I learned the term “forces of destruction” many years ago from W. Edwards Deming, the late management guru who greatly enlarged this country’s understanding of quality — in products and services…and the life of people at work. He used the term to denote all the ways we are conditioned to compete against one another, and… Continue reading Forces of Destruction (and the Daily Triumph of the Human Spirit)
Category: Trust
Three Kinds of Courage
Some years ago, I co-wrote a book called, Driving Fear Out of the Workplace, regarding the dynamics of speaking up in organizations. My co-author and I described typical “undiscussable†issues – undiscussables being issues that people hesitate to talk about with those who can do something about the problem – and how to approach them… Continue reading Three Kinds of Courage
On Denial
As the year turns and I find myself reflecting about my work, what comes forward is the whole dynamic of denial by all of us in leadership roles and positions. By denial I mean that we all too easily push away uncomfortable or unacceptable truths. We push them away in a variety of ways. I… Continue reading On Denial
Addressing ‑2: What to Do When Team Trust is All But Gone
In my last post I offered a survey on trust levels to help groups determine how they are fairing as a team and what steps might help improve internal relationships. Of the levels described in the survey, from +2, “Ideal,” to ‑2 “Disintegrating,” it is the ‑2 level that represents the most sensitive challenge. What… Continue reading Addressing ‑2: What to Do When Team Trust is All But Gone