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Interesting. Similarly, I remember talking with three sons of a friend, and asking about what they wanted to do. They all agreed that they didn't want to do what their father did. They couldn't say what he did do, but they could see he came home tired, exasperated and often travelled. Their father was a senior executive at GE! At the time, one of the most successful (as measured by profits and turnover) but had a reputation for demanding 100% and more from its senior leaders.

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How far do children know what work their parents do, you ask? When I was at school in Newcastle our neighbour's son was asked at school what his father did, and replied: "he works in a factory". Well, sort of; he was, in fact, Head of Toxicology (Europe) for Procter & Gamble.

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