One of us once sat in on a board meeting of a major British company.
Around the table were six men and two women (that's two more than usual, of
course). As we worked with most of them over time, we came to realise eve4ry
on of them had a major health problem. One had just had a heart bypass
operation and was still taking large amounts of medication. Another had a
hidden alcohol problem. A third was seriously overweight, while a fourth
suffered from bouts of serious depression and was on long-term
anti-depressants. Of the remaining four, one was a chain smoker, another
suffered from insomnia and could not get to sleep at night without sleeping
pills, one of the women appeared painfully think and the other was in
remission from cancer.
Yet these eight people were making decisions that affected the lives of
many thousands of others. Unusual? We don't think so. Such stresses and
anxieties, and their effects, are not uncommon. These were good people,
dedicated, skilled and hard-working. Yet all of them seemed utterly unable
to look after themselves.
Most were addicted to some kind of (prescription) medication, as well as
to work. And what about you?
