The corporate ladder and how to climb it.

There are two type of corporate ladder climbers. Naturally occurring corporate ladder climbers, (from this point forward, to be known as "Natural assholes", NA's for short), and those that are taught to climb the corporate ladder ("Taught assholes", TA's for short). To make it in either sense, you have to have a flair for the inner asshole. All other corporate employees are "TA initiates". They have the potential to rise through the corporate ranks but there efforts are often stifled by the NA's and TA's.

Generally speaking though, NA's climb higher up the corporate ladder because the don't teach there trade so well to the TA's. These people tend to want to make you think they have all the answers, (you know, the ones you mentioned at that meeting last week and where told that was a stupid idea), stifle creativity (Unless the idea comes from them), and tell the rest of us what we should be thinking and saying. Oh - and they want you to make up stories and tell lies about why you are carrying a project out even thought the entire thing is a huge waste of public funds that benefits no-one and the money could be funding an extra TA initiate to actually be doing something useful.

Take blogging as an example. Our corporate NA's have decided to start giving advice about the world of blogs. The people that set these "ground rules" have probably never even read a blog. They disguise this "advice" in the form of "You will be the victims of identity theft and get some really nasty incurable diseases and be responsible for the death of the human race through global warming if you go on line and say what you think". The main reason for this advice seems to be the concern that you may criticise your employer and people will be able to read it if you put it online.  Even if the blog is written in your own time, using your own equipment (ooops).  I say, don't do stupid things and people won't say bad things about you, idiots. Blogging is about free speech (Remember that concept?) and only a complete buffoon (yes, like the NA's and TA's possibly), would give so much information about themselves that even their doctor doesn't need a rubber glove.

Get real you numpties and write about something you know about like forcing money from the public and investing it in rubbish!

Disclaimer - There are one or two exceptions to the NA rule, I'm sure you know who you are.  Usually, people won't spit on you in the street.