It's interesting how norms shift over time. What was once off-limits becomes accepted. What was once standard becomes unthinkable.
I'm not here to debate right or wrong. I'm fascinated by how our definition of "normal" evolves.
One shift I've been thinking about: how we work.
In the past, if someone juggled multiple projects across companies, hired others, and paid them a cut of their own contract rate, that was a serious red flag. But if a consulting firm did the exact same thing? Perfectly fine.
Today, you work across multiple projects within one company and use AI tools that send your data to third-party servers with unclear data practices, in my opinion. That, however, is called embracing innovation. But if you're a consultant using AI to serve multiple clients more efficiently? That's frowned upon, or at least comes with a steep discount.
Same patterns. Different labels. Different rules depending on who's doing it.
The question isn't whether norms change. They always do. The question is whether we notice the inconsistencies while they're happening.
And maybe that's the deeper issue.
People often assume being logical and being rational is the same thing. It's not.
You can be logical but not rational. I like to call this piece-wise logical. It sure sounds better than calling someone irrational.
I can work with someone whose logic differs from mine. But when someone is irrational, applying different standards to the same behavior depending on who's doing it, that's what gets on my nerves.
I have to admit though, consultants charge too much already, if you ask me. We're just better equipped now to negotiate a lower price. 😉