Surfacing the Information.
Often it’s only by making a mistake that we surface the information that allows us to know we’re mistaken.
And for others to gleefully point it out.
The Problem with Team.
The problem with ‘Team’ is it’s abstract.
Who or what is ‘Team’?
Urging people to work with the ‘team’ or put the ‘team’ first relies on each person sharing the same identity of ‘team’.
Better to say ‘work with Tom’ or ‘Dick’ or ‘Mary’ or even ‘the person relying on you’.
‘Team’ is like ‘School’.
Everybody can say it’s not them.
The One Rule Book.
When a decision maker applies positional power to make a decision affecting someone else, what they are saying is:
‘ I have a rule book that nobody else has, including you. Every time I apply that rule to you, my rule book resets and what may have been the rule yesterday, may not be the rule today. I get to decide when you break a rule and displease me, or when you don’t and please me. You won’t know whether you’ve displeased or pleased until I say so. So you’d better be nice to me.’
‘In short there is only one rule in the One Rule Book you need to know: Please me.’
Resolution.
Writing is like photography.
The more accurate the words, the finer the resolution of the picture.
Error Co-Dependent.
The bad boss relies on the errors of the workers to keep their job.
As long as the workers fail, they need a boss to boss them.
Bad workers keep bad bosses employed.
No Incentive.
A person who has risen to hold any positional power has no incentive to learn or create.
Easy Things.
‘Easy things lure us away from better answers.’
- Dr. Daniel Dennett, cognitive scientist and philosopher.
There’s nothing easier than exercising positional power.
Misplaced Virtue.
A friend swerved to avoid a fox running across the road, and rolled her car.
She and the other two occupants escaped with minor injuries.
‘Next time, run over the fox,’ was our advice.
Too many foxes live while others suffer because of mis-placed virtue.
What’s Your Problem?
You think your problem is the error.
It’s not.
The problem is your recruiting.
Your induction.
Your probation.
Your training.
Your salaries.
Your policies.
Your leadership.
Fake Glory.
We know that what we or our boss or organisation posts to the world about our work is a polished version of the dirty truth.
We never tell the world about the conflict and failure and politics and egos and tantrums and firings and budget overruns.
The world sees us smiling in stage, holding the award for Something Of The Year.
Better to pretend and encourage someone with our fake glory and have them succeed, than tell the truth so no-one ever tries.
