Michael Stanford entered the office environment as a glue salesman. His co-workers were too stoned to be a threat. Next, his path took him into the world of retail, where he tried to survive as a trouser specialist in the competitive world of corduroy. A year of inside legs later, he was fired by an ambitious suede manager who suggested he didn't have the guts for pants. Catering followed, then hospitality, journalism, media sales, advertising and marketing. Over the years, he was promoted and demoted, embraced and had the life squeezed out of him. He became a manager, a mentor, a boss, one of the 'core management team', and he even ran departments. In truth, they ran him. He has seen the best and worst of behaviour across industries, and across boardroom tables. He has witnessed the demise of people, the collapse of careers, and the suffering of humanity under the harsh glare of a PowerPoint screen. Now he avoids workstations, preferring noisy cafes as his workplace.
