Do we have to raise hand and make a mad dash all the time?

Question

Corporates have nurtured an environment where it is expected that everyone should raise their hand and make a mad dash for every new opportunity or work that shows up. However for some people like my friend , they don&rsquo;t particularly like the mad dash part and rather waits for the task to be assigned. This comes from many years of experience where the novelty of something new does not bring the same sense of excitement as it brings to younger pups and secondly they are wise enough to know that what matters is doing the work diligently and with care and particularly not trample on everyone else to grab something. However this attitude is not looked at favorably by most minions of the corporate world and can result in significant setback to my friends career. Though he is aware of this he just cannot pretend and being the nice worker bee comes to him more naturally than being in a competitive mode 24/7 in the workplace. Question to HN - has anyone else feels like this and how do you deal with it?

azemetre · Accepted Answer

I mean you don&rsquo;t have to play the game, as much as your company leadership would want you to believe otherwise.Learning to say no, compartmentalize your job from your personal life, setting boundaries, and just accepting that the Sun will rise tomorrow regardless of what you do; these are all skills that are extremely hard to learn. It only seems that once you get burned by a business do you understand what these things mean, what they are.