It's just business...nothing personal

It's the single most important lesson that I don't think is taught in school.  We see it all around us everyday.  We see it in the unemployment numbers, we see it in the faces of those who get laid off, we see it when the superstar athletes get traded or take the multimillion dollar contract, and one day we see it in our own lives.  Anyone who pays any attention to the NFL/Super Bowl this week knows that one of the biggest stories involves neither the Giants nor the Patriots, but rather Peyton Manning.  Arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks in history his career threatening injury a few seasons back caused him to miss the entire season in 2011.  Now he is on the verge of being pushed into retirement or being traded away as his team most likely will draft with their number 1 pick a quarterback that could be the next great.  No one is protesting the Colts lack of loyalty the way the nation lashed out at LeBron James a few years back when he left the Cavaliers.  However, LeBron's departure was mired by the idiotic decision to devote a one hour special to his decision on where to go.  Anyways the point is that as with sports teams the companies we work for are just that: companies.  They have no feelings and they know no loyalties.  That's not to say that the individuals that run the companies can't be emotional or have loyalties.  In the last year I have had several friends discuss how they feel bad leaving a company.  The fact is that the company would feel no emotion whatsoever if they had to layoff or fire employees and the reverse should also hold true.  As the axiom says, "it's just business not personal."