A repeat whinge

I am still amazed at how many times old things get rebadged, or rebadged and given a few extra details, and then take off - for instance, “whole of catchment planning” becoming “integrated water cycle management”, or “”work to rule becoming “quiet quitting”. 

There are other examples, but the point I wish to focus on here is those managers whose staff come to them with with a new idea, or politicians who receive an idea from an advocate, are resistant until someone “outside the loop” comes up with the exact same, or nearly the same, idea. 

It is almost as if they fear they will lose prestige or be considered incompetent unless either their direction came up with it, or someone from “out of left field” came up with it, thereby “proving” there was no way whatsoever that they could have come up with it (even if their staff did). 

There is also the issue that some people are so resistant it takes repeated advocacy to break through their resistance - and sometimes that “n+1” effort which succeeds may need to come from elsewhere, to prove that the problem is genuine, and not “just in the minds of staff”. 

(By the way, a lot of this dates back to my work experience in the 80s and 90s, but I keep seeing signs of the same problem - especially with ideologues or people who get in on a platform and then struggle when reality doesn't match that reality - and the UK’s former PM Liz Truss is an extreme example of that.) 

PS - since I gave notice (a very long notice period, so the company can find someone suitable to replace me) I've been surprised by the number of people (mostly outside the company) giving me compliments on my work over the years. It is well worth thinking about giving such praise earlier in careers, as that would have helped me deal with the stress at times - and, as I will not have a formal work send off (too many bad memories in this profession for me to "celebrate" it), it is worth keeping in mind that one may have opportunities to praise or reward people later on - especially if they die prematurely, e.g., by suicide as a result of work stress or by accident.