Val Everett
Aug 25, 2017 · 1 min read

This is so wonderful, and true. It reminds me so much of a contracting job I had a couple of years ago. The company brought in hundreds of contractors to their HQ in a sleepy Indiana town. There were eight on my team, and I was one of the stars. How?

  1. Contractor #1 never did any work, and when called on it blamed everyone else on the team;
  2. Contractor #2 thought his job was watching movies on his company laptop in the company coffee shop;
  3. Contractor #3 was so chronically disorganized I’m surprised he consistently remembered where his desk was;
  4. And my hero, Contractor 4: drank himself insensate most nights, was literally NEVER on time to work (or even close), hardly did any work when he was there, left large piles of food wrappers and empty drink containers on his desk so long we got ants, and had nonexistent personal hygiene.

Just by showering regularly, showing up on time, using a trash can, and doing work on occasion, I did terrific. I even got a raise.

Incompetence has made me the person I am today. If you ever start a gofundme for a statue in its honor, count me in.

)

    Val Everett

    Written by

    Writing about politics, nature, culture, work, and anything else that’s bothering me. Pseudonym.