“No Tears for Corporate Politics”

Did you ever work for a big corporation?  If so, do you remember the games you had to play? 

I enjoyed 25 years of service with Delta Air Lines.  I started my career in 1973 when it was vogue to work for an airline.  I still hook up with my old Delta buddies now and again to tell stories about the good ole days.  We still scratch our heads in amazement, wondering how we managed to ever secure such high profile careers.  
 
I enjoyed a very prestigious position with Delta.  The perks were second to none.  I traveled first-class all over the world, often entertaining international dignataries and corporate executives for days at a time.  

The airline industry has changed over the last ten years.  Clearly, the airline business will never be the same.  I feel sorry for anyone trying to make a decent living in the airline industry, coping with layoffs in a difficult economic climate.  But, that’s a blog for another day.  
 
Today as I sit in my office (at home), I think about how incredibly different it is to work as an entrepreneur vs. grinding it out every day as an employee for a major corporation.  I look at my life today with tremendous gratitude.  Back when I was living the corporate life, I never imagined doing anything else.  It is truely amazing how life plays out.  Ten years ago I didnt even know what a Direct Response Marketing Copywriter was.  Today as a small business owner, I can hardly believe I worked for a Fortune 500 company.  It seems like a different life.
 
                          Cannot Imagine Going Through The Corporate Regime Again

I cannot remember any time in my life where I’ve had more desire to start each day full of energy with fresh, creative ideas.  It’s refreshing to come from behind the big corporate curtain, away from the plushy business environment.  These days I spend my time working with clients, doing business where aggressive, creative business owners congregate.  No more business politics.  No more corporate game playing.
 
I’ve learned another life lesson.  People prefer dealing with people, not businesses.  All those years ago, my company’s primary focus was about image.  It was the mainstay of our job.  The image we portrayed was a valuable asset to our management.  We didn’t worry about budgets because money flowed to Delta like a giant river. 
 
Today my life is very different.  No more wool suits or expensive silk ties (although I do keep one hanging deep in my closet for that occasional wedding or funeral).  These days what I wear has little bearing on my success.  My clients expect quality results from me - and they get it.  They don’t judge me on how I look or how I dress.  In fact, I’ve found the relationships I enjoy today are far more rewarding than all those years hosting formal dinners and banquets, wearing a Hart Shaffner & Marx suit. 

It’s a breath of fresh air to call my own shots and make my own business decisions.  The absence of corporate brainwashed managers, trying to influence every decision I made is something I like having in my past.  The starchy rules, evaluation reports and corporate politics are clearly in my rear window.  
 
It was fun while it lasted, but my life today is focused on greener pastures.