Example or Exception?

One of the things in life I want to be is The Man. We've covered that in a previous post, if you've been paying attention. But being The Man comes with some serious implications. For one, you've got everyone else paying attention to your every move because they're jealous. There could be many reasons for their jealousy, but the main one is probably jealousy because you're better than they are at everything they wish they could do with their lives. Ok...so I say that with a little smile, but its true on some level.

The choice you reach when becoming The Man is to be the Example or the Exception.

The Example version is the guy who shows up to work early, extends himself out to peers (maybe too much sometimes), and leaves late. He got to where he is by working hard and not skipping a beat. He's busy focusing on the hard problems to help make everyone's job easier. You can't help but be envious of how much this guy fits in to a day.

The Exception is the guy who shows up to work.....unless its going to get in the way of his Yoga class. Or unless its Friday. Or unless Hopjack's ends up with some really killer special for one day only. He got to where he is by working smart and not letting anyone get the best of him. He's busy focusing on finding the best person to solve the hard problems to make work happen quickly and efficiently. You can't help but be envious of how much amazingly awesome stuff this guy gets to do (because he's not at work since he picked the right guy to get the job finished ahead of schedule).

Which The Man is better? Both have their upsides and downsides. Is there a compromise between them? If you had to pick one as your boss, which would you rather have? If you had to pick which one you'll become, which would you rather be?

I can't help but keep that damn The Who song playing in my head now. Thanks, Dave.