How to avoid psycho-sclerosis: Hardening of the attitude
Guest columnist Jim Halbruegger shares some of the lessons he's learned in his long federal career.
While taking some holiday season time off, I asked some readers to fill in the blanks here with a guest column. Today’s is from someone who’s had a very interesting life (including the Combat Infantry Badge) in government and the private sector. His name is Jim Halbruegger and he’s definitely been there and earned the T-shirt. Here’s his report:
First, thanks to Mike for asking me to contribute to his column while he is (I hope) enjoying a holiday vacation.
Who am I? Caucasian male, raised in St. Louis, Missouri, almost 70 years of age. College degrees in marketing and accounting/finance. Drafted, Army infantry, Vietnam, Purple Heart, VA disability rating.
I will be retiring from government service this coming summer after a total of about 16 years. This includes two years in the Army served between college and graduate school. Between the Army and civilian service, I spent 25 years in private industry, most of the time working for a large corporation and, most recently, 3 years failing in a business (ad)venture with my wife.
Musings on my ‘career’
Over the past 42 years, I have experienced many situations, good/bad, happy/sad, boring/interesting, puzzling, scary, etc. I’ve been treated very well. I’ve been treated very badly. I’ve supervised people and, as all of us, have been supervised. I’ve screwed up and I’ve succeeded. Sometimes, my life has been held together with “baling wire and chewing gum,” sometimes even “hanging by a thread.” I don’t really recall my life ever “running like a fine Swiss watch.”
The one constant in all these years has been me: who I am, the only person I have had to live with every minute of these years. I believe that, really, that’s all we ever have. Fortunately, we each have complete control over who we are and how we interact (or don’t) with our co-workers and the world.
In times of adversity, I’ve asked myself: Did I truly try to meet my personal standards? What has been most important was the trying, not the success or the failure.
As I prepare to leave a “work” environment and step into the “unknown” of retirement, there is a mixture of curiosity, anticipation and a tinge of fear. My years in government have been for the most part interesting and enjoyable. For many of those years my supervisor was a person who others found very difficult. What kept me going was the content of my responsibilities and my focus on them. I found my enjoyment in that and felt I was making a contribution. I’ve had great co-workers and had many opportunities to grow personally as I interacted with them. In short, I’ve mostly enjoyed my time in civilian government.
Over the years, we all, consciously or unconsciously, draw conclusions about “how the world works.” On a recent Sunday, our church minister recommended that we be careful to avoid developing “psycho-sclerosis”, a hardening of the attitude. It’s not always been easy to be flexible in my attitudes and my approach to “life.” I hope I’ve succeeded most of the time.
“Don’t believe everything you think” is the title of a book by Thomas E. Kida. I haven’t read his book. I discovered the phrase on a bumper sticker at my church. It’s a little jarring at first; but, it does seem to go along with the “psycho-sclerosis” concept. I’d add: “bring your dancing shoes to work” because I could never be completely sure of what I’d actually do or experience on any given day.
Other Musings
- For those “feds” who have only worked for the government, please understand that it’s not that much different in a large corporation. The “insanity” is just a different color. “Management” can be just as “clueless.” There are management “perks” and worker bee drudges, fights over office/cube size based on rank, incomprehensible decisions on how to spend resources.
- “Running the government like a business” would probably create more problems than it would solve.
- How in the world do our agency managers tolerate testifying before congressional committees when they are treated like punching bags, whether they deserve it or not? I know I couldn’t handle it. I’d need a vice grip attached to my tongue to keep from telling them off.
- Many of our offices are being converted to “cubes” with very low (if any) walls, all in the name of “opportunities for enhanced collaboration.” No personal privacy. More noise and distractions. In one of my first jobs, my desk was actually in an aisle. I got accustomed to it, sort of. But, good grief! What will the “new” furniture arrangements do for productivity and employee satisfaction? People are buying headphones to block out the noise. So much for “enhanced collaboration.”
- Speaking of cubes, shouldn’t their size (and the equipment you are provided) be based on the work you are responsible for instead of your GS level?
Nearly Useless Factoid
By Michael O’Connell
Dr. John Gorrie is credited as the inventor of the ice cube.
Source: Wikipedia
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Mike Causey
Mike Causey is senior correspondent for Federal News Network and writes his daily Federal Report column on federal employees’ pay, benefits and retirement.
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