Quote of the Day

Here's a good rule of thumb
Too clever, is dumb.

- Ogden Nash

Thoughts on the Road

Slow posting today. I taught a class on ethical decision making this morning, then drove to Tucson. Tomorrow brings a workshop on communicating in a diverse workplace.

If you wonder about all of that unexpected traffic out there, there is an explanation:

Consultants.

They're out there, clogging up the highways and the airports, and there's one for every type of specialty. [This may be because the job has a very simple definition: Someone will pay for your advice. Everything beyond that is commentary.]

I once met a consultant who specialized in doctor's offices, which can resemble a caste system out of the Middle Ages. Her main task, it seemed, was keeping the front desk staff from assaulting the doctors. She never explained how the nurses fit into the equation but apparently her specialty was a lucrative gig. I think of her every time I see sad faces staring out at a waiting room.

Several good points were brought up during the class discussion this morning but one in particular stays with me. At what point is it permissible to bury your concerns about a management action in order to preserve your job and your family's economic security? My response was that the old "family security" defense can be a huge loophole. Many a scoundrel has probably been abetted by good family men who went along for the ride because the mortgage was due, baby needed new shoes, or a teenager wanted a car.

Most people are repelled at an employer who would permit the harassment of employees by a major client. The idea that management should permit someone to harass employees if the harasser pays enough money is odious. But what about sell outs on the other end of the power grid? Are some employees saying in essence, "If management pays us enough, we are willing to go along with unethical behavior?"

Quote of the Day

We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.

- Albert Einstein

The Benefits of the Siesta

This should not surprise us:

An afternoon nap is good for our health.

And not just a little good.

[HT: kottke ]

"You've gained weight."

If you're not Chinese, you may be surprised by the bluntness of your Chinese co-workers.

CareerJournal reveals the culture gap.

A Not So Little Thing

Val Willis, writing at the Tom Peters blog, explores the significance of the daily catered lunches for Home Depot executives under the old regime.

Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine’s Day.

If you have not gotten the Valentine(s) in your life something appropriate, it's time to scramble.

For the history of the holiday, click here.

For information on people who dislike Valentine’s Day and want it replaced by something involving ashes and sackcloth, click here.

[Cartoon from gapingvoid ]

Factions

A key test of the sophistication maturity level of a workplace is the extent to which factions are tolerated.

High tolerance for factions = Low sophistication and immaturity.

This is hardly surprising. What does shock is the extent to which factions are permitted by supervisors who should know better. Some supervisors of limited skills join one or more of the sub-groups. Others, who may think themselves wiser, play manipulative games and increase the level of distrust. The result, however, is the same: Team cohesiveness is severely damaged or destroyed.

In my experience, these negative practices are not adopted overnight. They grow slowly. Gossip is permitted here. A caste system develops there. A maverick is ostracized. A dissenting voice is squelched. People are given undesirable labels. Favoritism begins to flourish, lines are drawn, and one day, the team finds that it is no longer a team.

Leaders have to catch these bad actions before they become habits. They have to watch for the tendrils of factions much as a gardener keeps an eye open for pests, weeds, and fungi. At the first sign, the leader must act firmly and clearly to declare that the behavior is unacceptable.

During the Second World War, General Eisenhower's efforts to prevent the fracturing of the Anglo-American military alliance were well known. When informed that an American officer, while drinking in London, had declared that the Americans would show the British how to fight, Eisenhower became "white with rage." As historian Stephen Ambrose describes the incident: [Eisenhower] summoned an aide and told him to arrange for the officer to report the next morning. As the aide left the office, Eisenhower hissed to [General Hastings] Ismay, "I'll make the son of a bitch swim back to America." The officer was sent home - by boat.

In another incident, a British officer defended an American who called him a son of a bitch, noting that the term is "sometimes used as a term of endearment." Eisenhower replied, "I am informed that he called you a British son of a bitch. That is quite different. My ruling stands."

The American was reduced in rank and sent back to the United States.

Quote of the Day

If you want to be loved, be lovable.

- Ovid

Celebrity Culture

Despite all efforts to make this blog an Anna Nicole Smith-free zone, I couldn’t resist this article by actor Larry Miller. An excerpt:

No one who wasn't in a fugue state for the last year could have missed the most recent, and it turns out final, iteration of Anna Nicole Smith's public life. In the last year she had a daughter born and a son die. Her lawyer decided to come around the other side of the desk and take her in his arms, and, you know what? They seemed happy, and I hope they were. Then an ex-boyfriend took time off from eating Cheetoes to sue somebody for something, but what does it matter anymore?

Similarly, you had to have known she married the rich old guy a dozen-or-so years ago and was unpleasantly embroiled ever since with his first loving family over--what a shock--the money. When I heard the old fellow passed away, I read about his son suing her over the will, and I remember thinking, "His son? What is he, 60?" Sixty-seven, it turns out, and he's gone now himself. Since yet another of the heart-broken offspring has gallantly appeared to pick up the cudgels and continue contesting it, I'd like to offer two choices of what I think is some pretty good advice: (1) Get a job. You didn't earn that money and you don't deserve it. And, by the way, every penny of it should go to Anna Nicole's daughter. Or, (2) Try your best to get reincarnated as a sexy woman.

Read it all here.