Whaddaya hear, whaddaya say? Welcome to episode 16 of the Career Consigliere podcast, your no frills, no BS forum for navigating the corporate job scene. Jimmy with you, as always, for what we hope to be a highly informative and engaging half an hour, or so! Today, we switch gears into a lighthearted topic, one that (almost) everyone in kingdom corporatopia can relate to: Office Space! Yes, the epic 1999 movie that has been just about everyone’s source of corporate one-liners for decades! The film just celebrated its 25th anniversary this February as one of, and arguably THE best, mockery of corporate life. Yet in addition to the legendary characters and slapstick shenanigans we’ve all seen 1,000 times, there’s actually a surprising amount of timeless wisdom to be learned from this movie: you just have to ignore the fact that the computer monitors you see on-screen probably weigh 20 pounds. We’re going to break down some key examples from the movie, and talk about how all of you listening can apply these lessons as you ride your OWN corporate rollercoaster. Should be a fun one today podcast land, so leeeettttsssss get it!
As insane as it’s going to sound, being 25 years old, it’s entirely possible that some of the younger workers in today’s corporate workforce might not have seen this legendary movie. Yes, this one goes back to the old days when you had to physically go to a movie theater to see a new release, then wait several months for it to be available on video, then eventually DVD, hoping that Blockbuster had it on the shelf on a Friday night, if Kmart was already sold out. Though what’s crazy about Office Space is that it absolutely TANKED in theaters. According to an article in BroBible, it was released across the US in 1,740 different movie theaters, but only lasted A MONTH before it was pulled from every single one after DISMAL performance at the box office. However, VHS and DVD (both were pretty regularly used in the following years) somehow saved it. Word got around about its comic genius, and by 2008, nearly a decade after it’s debut, Entertainment weekly ranked it #5 on the list of “25 greatest comedies from the past 25 years”. That’s amidst some pretty stiff competition in the late 80s and early 90s, so Office Space did a complete 180 in its effect on the public.
I’m probably preaching to the choir on this, but let’s give a quick synopsis for anyone who’s either too young, or oblivious enough to somehow have missed out on this work of art all this time. The movie follows the work life of the character Peter Gibbons. Right from the beginning you can tell he’s very much an “average dude”, and VERY relatable to the average person watching. He works for a fictitious software company called Initech, and deals with the same boring routine every day, doesn’t really care for his job much, isn’t particularly challenged by it, and basically sleepwalks through life on auto-pilot. You also meet several of his co-workers who all have their own unique quirks, but they all share in common that they aren’t particularly fond of the company they work for. Office drama gets drummed up as the film goes on, and you watch how each one of them react to stressful situations and all the misadventures they find themselves in as a result. It’s EXTREMELY funny, mostly because of the dry humor it uses, VERY typical of the kind of tightwad people you meet out in the corporate world. I’m not going to tell you the whole movie line-for-line, but hopefully this gives you enough context to semi-appreciate all the references you’ve heard to this masterpiece, IF you’ve managed to avoid seeing it.
There’s an article from Linked-In called “20 Business Lessons We Can Learn from Office Space 20 Years Later”. It’s from 2019, so it’s a few years old, but I promise the movie hasn’t changed, so we’re in good shape. We can’t cover all 20 examples in this episode, there’s just not enough time, but we’ll focus on the ones I thought carried the most wisdom. I have the link to the full article posted in the episode description for anyone who wants to check out the full version. There’s not enough time to explain the whole backstory of every scene, so I’m going to act as if everyone listening has seen the movie. But if you haven’t, here’s my recommendation. stop and go watch it when you get a chance (I’m sure it’s out there on somewhere on one of the streaming channels, and I promise you’ll love it). Then, come back and finish this episode: everything we’re going to cover next will make WAY more sense once you have some faces to names and get a better sense of the story line. But for now, let’s continue....
The first lesson we’ll cover from the article is Take the job you’ll enjoy the most. We see this at the end of the movie. After Initech burns down, Peter starts working with his neighbor Lawrence in a construction job where they’re cleaning up the rubble from the old building: a TOTAL 180 from the cubicle job he was doing originally. His old Initech pals Micael and Samir approach him and offer him a job with their new company (which basically sounds like Initech all over again), but Peter declines. He tells them he’s enjoying working outside and getting exercise, and that he’s going to stick with it. As you know, the main plotline of the movie was Peter growing more and more disenfranchised with office life and withdrawing from it by doing some crazy, outrageous things. So would somebody like that going right back to the same kind of unfulfilling job been a good idea? No way – he’d be going backwards on all the progress he’s made. The lesson here is that you should pick the job that you think you’ll enjoy the most, or at least be able to tolerate the most. And sometimes, it might mean a total career shift, taking a step back, taking a pay cut, or making other sacrifices in order to be happier and healthier.
The second lesson: treat everyone with dignity. Milton is probably the most memorable character in the movie. He’s the weird dude that everyone kind of avoids, and eventually he gets his desk moved down into the basement and is asked to solve the cockroach problem, which would NEVER be in the job description of someone who works at a desk: completely ridiculous. During the whole movie, nobody lets him talk, and nobody listens even when he finally gets the chance to: everyone walks all over him and takes him for granted. The article tell us to acknowledge and show appreciation for EVERYONE you work with, whether it’s the janitor or the CEO. Why? Because great ideas and contributions can come from anywhere, and you never know who you’ll be working with (or even possibly reporting to) in the future. Definitely a good idea to be respectful and keep solid relationships with everyone.
Next, focus on activities that matter. In the corporate world, its EXTREMELY common to get bogged down with menial tasks and reactive situations that trick you into “feeling” productive, but in reality aren’t adding much value. In Office Space, we see this with the legendary TPS Reports. Lumbergh, the boss, gets all caught up in the cover sheets for these reports, making a big deal out of something that probably isn’t a huge, critical priority. Peter never hears the end of it either – he actually has 8 different “bosses” all get on his case for this trivial little detail. Instead of letting this happen, the article recommends that corporate workers do their best to focus on the important and non-urgent tasks and projects that move the needle not only for the organization, but for your career personally as well. And very closely related, Here’s some recommended reading for you that talks all about this: Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Legendary book in the self-help space, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone listening, whether you work in the corporate world or not. In there, the author explains our daily activities on a continuum in terms of how important and urgent they are, and he explains how it’s easy to get caught up with urgent things, but the real value is focusing on the important tasks that AREN’T urgent. Almost everyone on the planet could benefit from reading that book, regardless of what you do for a living, so you should definitely read it! It’s one of the most famous of all-time.
Another lesson the article gives us is to address problems directly and quickly. Again, this has to do with the legendary Milton. The Bobs, the two consultants that were brought in, realize that Milton was actually laid off years ago, but continues getting a paycheck due to an “accounting glitch”. They explain to management that they “fixed the glitch”, meaning Milton will no longer get paid, and they suggest that management let the situation resolve itself naturally. In fact, they’re literally quoted as saying “we always like to avoid confrontation whenever possible”. But as we know, regardless of what the issue is, simply ignoring it is usually not a good strategy. The article recommends dealing with issues or conflict head-on to prevent it from becoming an even larger problem further down the road.
And the final lesson? Take time to disconnect. Regardless of how much you like your job, the article tells us to do things like turn off your phone, don’t check your email, and to make sure that your time off (nights, weekends, and PTO days) are actually your time off and to avoid working during those times. In Office Space, we see this when Peter is asked to come in on the weekend but winds up completely blowing Lumbergh off, letting his answering machine pick up all the obsessive messages Lumbergh leaves him when he calls dozens of times. And while it’s overdramatized for comedic effect, the lesson here is to maintain a good work-life balance.
So as you’ve seen, there’s a lot more to this great movie than just dry humor and legendary one-liners: and even though it’s 25 years old, most of the same operative principles at play hold true to this very day, and likely will as long as we’re walking the earth. Let’s talk about how all of you listening can apply these lessons in your own lives and careers with today’s.......consigliere call to action.
Let’s look at the first lesson: take the job you enjoy the most. Basically, it comes down to this. You have the opportunity to pick what you do for a living. Might not always seem that way, but remember: even if you’re really desperate and need an income, it’s still your conscious choice to take THAT particular job: you’re the boss of your career. And no job is going to be perfect: there’s going to be good and bad with every single one. But using all the company vetting strategies that we cover here on the show, you should be able to weed out the bad apples ahead of time and land yourself in a place that you can at least TOLERATE. Will you ever be completely in love with a corporate job? Maybe, maybe not, but you’ll want to pick the one that you think will fit your life and career best, from every possible angle. And guess what: if it turns out that even THAT job was a dud, you can pull out altogether. I know someone that completely peaced out from the corporate world and opened a dog walking business. And maybe she doesn’t make the money she used to make (at least not yet!), but she’s way happier in her life filling her days with something she enjoys, instead of continuously forcing a square peg in a round hole out in a corporate job she can’t stand. Entrepreneurship might not be for everyone, but you understand the point here: make sure the job you select, whatever it happens to be, is going to fit all aspects of your life: not just the wallet, not just the schedule, not just the prestige: the one that’s a good fit in as many areas as possible is the one that’s going to make you the happiest you could possibly be.
Next, treat everyone with dignity. You’d think this would be common sense, but unfortunately I come bearing bad news. In the corporate world, there are a lot of sexy titles to be had, promotions to be obtained, bonuses to be earned, and high visibility projects to be put on. And an OBSCENE amount of people out there think that stepping on everyone around you while kissing up to the big shots is the sure-fire path to success. As I’m saying this, I’m sure there’s more than a few people you’re picturing..... Well, guess what: people like this are in for a rude awakening: Eventually it’ll cost them big. In one of my jobs years ago, one of the middle managers was a REAL piece of work. Walked around with an air of superiority, treated his direct reports like absolute DOG crap, and just really cast a bad energy over the place. However, he took every opportunity to appeal to the CEO: he’d walk into the CEO’s office unannounced to show him reports, analyses, and other things that were completely random and out of context: kind of comical and pathetic, actually. Eventually he came under scrutiny for some metrics that were down, and he went to his team for support – he figured they could back him up with data and stuff to help paint a better picture of the situation. But instead of supporting him and bailing him out, they used this as an opportunity to compile a 5-page document of all the offenses he committed against them in the past few years, and brought it to the CEO. And when the CEO asked him to explain himself, he basically started throwing a hissy fit and acting like a 43 year-old toddler. And guess what? They told him hit the road jack, and dontcha come back no more! Long story short: put the ego aside, and treat everyone with respect. You never know who’s help you’ll need, and when you might need it. And doesn’t it just make for a better work experience and healthier environment if everyone gets along and feels comfortable? Sometimes common sense isn’t so common.
For the next lesson, let’s look at focusing on activities that matter. The one probably applies more to people who are bit more experienced in their careers and are working on tasks and projects that have bigger implications and a more strategic focus. I’ll admit that, in an entry level role, you usually have to take what you’ve given and make lemons out of lemonade. In the early days, you’ll get asked to do a whole bunch of menial and questionable things that you aren’t fully bought into, but that’s how you gain experience: everyone has to start somewhere. But once your role starts to really carry some impact, you’ll find yourself too busy to focus on trivial details, Like Peter with the TPS reports: he had other things to worry about and didn’t have time to obsess over something asinine like cover sheets.
And just like Peter’s example, I’ve seen people get hammered on the DUMBEST things: I’ve heard stories from clients and former co-workers of putting together a really complex analysis, generating a whole bunch of great insights, only to get blown up over the text boxes not being perfectly aligned on the Power Point slides, and the color shades on the graphs not matching exactly with RGB coordinates on the corporate color palette. Should all of this technically be the case? Ok, fine: technically yes. But in a busy job with competing priorities and limited time, is it really wise to spend time obsessing over frivolous details? Absolutely not! Because then what happens? You get hard wired to focus on the extras, and then you’re more likely to start missing the big picture. If you find stuff like this is happening to you, you’ll want to be frank and candid with whoever’s giving you a hard time and make sure they understand your perspective. Be professional, don’t be like Peter was with the Bobs, but stand up for yourself and make sure the person understands that sweating the small stuff is just going to set the entire operation back.
Let’s now take a look at addressing problems quickly and directly. No, the example of an employee like Milton receiving a paycheck years after being laid off is completely cray cray: that would never actually happen. But I’ll tell you what DOES happen: the avoidance of confrontation. Most people in the world hate confrontation: in the corporate world AND the regular world. And I get it, it’s not fun: calling someone out on something, or bringing an uncomfortable problem to the surface upsets the status quo and disturbs the peace. It’s usually way easier just to continue dealing with whatever the issue is. But here's why that’s not a good idea.
Let’s think about it in the corporate world: you have an employee that’s underperforming. Rather than put them on a performance improvement plan or take some other corrective action, you just roll up the sleeves, step in, and bail them out every time something goes bad because you don’t want to hurt their feelings and you want to be “a supportive leader”. But if you let stuff go for too long, eventually they’re going to make a BIG mistake one day that’s also going to get YOU in trouble. So what’s the better result? Pay a big price, or have one uncomfortable conversation that saves you a world of headache down the line? I think that’s an easy one. And I’m not saying you have to go psycho the first time something happens. But if you notice a pattern developing with some kind of bad behavior or situation, say something as soon as you’re confident that you’re onto something. Maybe let it go once or twice just to make sure you’re not hallucinating, but don’t wait much longer than that.
And our final morsel of wisdom for today, taking time to disconnect. Peter had the right idea ignoring Lumberg’s calls. Why? Because he had time to sleep, and he spent the whole rest of his weekend in complete zen, if you remember from the movie. Guys, this one transcends the corporate world. As a species, human beings have become OBSESSED with technology. I don’t need to tell you – you see it all the time. There’s a smartphone app for just about everything, with notifications dinging constantly. An unbelievable amount of people are hooked on social media, use dating apps out of nothing else but boredom, and turn into keyboard crusaders whenever they’re in a bad mood. And the corporate landscape is beginning to resemble this: think of all the Outlook and Teams notifications you receive, all the flashing lights, beeps, and annoying little sound effects you’re getting bombarded with all day long. Think of all the Slack channels and project groups you’re part of, all the simultaneous yet unrelated conversations going on that light up your screens like a Christmas tree. Think of everyone that completely abuses the “reply all” function, and all the annoying banners that appear every freaking time somebody posts the thumbs up emoji in the meeting chat. It’s absolute madness, and our DNA wasn’t built for this.
Life in the corporate world is going to keep you BUSY, no question. But the secret, the code in the matrix if you will, is to be efficient with how you use your time, and shut the computer OFF at a decent hour. The lines between work and personal life have become blurred for WAY too many people, especially now that virtual work is here to stay. And it comes from the top down guys: I’ve seen people in high, influential positions with a toxic and unhealthy work life balance just setting a really bad example for the rest of the organization: sending aggressive emails at 10:00 at night, logging in on their PTO days “just to check on this”, the list goes on. You can’t control everything that goes on around you, but my advice, and the advice we got from Office Space here, is very simple: do your very best during normal business hours, be efficient, focus your time in the right places, and then when it’s time to be done.....BE DONE! Most of us out there in corporatopia aren’t exactly saving lives. Whatever it is, it can usually wait until 8:00 tomorrow morning. You’ll sleep better, your mind will be recharged, and you’ll be way more productive the next day if you unplug when the time comes. Despite how advanced we’ve become as humans, we’ll never out-evolve our need for rest: remember that.
Sadly folks, that’s all the time we have for today. But have no fears, and shed no tears, because I’ll be back with a new episode every week. As they say in the industry: no listeners, no show, so do me a favor, and stay loyal! If you find value in my content, please leave me a nice review, tell all your friends, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow on whatever platform you use to get your podcasts. Beyond the confines of your headphones, speakers, TV screen, or any other crazy contraption with the ability to stream audio, I also provide one-on-one career assistance, so visit my website at career-consigliere.net to learn more about me, book me for one-on-one coaching, join my email list, or explore some of the other career services I offer. And to all of you out there in podcast land, remember this: Who’s the boss in your career? You, nobody else.
References
(2) 20 Business Lessons We Can Learn from 'Office Space' 20 Years Later | LinkedIn
Why 'Office Space' Tanked So Hard In Theaters, According To John C. McGinley aka Bob Slydell - BroBible
