Which Ship Would You Sail?
I was watching the movie Morning Glory the other night and had a thought strike me near the end when the lead character is offered a job with the Today Show. She is forced to make a decision to stay with the much lower rated morning show just as it is beginning to show signs of life (thanks to her), or jump ship and join the top-rated, well established program.
The question that came to mind was this, would you rather be on a ship sailing high and glorious or turning a wayward ship around? I’ve had to make that decision on a few occasions. Twice with my previous employer I had the opportunity to manage fledgling departments and overhaul them. Twice I chose not to. But part of me really wanted to take on the challenge. I felt I could have made major improvements and help straighten them out. But it wasn’t a good time. I had two young children, my husband already had a management position and made enough money for us. Both of these new positions would have required me to work 60 to 80 hours a week for quite a while. I just couldn’t justify doing that to my family.
Your answer to that question depends largely on your personality. Do you like to be challenged, or do you prefer to go with the flow and let someone else do the challenging stuff? The answer also depends on where you are in your life. Just because you like a challenge and think you can make a difference doesn’t mean you should accept every challenge or even one you really want. Those of us who like to change and improve messed up things have to be careful not to let pride over-ride our common sense.
So which ship would you prefer to sail?
from my notebook 