A Mysterious Syndrome that Affects Entrepreneurs

Have you read the latest issue of the New England Medical Journal? If you’re an executive who is thinking of going entrepreneur, you need to check it out. Turns out there’s a newly discovered condition affecting entrepreneurs, and it’s called ABF. Unlike Restless Leg Syndrome and E.D., there’s no drug yet to treat it, so you will have to manage this condition without a prescription.

Oh, ABF stands for Accumulated Boss Fatigue. I first noticed I was developing ABF around five years before I left corporate America. I am glad to be able to share the details of my condition so that others may find relief.

Stage One – Independence Day: How do you know you may have ABF? For me, it happened like this: After years of dutiful service to various employers, I found myself forgetting I had a boss. I was routinely making decisions and taking actions that were contrary to what the boss asked me to do. Even worse, I often didn’t bother letting the boss know I had absolutely no intention of following through on the ridiculous stuff she asked of me. This early onset stage is called RIS – Raging Independence Syndrome. It’s curable at this stage if you get back in line, apologize, maybe take some time off to clear your head, and remember that in most companies, the nail that stands out gets hammered down. If that doesn’t work, you’re on your way to Stage Two.

Stage Two – Craving the Movie “Office Space”: When it came out in 1999, I felt I was watching my autobiography. My job may have been bigger and less cubicle-bound than the characters in the movie, but I could relate. I must have watched it a dozen times that year. And whenever I had a meeting with my boss, I saw the face of Lumbergh in my mind and heard “Yeahhhhhh. Thannnkssss.” That’s stage two, and from there, you’re pretty much a goner.

Stage Three – Anything but This Job: You know you’ve reached doneness if your juices run clear when you are poked with a fork; when any other type of work appeals to you more than what you are currently doing, like for instance, being a concessionaire at Yankee Stadium; and any face would be a refreshing change from your Lumberghian boss’s. There’s a danger here, though: when you decide to go it alone in business, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, at the right time, and with the right support-and not just to run away from your battle with ABF.

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