Remember that labor hasn't become easier, it's just changing. Just because a majority of workers are no longer unionized, blue-collar, manual laborers, doesn't mean that they don't work hard.

Many managers don't know how to deal with their exceptionally talented employees. They often unintentionally dampen their star performance or cause them to find better opportunities elsewhere.

Just like me, most organizations are pack rats, accumulating goods and people that lose value over time. Why is it so hard for us to throw things out?

Crises create new working patterns spontaneously, but without conscious effort, these innovations cannot be sustained. The crisis becomes a part of company's folklore, rather than lasting performance.