Work, Worth, and Who the Hell Is on the Team

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It has been a while since I wandered over to Di’s place for Share Your World, so I figured it was time to see what kind of trouble her questions could get me into.

This week, Di has us talking about work—the ideal job, workplace disappointment, promotions, teamwork, and the kind of company we might build if given the opportunity. Considering some of my experiences over the years, a few of these questions were easier to answer than others. A couple may have poked the bear.

As always, these are my answers, shaped by my experiences and whatever wisdom I managed to salvage from them.

You can find Di’s original Share Your World questions here: Share Your World — 5th October 2026

Now, let’s see what kind of mess I can make of perfectly innocent questions.

If you could have an ideal job, what would it be?

My ideal job would be creating art that feeds me spiritually—work that leaves me feeling more alive for having made it. And hopefully, some of that joy finds its way into the work itself, so the people who encounter it can feel a little of what I felt while creating it.

Have you ever been disappointed with a job you thought would be ideal?

Yes, of course. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the job itself that disappointed me. I enjoyed the work. The problem was the people I worked with and, more specifically, their interpretation of the rules.

I’ve always believed rules should provide structure and consistency. What frustrated me was watching the same rules bend, stretch, or suddenly become carved in stone depending on who was involved or who was doing the interpreting. Eventually, even work you enjoy becomes difficult when you spend more energy navigating people than actually doing the job.

Do you believe promotions in the workplace are given to those who work hard, those who are qualified for the job, or those who happen to be friends with management?

I’ve actually seen all three.

I’ve watched people get promoted because they worked hard and earned it. I’ve seen qualified people move into positions because they were genuinely the best person for the job. I don’t have a problem with either of those. Even when I wanted the position myself, I could respect the decision if the person had earned it.

It’s that third one that gives me the “sweet ass.”

When friendship, favoritism, or office politics carries more weight than ability, experience, or effort, it damages more than morale. It tells everyone else that the standards they were told mattered really don’t. Work hard. Learn your job. Become qualified. Do everything right—and then watch somebody leapfrog over you because they know the right person.

That’s not promotion. That’s preference wearing a name tag.

Do you prefer working as part of a team or on your own?

It depends on the task at hand—and, admittedly, who the hell is on the team.

I enjoy working on my own. There is a certain freedom in being able to set my own pace, make decisions, solve problems, and adjust direction without having to hold a committee meeting every fifteen minutes.

However, some projects are simply too large or complex for one person. The sheer scope of the work requires a team, and when you have the right people—people who understand their responsibilities, communicate, and respect what everyone brings to the table—a good team can accomplish things that would be nearly impossible alone.

So, I suppose I prefer working independently when the work allows it and collaboratively when the work demands it.

Just choose the team carefully.

If you could build your own company, what would it be?

I would build a creative studio along with a small press dedicated to independent authors and artists.

The studio would be a place where different creative disciplines could cross paths—writing, photography, visual art, filmmaking, graphic design, and whatever strange idea somebody dragged through the door that morning. I wouldn’t want creativity divided into neat little boxes. Some of the most interesting work happens when those boxes get knocked over.

The small press would focus on indie authors, particularly writers with strong voices who might not fit comfortably into what traditional publishing considers marketable. I understand the value of standards, editing, and professionalism, but I also believe there is a difference between helping someone strengthen their voice and sanding away everything that made the voice interesting in the first place.

I wouldn’t want to build a factory for content.

I’d want to build a place where people could create work that feeds them spiritually—and hopefully some of that joy, truth, madness, and humanity would make its way to the people who eventually experience it.

What are you grateful for this week?

This week, I’m grateful that we made it home safely.

It was one of those trips where enough things went wrong to remind you how quickly a plan can become something entirely different. We dealt with problems, adjusted when necessary, and kept moving, but we didn’t do it alone.

We had a solid support team behind us, and I can say without hesitation that we would not have made it through everything without them. Sometimes you don’t fully appreciate the people standing behind you until circumstances force you to lean on them.

So this week, I’m grateful for safe travels, good people, and the reminder that being capable doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone.

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12 thoughts on “Work, Worth, and Who the Hell Is on the Team”

    1. Thank you, Kiki! I’ll keep your application on file, although I should warn you that the hiring process might involve coffee, questionable humor, and demonstrating an ability to tolerate a certain amount of creative madness. 😂

      And thank you for the kind thoughts about our trip. It was certainly an adventure, although I would have preferred a little less adventure and considerably more cooperation from the mechanical equipment.

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    1. Thank you! I’ve always believed that our experiences, pleasant and otherwise, ought to teach us something. Of course, whether we actually pay attention to those lessons is another matter entirely. I’ve occasionally required a second or third demonstration before the universe managed to get its point across.

      I think the important thing is recognizing that our experiences aren’t universal. What I’ve encountered in the workplace may differ considerably from someone else’s experience, and there’s always something to be learned from those differences. I appreciate you taking the time to read and share your thoughts.

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      1. lol @ 2nd or 3rd demo. yep, Ground Hog day always comes to mind at that point. He became an internist, renowned pianist etc. which begs the question, how long was he actually there in that point in time? He might have been brilliant and learned quickly, still….a lesson will be repeated until it’s learned…isn’t that a universal law? lmao

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  3. Great share Mangus. Thanks for joining in. I wouldn’t mind applying for a job in your company!

    The promotions thing is indeed a bone of contention.
    When my supervisor went on maternity leave, her friend who was a section leader (like me) was moved into the role. Together with a newly appointed department Director, they changed a vital part of my procedures with software that wasn’t suitable for purpose and cost me a member of my team to pay for it. Things got worse, and I eventually escaped to another department, where I was head hunted 2 days later by another director for his finance team.
    My previous section fell apart under the supervisor’s inadequacy, mistakes were made which proved costly and people higher up noticed.
    I received an email from a desperate colleague in Cairo asking if I could ‘look into’ a query of a missing deposit that had not been acknowledged after 6 months and a second request, and even though he knew it was no longer my department, he didn’t know who else to ask.
    I knew exactly what had happened and where to look, so had a word with the enquiry clerk who just pointed to her in tray! I found what I was looking for (and the second request) at the bottom, went over to someone I had trained previously and asked her to check two accounts. There it was, credited to the wrong account by the same person who always made the same error, and the supervisor had missed it.
    It was rectified that day, with the necessary adjustments, and I went back to my Cairo counterpart with a positive outcome after less than an hour, giving him her details for future contact reference.
    My ex supervisor and the director both took early retirement shortly after my promotion to finance.
    The section was amalgamated with another under a supervisor who was brilliant at her job.

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    1. Thank you, Di! At this rate, I’m going to have quite a collection of applications before I’ve even found a building. 😂

      Your experience illustrates precisely what I find so frustrating about workplace politics. There is an enormous difference between being placed in a position of authority and possessing the knowledge, experience, and judgment necessary to perform the job.

      What struck me most about your story wasn’t simply the incompetence you encountered, but the fact that your colleague in Cairo still turned to you for assistance after you’d moved to another department. That says considerably more about your professional reputation than any job title ever could.

      I’ve always believed that genuine competence has a way of making itself known, although I must admit it doesn’t always receive the recognition it deserves. Unfortunately, the consequences of poor management decisions are frequently borne by the very people who had no part in making them.

      I’m glad things eventually worked out for you, and I appreciate you sharing your experience. It certainly adds another dimension to the discussion.

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      1. I loved my job as section leader and took pride in any query on my section being resolved or at least acknowledged the same day. I had direct contacts with my counterparts in a lot of the major banks which worked both ways as I was theirs.

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    1. You know, Ted, you might be onto something there. I’ve spent so much time building, writing, photographing, and occasionally arguing with myself about what comes next that I haven’t given much thought to what I’ve already accomplished.

      Perhaps I’ve been looking at the idea of a creative studio as something that exists somewhere in the future, when pieces of it have been taking shape right under my nose.

      Of course, knowing me, I’ll probably spend another six months analyzing the situation before admitting you might be right. It’s one of my more endearing character flaws. Or so I’ve been told. 😂

      Thank you for giving me something to think about.

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