[start up] —- [enterprise]
where you don’t know everyone who works with you nor does everyone know you. Everyone is a cog in a wheel (even if they don’t fully appreciate it). Everything is a system and human capital is just one of many inputs that the business _should_ optimize.
Companies that are too fat get replaced by ones that are lean, etc.
For me, there is some comfort in knowing that I’m as replaceable as anyone else. It helps me deal more humanely with others when you have to fire/lay-off/reduce hours. And it helps remind me that my professional work isn’t the essence of my life; it’s just one component of my own personal system. It has to be optimized alongside family commitments, volunteer work, and my own faith-based pursuits.
There is no benevolence in a system, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act benevolently towards each other.
It might sound crass, but you are unlikely to retire from your current job. And nor will your boss. In fact, one of my main focuses as a manager is to remind people of that fact along with this advice: when they start to feel the itch to move on, let me know if I can help them get experiences that will position them for the future.
TLDR; the business doesn’t care about you, but hopefully as an executive those that report to me always feel that I have treated them with human empathy.
Also, I strongly encourage you to build up your non-professional circles. Most of my closest friends are previously coworkers that I stay in touch with after one or the other inevitably moves on.
We’re way past the point in time where the system is designed for pensions and 50 yr watches.