Consume Product

this is exactly how department budgets work in large corporations as well. if you don't spend it, you didn't need it obviously, so next year you get less money allocated. your dept loses power and possibly headcount.

I've lived this. we had to fill out "what did you do last week" emails every single week, as well. doesn't matter. you had to be productive, fight the strangling bureaucracy from within, while satisfying middle-management with budgetary lies and assist with (office) political schemes.

best advice I can give to young men: make connections. the more and better connections you have the better you will do and the better protected you will be. competence in anything else is more or less meaningless, other than to be useful to more powerful and richer people.