Setting your anti-goals
Acknowledge what you won't do this year.
In the last week of 2023, a brawl erupted on X/Twitter about H1B visas in the U.S., which allow skilled immigrants to enter the country and are used heavily within the tech industry for engineering roles. As part of the argument, entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy wrote, "Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long." He went on to state that the mindset and behaviors start young, advocating for "More math tutoring, fewer sleepovers. More weekend science competitions, fewer Saturday morning cartoons. More books, less TV. More creating, less 'chillin.' More extracurriculars, less 'hanging out at the mall.'"
What Ramaswamy sees as a lack of hard work (and implies is laziness) can be explained by another phenomenon: collective frustration and exhaustion. Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, his counterpart at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), along with many others, are members of the "founder class." They reap the benefits from the hard work of other people.
Those other people — the worker class — are tired of devoting their waking hours and mental energy in exchange for no job security, shrinking retirement savings, no path to home ownership, and rising consumer costs that lead many to feel like they are simply scraping by.
A shifting view of corporate America
In an article for Fortune, ex-CEO and Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School Bill George writes that Gen Z views society as a battle between the oppressors and the oppressed: giant corporations look out only for profits, not customers. He further states that this view contrasts previous generations, who view corporations as "serving society and creating value for all their stakeholders."
George's opinion matches the vibe of many people I've spoken with. Over the past few weeks, I've talked to people who plan to quit their jobs or change careers because they are completely burned out by giving everything to an employer and receiving nothing satisfying in return. One described her job as an "abusive relationship." Another filed a formal complaint about a hostile work environment, which was ignored.
A lack of enthusiasm or a do-anything work ethic isn't laziness. The pushback is due to a a lack of protections in the workplace and systems that are designed to "hold down" anyone who isn't a member of the founder class or upper management. The worker class is gaslit into thinking that they are the problem or that their concerns aren't valid.
I spent many years working with someone who openly screamed at colleagues and belittled others during meetings. He "ruled" by intimidation and bullying. And his behavior was tolerated, because the executives viewed him as an employee with critical institutional knowledge — no matter how many people left the company or suffered from stress as a result of working with this person. I didn't realize that this type of behavior wasn't tolerated at other companies until I left.
Terrible working conditions are still a pervasive issue. RAND, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, conducted research back in 2015 and found that 20% of people report recent abuse or harassment at work. On top of that, 50% of people work in their free time to meet workplace demands.
Yet the founder class continues to demand more — without pay or benefits to match. Musk made this clear in his takeover of Twitter and introduction of Twitter 2.0, requiring that employees agree to an "extremely hardcore" work environment with "long hours at high intensity."
It's no wonder that many, many people in the worker class have "nope'd" out of such demands.
Make a list of anti-goals
In the book This Is Strategy, author Seth Godin writes:
We can't change capitalism. We can't even put a dent into it. But we can change the incentives of consumers, employers, and investors by creating different cultural boundaries and status roles that operate within the larger system.
Capitalism wants us to produce more. Contribute more. Work for corporations in the feeble hope that they will "serve society." Instead, should do what Godin suggests and create different cultural boundaries.
A few years ago, I wrote that I am never going back to:
Traditional work
Feeling undervalued
Working with assholes
Companies that put business above people
Many people begin the new year with goals. I'd encourage you to establish some "anti-goals": the things you won't do this year.
At a minimum, don't let people in power control the narrative. This is a small act of resistance that makes a huge difference. Don't let the Musks and the Ramaswamys of the world tell you that you are lazy or unworthy because you've set boundaries. Don't let online information disrupt your peace. Don't let other people make you feel guilty for your choices and priorities.
What will you set as your anti-goals for the year?
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