Follow the Footnote
Ji Yun Kim
San Jose State University
School of Library and Information Science
LIBR 204-18
March 17, 2013
After much deliberation and false starts, I decided to focus on element number three,
which emphasizes the opportunity to do what one does best at work. The footnote that I found
most inspiring was footnote number 14, which referenced George Orwell’s essay Why I Write. I
was drawn to the George Orwell reference because I was interested in reading his essay, as well
as because of an idealistic belief in a “calling” to one’s vocation. To be honest, the research for
this particular source material was extremely simple, only taking a quick search on Google to
retrieve the complete essay. However, I did search and find the material for other potential
footnotes to follow, which involved using the SJSU King Library publication tab to look up
scholarly journal articles. This involved in entering the journal name and choosing the correct
issue and article among the retrieved list.
George Orwell states in his essay that he knew from the age of five or six, that he
“should be a writer” (Orwell, 1946, para. 1). His essay reveals that his literary ambitions were
partly due to his troubled family life and feelings of isolation as a child (Orwell, 1946). He pokes
fun at his own early attempts at poetry, admitting to copying the works of William Blake at the
age of 4 or 5 (Orwell, 1946). He also claims in his essay that all writers are “vain, selfish, lazy”
(Orwell, 1946, para. 15), and that his sense of political (exposing a lie or injustice) and aesthetic
(making it pleasurable) purpose is what allowed him to move beyond the negative aspects of
being a writer, to create works of art that are meaningful and enjoyable to the public (Orwell,
1946).
How does Orwell’s essay on inspiration and calling to a vocation relate to a practicing
manager? Well I think that a good manager would be able to recognize the callings of his
employees, and give them the appropriate opportunities to express those talents, whether it be
filing documents, providing excellent customer service, or coming up with innovative ideas. An
important detail to note however, is that at an early stage of development, an individual may
not exhibit the particular skill for which they show interest. Orwell admits that in his childhood,
while the interest was there, the skill was obviously lacking, and views his early literary
attempts as “made to order” and “burlesque”.
The role of a good manager, then, would be to recognize the employee’s passion for a
particular activity, and allowing that employee the opportunity to learn and grow in that
capacity, despite his actual experience. Employees who are just beginning their careers may
not be aware of their best skills, and even seasoned employees may not yet have discovered
their innate talents. A good manager would be able to recognize this “irresistible urge” in
employees to do what they do best. Recognizing these skills would require managers to
observe and listen to their employees, watching for which tasks the employee seems to seek
out on his/her own, with no direction from others. A good manager would then give the
employee the tools and training to develop the particular skill, knowing that in the long run, the
employee’s suitability, and thus happiness in the role would benefit the organization.
References
Orwell, G. (1946). Why I write. Retrieved from
http://orwell.ru/library/essays/wiw/english/e_wiw.
Wagner, R., & Harter, J.K. (2006). 12: The Elements of Great Managing. New York: Gallup Press.