This is what I need to learn right now. When your pride is deflated (I got marked as “unsatisfactory” on “Leadership Strength” despite not actually having anyone to lead), when your work is genuinely futile (completing delivery of a cancelled product), and when you’ve just been given your year’s personal measureable objectives 10 months late and 20% of your mark is subjective and 30% of your mark is not personal but company wide, you have a unique opportunity. This is the point where you show the bastards that you can still press the buttons on your computer in the right order and perform the futile tasks to a high quality and remain cheerful, AND seek to improve your leadership qualities despite not being in a leadership role.

My instinct of course is to go home and watch a DvD.

But Jenny-the-ex-fiancee must be my guide here. She was routinely shat upon for months by her first employer but she never ever gave up. She kept on pushing through it all and eventually somebody recognized her strengths, tripled her salary, and gave her some people to boss around.

I don’t necessarily want triple my salary or people to boss around (uh oh, that’s not gonna score high under Ambition To Lead) but I would like to be able to do what she did. It’s probably better for everyone than simply drafting ascerbic “I quit” emails.