We conclude then that burn out and "the Peter Principle" often go hand-in-hand. But it is only when the undergirding of business --those value creation components -- begin to go, "burnout" really follows.

Topic for discussion: What is the, "Peter Principle?"

Answer: "The Peter Principle," which was formulated in 1969 by Dr. Laurence Peter in a book of the same title, holds that people are promoted or rise just beyond their level of competence, then stay in the position and create problems for the business and for themselves. People get uptight, a little rigid and controlling, and then they burnout.

Is this misplaced concreteness? ... you know, putting the accent on the wrong syllable?

Labels hide a deeper activity. Within every promotion, every new responsibility, there is a fear of failure and a hope for success.

If we were to measure any item of work, even the writing of this study guide, it has a "value creation" component. Every good job has a value creation component. If somebody like Jim Schell is not liberated to focus on the essence of the value creation, you can be sure he will "burn out." They get bored crazy.

The people who have the audacity to think they can successfully start, run, and grow a business are all tied up in that essential value creation nexus. They are "idea people." Creativity junkies. They can see what isn't as if it is. They see perfections where there are imperfections. They see systems for doing things better. They are driven to make the world a better place.

Jim didn't burn out; he got bored into dreading the next day. If he really wanted to continue in that "printing" business, he would have hired a COO and CFO and looked at new ways of printing. But "printing" was not his core interest. It was not his center of being. Look at him now. He has written profusely about this entire valuation creation nexus culminating with several books, among them a best seller called, Small Business for Dummies. And now, he is now aiming at all 25 million small businesses to be part of his OK Groups!

This guy has to think outside the box or he gets bored. And for all you spouses, it is not an attention deficit disorder; it is hearing the essential call to being which is to create something of value -- create order with continuity, create relations with symmetry, and create dynamics with harmony.

You think about it: What gives you the greatest pleasure in your work? How would you describe the value creation component?