What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters as compared with what lies within us

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters as compared with what lies within us”.

I’m not sure of the context in which he said this but sure does ring a bell when one looks at human psychology in life and at the workplace.

The recession does appear to be receding (sic) and the markets are opening up. Placement consultants are heaving sighs of relief after the dreary year that was. Salary increases and better roles are back on the table. Heads are beginning to rise in confidence that in a crunch a new job can be found that is better than the current one. At the same time the fabric of employee – employer relationship and engagement has acquired some new knots and weaves in the aftermath of what was and what lies before us. A new order replaceth the old one characterised largely by a rational and conservative assessment driven by self preservation. Risk taking is at a low and employees avoid sticking their neck out hoping that any misses or failures are not noticed.

Data shows that during the last recession fraud at the workplace increased Initially i found this counter intuitive – wouldn’t one be more careful to avoid getting caught and losing ones job in a down market ? However I believe the same was repeated this time too with industry witnessing an increase in fraud.