Transformation from the Trenches

There are a number of clichés in the business world, but the one that irritates me the most is the concept that:

Business = War

I have never been to war, thank goodness, but I think we all know the analogy is an exaggeration.  Business is business. It can be tough and it can be nasty, but it usually isn't fatal. And yet, I slipped right into the business is war cliché yesterday when the firm I work for went through a round of restructuring-related terminations yesterday.

My team experienced its losses early in the morning, which was bad enough. I suppose you could even say we even felt a little shell-shocked. As the day progressed, word of cuts in other departments slowly made their way through the staff grapevine. I felt like someone waiting on the home front as the casualty lists percolated in.