What NOT to do when working for a big corporate machine

A few months ago I caught up with one of my first bosses in corporate, Steve. Super talented, very ambitions and a wonderful person overall. He really knew his stuff and he was promoted internally ever two years. He climbed the ranks fast, because he knew what he was doing, delivered results AND knew how to work well with people. I hadn't seen him for a few years and I asked to meet up with him to get his ideas on a book I'm working on. I knew he'd have a lot of examples and things to add to the book.

I crossed the busy street carefully, remembering how my friend was hit by a taxi a few years ago in the same spot (she had thankfully been okay), and I walked up to the big white building. I only had to wait for a minute before I saw him walking down the escalators from the front entrance. He waved and walked down quickly.

As we walked towards each other from a few meters apart, arms outstretched to shake hands, I noticed the lines in his face. The wrinkles that weren't there the last time I saw him, and the white hair that was now taking up more space above his sideburns. His expression was the same as always. Confident, happy and welcoming.

"Hey mate!" he said enthusiastically as we shook hands. He was a much bigger and taller guy, so his hand engulfed mine. It felt good to see him again, all the great memories of working for him came flooding back in an instant.

"Hey Steve, how you been?" I replied as we stopped shaking hands and started moving in the direction that I came from.

"I've been good mate, it's been a long time. How's everything at your new job?" he asked.

"It's going well! It's a little too relaxed for me, but I'm getting through. It's a different experience, completely different to this place" I pointed back at the building he came out of.

He chuckled, turning his head to the left to check that there were no oncoming cars.

"It looks like neither of us—" he said softly as we neared a new coffee shop that had opened since last I'd been there. It had white chairs, most of the tables were outside and it had Jazz playing. Looked very posh, the perfect place. I was expecting the coffee to be good.

"Sorry what did you say?" I got distracted by some noise in the background. Some supercar had just driven by and it had a mighty sound. I could hear the rumble of a big engine. It was good to be back in the city.

"I said, it looks like neither of us are bound for this place".

"What do you mean? You're leaving?" I questioned, surprised.

"Nope. They're letting me go." he said.

"No way!! What happened?" I was shocked. I had so much respect for him and what he had accomplished so far. What could have happened for him to be let go like this?

One of the waitresses walked up to us as we approached the cafe "table for two?," she enquired with raised eyebrows, in her French accent.

"Yes, please" Steve replied.

"Anywhere you like," she said in an airy tone, motioning to a few empty tables that were under cover, but outside. It was a nice day today, so we chose an outdoor table.

"So, what happened?" I asked while taking my suit jacket off and draping it over a spare chair at our four-seat table.

"Well, it's a long story but what happened is, they didn't have a position for me. I'm too overqualified for the job I'm in, and they've been bouncing me around for a few years in different roles now" he said, shrugging his shoulders, telling me that he didn't really understand why.

"But you created the business, the entire new line of work, the new systems and the new teams. What do they mean they didn't have a position for you?" I asked, dumbfounded.

He sighed "That's exactly what I said when they pulled me in to the room to tell me this is going to be my last month here. They just offered me the payout, and I didn't really have a choice but to accept it.

Next week will be my last week. It doesn't feel real. I've been here for almost 10 years. I don't really know what else to do to be honest, maybe I'll take a break and spend more time with my family. It's been a shock, that's for sure and I'll feel it on the Monday I get up and don't have to go to the—"

He paused as the waitress appeared in her black outfit with the white apron in between our seats "have you gentlemen decided what you'd like to drink?" she asked, her arms behind her back.

"Sure, I'll have a Cappuccino—Harry?" He replied, shifting his gaze from her to me.

"I'll have a Piccolo please" I said, looking at her.

"A Cappuccino and a Piccolo—okay, thank you" she said, turning around and going back to the counter to type in the order.

"Anyway, what I was saying was, it was a surprise when they told me, but the real surprise will come when I wake up on the Monday and don't have to get ready for work" Steve said.

I nodded. I couldn't imagine, I had never been through that experience. He also had a wife and two young kids to support, something I didn't have to worry about (yet).

Despite the surprising start to our catch-up, we ended up talking for an hour and a half. It was really good to see him again. Before he left he also gave me some great insights for my book. Some examples of when he had challenges, what he learned, and people he had come across that helped him along his journey in leadership. I took detailed notes.

As I left to catch my ferry home, I couldn't help but feel sad for him. Despite the payout he was getting, I knew his drive. I knew his work ethic and his performance. There was just no explaining it. It was a big blow for him, and I felt he was a little defeated.

I stepped onto the ferry, got a seat inside by the window, and started scrolling through LinkedIn, I saw news about layoffs from the tech giants in Australia. Big companies that had grown so fast during the pandemic and hired profusely, promising a great culture and fulfilment for everyone lucky enough to get a job there. Now, they were letting thousands of people go. It brought me back to the real world—corporations don't care about your performance. They care about theirs. Corporations don't care about the trust that you place in them, so maybe you shouldn’t.

It reinforced for me that you can't become loyal to a company you work for, because they will never reciprocate.

Of course, there are exceptions when it comes to some smaller, family run businesses and private companies. But corporates like banks, insurers, fund managers—you're leaving your livelihood (and your self-worth to an extent) in their hands. It's necessary for most of us to do this to pay the bills and have the standard of life we want, but don't expect the relationship you have now to last forever. We can expect to outlive most businesses.

Instead—learn. Learn as much as you can while working in these behemoths and build something of your own, where there's only one you. Tie your self-esteem, income and fulfilment to something you can influence, into relationships that go both ways—relationships with people.

Work hard, but remember why you’re doing it.