Be careful of who you work for

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/10/be-careful-of-w.html

by bdfh42 • 18 years ago

76 43 18 years ago

sethgodin.typepad.com

fallentimes7• 18 years ago

The entire time I read this, all I could think about was "squidoo".

robg• 18 years ago

How about: Be careful of who you work with

adityag• 18 years ago

Definitely!

Seth argument makes sense for all these three: who you work for, who you work with and who works for you. It’s more about the work environment.

I have worked in great work environments as well as not so great ones...and I believe it is the single most important factor affecting your productivity and growth.

edw519• 18 years ago

As usual, Seth has an incredible grasp of the obvious.

fallentimes7• 18 years ago

The way so many people blindly adhere to him is unbelievable. He's like the Joseph McCarthy or Emperor's New Clothes of marketing.

helveticaman• 18 years ago

I've found his posts have been getting better. This one in particular qualifies as the elusive obvious.

Alex39172• 18 years ago

In Seth's own words, his job to remind people of what they already know. Even if you don't like it, I don't see why it's so hard to see the value of such a service.

jyothi• 18 years ago

true. However the title seems stronger than the post.

iamwil• 18 years ago

It's less obvious to those that don't have an idea of what they want to do, esp straight out of college with no work experience.

pchristensen• 18 years ago

I can't tell if that's a compliment or a slam.

tomsaffell2• 18 years ago

Ditto. Maybe that was the point?

I'll give him a compliment, because whilst this advice maybe obvious, it is extremely difficult to follow, and it is useful. IMO that makes it a worthy post.

I have followed this advice once, and it was really tough to do, but ultimately I'm very glad I did.

Allocator20083• 18 years ago

OK, it's not "who you work for" it's "WHOM you work for". Pet peeve of mine, people saying "who" when they mean "whom" - if the "who" is the object of the action "work for" then it is "whom", like "To whom are you speaking?" NOT "Who are you speaking to?" Irks me no end.

Allocator20083• 18 years ago

Hey to whomever down voted this comment: down voting it doesn't make "who" right when it should be "whom". Down vote this all you want, it does not change the Queen's english darling.

foulmouthboy• 18 years ago

True, but it does keep the irrelevant conversation out of the way of discussion of the actual news item.

netcan4• 18 years ago

I'm not sure it's hers anymore.

dmoney• 18 years ago

You should learn American. Dynamic typing makes it much easier to use.

shiranaihito• 18 years ago

Whoever? :)

tomsaffell2• 18 years ago

I believe it's neither. Both end the sentence in a preposition, 'for'. If you want to be accurate (which I guess you do, since you posted) then it is "for whom you work".

Allocator20083• 18 years ago

Touche! :-)

baha_man• 18 years ago

http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/plainenglish/writingm...

"Here are seven non-rules imposed on writers that can be safely discarded...

(3) You must not end a sentence with a preposition."

cabalamat• 18 years ago

That is advice up with which I will not put.

thisrealjob• 18 years ago

Sometimes people take bad jobs out of blinding need and over promising executives. At least that is what happened in my case.

It is my fault for staying for so long though. At least I have something to blog about now.

goodgoblin• 18 years ago

Another important question to ask yourself - Who does number two work for?

gwsaines• 18 years ago

I'm not entirely sure why everyone is always hating on Seth. His blog posts are hit or miss, but that doesn't mean he's an arsehole.

michaelneale2• 18 years ago

Whilst I agree with your point, I am shocked at your courage to attempt to use the English spelling of "arsehole" in the internet. Haven't seen it written that way for too long a time !

I find myself giving up and using American spelling and terms.

Even Firefox doesn't know how to spell, despite me telling my OS many times my locale to an alarming level of detail.

13ren3• 18 years ago

I think you're right, that it's simply US vs. British spelling, but I've always felt that the usage is slightly different (and that therefore maybe they are actually different words...).

An asshole seems to be someone you are angry with (legitimately or not). It's about behaviour (or perception thereof); but to call someone an arsehole is a darker, earthier insult, and is closer to what they intrinsically are. It seems more literal to me.

Maybe this is because I've mostly heard "asshole" on sanitized TV; but I've heard "arsehole" in uncensored RL.

PS: Firefox then spellchecked in a way that was almost but not quite entirely unlike British English.

ig1• 18 years ago

Vault, Wetfeet, Glassdoor, etc. If he doesn't think there are sites with company reviews he hasn't been looking.

cbrinker• 18 years ago

Or just work for yourself? I guess that kind of requires the whole knowing what's best for you mentality as well, though.

13ren3• 18 years ago

I found this article thought-provoking (which is the best kind): it's about how we see.

Our point of view is affected by where we are; and the lens through which we see is affected by the people around us, what aspect they pay attention to, and their values. Because the way we see is so fundamental to verification, changes in it can be insidious - and changes to values are often virtually undetectable.

Be careful of who you work for

Related Stories