You’ll never know when you run into something interesting (in professional perspective). Recently, I was reading the last book in Brandon Sanderson’s “Mistborn” cycle (damn, it’s good - highly recommended!) and even if it’s a fantasy setting, there were some very, VERY interesting statements, that I totally agree with and find applicable in my everyday life.
"My dear man!" Breeze said, leaning down. "Have I taught you nothing? Being in charge isn’t about doing anything - it’s about making certain that other people do what they’re supposed to! Delegation, my friend. Without it, we would have to bake our own bread and dig out own latrines!” Then, Breeze leaned in. “And, trust me. You don’t want to taste anything I’ve had in baking. Ever. Particularly after I’ve cleaned a latrine.”
Does it even require any comments? And so many people still don’t get it. They have the basic instinct of making themselves indispensable to the organization by doing everyting on their own and siloing all the knowledge. And that in the end makes them a bottleneck, stops the organization from self-improvements, demotivates their teams and neglects the teams’ true potential.
“A man is what he has passion about, " Breeze said. "I’ve found that if you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you’ll end up miserable.”
"And if what I want isn’t what society needs?" Sazed said. "Sometimes, we just have to do what we don’t enjoy. That is a simple fact of life, I think."
Breeze shrugged. “I don’t worry about that. I just do what I’m good at. In my case, that’s making other people do things that I don’t want to. It all fits altogether, in the end.”
This one I find particularly importent for myself. As you have just one life, make sure that you use it wisely - use your passion to keep yourself energized for constant learning and self-development. Not for your employer, but for yourself. As long as you do it, you’ll be getting better and better in what you like. The other path means stagnation, burn-out and lack of sense of accomplishment. I’ve seen it so many times and I pity those people - they just don’t have the courage to make / ask for a change.
As a conclusion (does it have to be one each time?) - go, read some fantasy book, there’s a wisdom in these :)