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The cheapening of any article in common use almost immediately results in a largely increased demand for that article. Take the case of shoes, for instance. The introduction of machinery for doing every element of the work which was formerly done by hand has resulted in making shoes at a fraction of their former labor cost.

Imagine overhearing a conversation at the workplace coffee machine between two middle-aged Baby Boomers that sounds something like this: ''I don't know what to do about my son any more,'' confides the first Baby Boomer to his colleague. ''He is so confident, sociable and optimistic. Every time he hears an inspiring speaker, he wants to go out and work on a civic project. Then, when he's home, he's always looking for praise and encouragement for his accomplishments.'' His voice trails off with a tone of frustration.

Last week, I received a submission for the piece I am going to do in the next couple of weeks titled ''Companies Behaving Badly: Real Live Examples.'' (By the way, I am still taking real live examples.) There were so many good lessons in it that I wanted to comment on them in a regular column. There are comments that are applicable for both job seekers and those currently employed. My thanks to the person who sent me what I turned into this week's column.

Your financial requirements and what you would like to earn have nothing to do with what you are worth in the market. In running my various organizations, I have hired superstars from the very best universities with the very best work histories who ended up contributing next to nothing to the organization. I have also hired people who started out making close to minimum wage, and whose contributions were so great their salaries doubled, and in some cases even quadrupled. Several years ago, the contribution of one of our departments, which was then around 10 people, was so great I literally doubled each and every member's salary in one short 15 minute meeting.