The System Made Me Do It: A Life Changing Approach to Office Politics - Softcover

Osborn, Susan M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0965536807 ISBN 13: 9780965536806

Publisher: Lifethread Pubns, 1997

Synopsis

This book tells the story of a woman engaged in a journey from a position where she feels trapped by corporate sandboxes to a life that is aligned with her destiny as a contemporary shapeshifter.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Osborn is a consultant, adjunct professor, speaker, and seminar leader. She brings 25 years experience as a management consultant along with a background in academia, the computer industry, aerospace, and the criminal justice system. She earned a doctorate in Human and Organizational Systems at The Fielding Institute and served as Director of the Master of Science in Systems Management Program at the College of Notre Dame. As an internal organization consultant she created a company-wide performance management system, reducing review time by 80%. As Manager of Human Resource Development she increased in-house promotions 60% by identifying and training employees with high potential. And she directed an education and training program in a maximum security prison which reduced recidivism from 85% to 14%

From the Back Cover

Enjoy your work! Restore your faith in the system! Influence the world of the future! Become a contemporary shapeshifter. A corporate shaman and a ringed pentacle provide direction and inspiration in this one-of-a kind guidebook. Discover how to choose an authentic path in which work is essential to the fulfillment of your unique purpose and existence.

"Susan Osborn packs a treasure of ideas, models, and stories into The System Made Me Do It! and shines a bright light on what most people never see." (John Renesch, editor/publisher, The New Leaders newsletter)

"A powerful and painless way to learn systems concepts. Must reading for anyone serious about personal and organizational growth." (John Moran, President, Software Industry Coalition)

"Osborn offers people looking for a more spiritually fulfilling worklife a new age analysis of the workings of organizations and a means of changing them by changing ourselves." (Daniel S. Levine, editor, Disgruntled, The online Business Magazine for People Who Work for a Living)

"A powerful, in-depth, new systems guide to understanding and changing both business and personal environments, as well as one's life. I loved Sunny as the narrator and the gentle use of spirituality. A delight to gain such right-on, practical insights from an easy-to-read, beautifully organized book!" (Sue B. Reamer, Ph.D., Board of Trustees, The Fielding Institute)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the Introduction: You probably know what it's like to feel pressured to perform in ways that run contrary to your true nature. The demands can run the gamut from having to pretend you're enthusiastic about performing make-work assigned by your boss to believing you must fabricate the truth in order to make a sale.

Think about it for a moment. How often do you do things you don't want to do because you're reluctant to take a stand? To what extent do you comply because you're afraid of ridicule, ostracism, retaliation, conflict, or expulsion?

What follows is a list of examples of how organizations can intrude into your life. To make a quick assessment, check all of the items that apply to you.

Due to financial obligations you endure a job you hate. You can't quit because your family depends on your income. You relinquish your dreams, defer to higher authority, and act like a loyal, corporate citizen.

You frantically jump through all kinds of hoops in order to please your customers and those to whom you report. Because they are often at odds, you come home every night feeling like you have been in a battle zone. You try to work out your frustration through physical exercise.

You compete for a coveted promotion to management even though you don't like being in charge of people. To do otherwise would lead others to assume you're not motivated to be successful

You find that your need to achieve has become insatiable. There's never time to bask in the glory of your accomplishments. If you fail to move up the corporate ladder your superiors may regard you as dispensable.

You are completely dependent on a line manager to get your product out the door on schedule. He has maneuvered you into a position where you can't meet crucial deadlines unless you engage in outright bribery.

You withhold important information because you don't want to get involved in a sticky situation where you might be called upon to reveal facts that would shed unfavorable light on someone else. You're aware that if you were to share this information, people would say you're not a team player.

You embellish the facts on your resume. In an interview you pretend to be someone you're not in order to get hired.

You pad your expense account and pilfer office supplies. You use work time to complete personal tasks in order to compensate for not getting paid what you're worth.

To put food on the table you perform work you find ethically objectionable. You use deceptive marketing tactics, promote products that belittle people, or develop products that are harmful or defective.

You doubt yourself and the choices you have made. In spite of your willingness to sacrifice your needs for the sake of your company, everyone around you seems to have more money, power, and possessions than you do.

What do all of the above situations have in common? By requiring you to submit to authority, hide your true feelings, and use manipulative tactics, they make it very difficult to be authentic and live according to your own values.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lifethread Pubns
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0965536807
• ISBN 13: 9780965536806
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176