken or flawed business processes or procedures, I not only pointed them out, but I suggested solutions and work-arounds. Customers frequently complimented my performance to management. So why didn't my career go anywhere? After 30 years in IT, tons of experience and a Masters in the field, why was I still finding myself in positions that offered little to no advancement? Why was I essentially a computer schlepper? Well, I was watching a movie earlier this evening (something I rarely do, by the way) and there was a scene that got me to thinking. In the movie, some corporate type calls in his admin and tells her that he wants a particular person fired. That's it. No explanation, nothing. The admin says "You got it", turns around and leaves his office. No questions asked. No demurs, no reservations, not even the hint of a moment's hesitation, nothing. He told her what he wanted done and she did it, without asking any questions. I asked myself how I would have handled the same position were I the admin and my answer was: "I would have asked questions". First and foremost, why did he want the employee fired? What would I say to the employee? What possible reason could I give to HR? How could I keep this from coming back as a wrongful termination lawsuit? That's when it hit me. All these years, I've been a BAD employee. Instead of taking my orders and making management happy, I've been making the mistake of communicating with my employers. I was laboring under the misapprehension that a GOOD employee ASKS questions, formulates a working plan with the manager and keeps management apprised of developments. I suddenly realized with crystalline clarity that a good employee doesn't do ANY of those things! A good employee receives orders from above and executes them, no questions asked. The less management knows, the happier they are because 1) they can move on to another issue and 2) it provides management with a modicum of plausible deniability, however transparent it might be. Management doesn't want employees who keep them in the loop or ask questions. Quite the contrary. Management wants employees who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, regardless of the consequences and if getting the job done requires breaking rules or risking severe recriminations, they don't want to know. Management wants YOU, the employee, to figure out a way to insulate them from any repercussions and the better you are at getting the dirty work done without any fall-out or blow-back, the better and more valuable an employee you are from their perspective. And to think, all those years I labored under a fallacious misconception. Like a complete fool I thought working within established corporate policies and boundaries, being a diligent worker, going the extra mile, being timely, coming in early, working late, etc., were what defined a "Good" employee.....how stupid could I have been???? Well, although its too late to do me any good now, maybe the realization will help some of you.