Status Quo -- Friend or enemy of progress?
Personally, I hate people who focus their self-identity on status and belongings that are supposed to raise their status.
I just had to say that out right before I dive into whether or not it is productive.
But ya know, maybe it’s not all doom and gloom.
Here’s the thing, having other people to push you is without a doubt the best way to continuously improve. (even if it is for the wrong reasons)
The pressure of needing to have the latest and greatest Apple products and a Tesla pushes a person to be better in the workplace.
Hell another aspect of status is how many hours per week we work. The people in corporate America looove talking about their 25 hr days and how much they get done. However, balancing your personal and work life is the best way to be the most productive in the long run.
As Tony Schwartz likes to say, manage energy not time.
So ya, status is a good thing for pushing people to be more productive and accomplish more in the workplace.
And having other people to motivate you towards a goal is without a doubt the best way to accomplish anything.
Here’s the catch: the real problem is how it influences people to be financially irresponsible.
To bring it full circle around, I’d say the status quo is a friend of companies because their employees work hard and are financially irresponsible. But for any individual person, their work ethic increases while their net worth stays low. (or they even go into debt)
What’s even worse than the financial impact on people, is the emotional impact. Having other people’s opinions run your life is a recipe for disaster.
Joyfulness and fulfillment don’t come from pleasing other people, they come from pleasing yourself.
Making the Status Quo an enemy of personal productivity in the long run, and a friend to companies in the short run.