Sugar-coated statements that tend to leave a bitter after-taste.
I know you deserved better, but there were factors beyond my control. A tale of woe from most managers, who are either unable or unwilling to look after the interests of those whose professional welfare they are in charge of. The “sorrowful manager” often paints a picture of an epic battle in which he is pitted against forces far more powerful than himself and the ultimate triumph is of might over right. Recipients of such tales must not be swayed by emotional considerations; the cold fact is that they have not got what they deserved. No amount of fancy verbiage will make up for that loss.
You can choose to be whoever you wish to be in our system. A Garden of Eden presentation, especially during induction programmes, leaving trainees with the feeling that unbounded freedom awaits them in their quest to add value to themselves! But the Garden of Eden had just one resident snake; corporate jungles not only have many snakes but also many other species. The entire spectrum of the animal kingdom in these jungles has but one goal: to quickly ensure that all illusions are lost at the earliest. Veritably, the signboard should read: Abandon all illusions you who enter here — much like that over the gates of hell, supposedly cautioning those entering it to abandon all hope.