In an ideal world, you would receive the support of everyone you work with, and you would benefit from inspirational leadership provided by your supervisors.
In a practical world, you may find yourself with a supervisor who is more a roadblock to your doing your job than a source of inspiration.
As you grow more certain of your purpose and your talents, however, you will come to rely less on the attitudes and abilities of those around you and more on your own passion and ability.
After twenty years in sales, Terry Hinton laments that work “is not a career ladder, it’s a career obstacle course. When I’ve had strong years, they’ve been written off because I’ve had a good territory. When I’ve had lean years, it’s as if I’m solely responsible for the company’s plight.”
While the road to advancement has been blocked, salaries based on commission have provided nicely for Terry. “The reason I’ve been supported is I’ve delivered. They’ve gotten hard work and profitability from me. You can’t always get the respect you deserve, but you can still get the paycheck you earned.”
The productivity of employees who score high in dedication to their career is 33 percent less likely to be affected by the quality of their managers than is the production of low-dedication employees.
Pollock 1998