externalizing of responsibility

i feel an immense amount of discomfort when people perceive me as their boss, or use words like “working for me”.

i much prefer words like “working with me”

the pessimistic view is that i don’t want to take responsibility for someone else

the optimistic view is that i can’t stand the idea of working with people who don’t see themselves as protagonists - and the idea of working for someone implies to me that they’re a follower / side character

i want the people i work with to be agents - actors, carrying out their will on the world

and i don’t want deference between of status or hierarchy - i don’t want people to take what i say as gospel, i don’t want people to respect me because of a job title.

every day i should have to re-earn the respect of those around me

every day people should treat me like everyone else

i don’t want to work with “followers”

i’d sooner shut down the company than hire someone who “wants a job”, as opposed to “among a set of opportunities they have wants to work with us”

i’d sooner shut down the company than hire someone who thinks “I do this because someone else told me to” is anything other than an abhorrent desertion of responsibility.

i’d sooner shut down the company than hire someone who see this as a “way to get a paycheck” or “paying the bills”

the desertion of responsibility feels awful to me