Pride as Ninja

Check out Bryan Stewart's take on Pride: The Silent Leadership Assassin. An excerpt:

With every individual or team success, the unwary leader can increase their vulnerability to the destructive forces of pride. The same skills, competencies and values that make you successful as a leader can be the very things that can “puff you up” and replace humility in your heart with a lethal dose of venomous pride.

The Blob

If you work at The Blob, you eventually notice:

• Many things are planned but few are completed.


• "Yes" does not always mean "yes." It often means "perhaps" or "no."


• Conflict is seldom expressed openly. That would be unseemly. Instead, people are quite cordial, even when they strongly disagree. They are always searching for an appropriate time to surface their disagreement and that is usually when the other party is not in the room.


• Authority is murky and it can be difficult to determine who is/was responsible for what.


• There is little coordination because coordination involves sharing information. Sharing information is another task that requires the ever-elusive "appropriate time."


• Unless the infraction is extreme, people are not held accountable for poor performance.


• Memos are written, as the old saying goes, not to inform but to protect.


• After a while, the best people flee.
  

The Blob, sad to say, is not hard to find.

Stein on the Economy

When I think about the economy I think about a plump man who has just been hit by a truck while crossing a street and is in severely critical condition with internal bleeding. Instead of just stabilizing his hemorrhaging, the doctor decides that while the patient is unconscious, he might as well also do a face lift, some coronary bypasses and a stomach stapling to keep him from gaining weight while he is recovering (if he does recover). After all, a crisis is not to be wasted.

- Ben Stein

Quote of the Day

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.

- Oscar Wilde

Noir Break

It's no "The Maltese Falcon" but "The Asphalt Jungle" is darned close. [Check out the trailer.]


Can't believe I waited so long to see the film. Louis Calhern, Sam Jaffe, James Whitmore, Marilyn Monroe, and Sterling Hayden are extraordinary.

[Calhern's performance goes way beyond good. The man should have been a household name.]

Waugh Interview

Here's an excerpt of a BBC interview with novelist Evelyn Waugh.

Note the "objectivity" of the interviewer.

Choose Your Management Vices

Pretend that you have some management vices.

I know that's a stretch, but bear with me. If you were able to limit those vices to three, and indeed could not have less than three, which three of the following vices would you choose for your current job?

1. Procrastination.
2. Lack of punctuality.
3. Insensitivity to others.
4. Inefficiency.
5. Poor productivity.
6. Poor writing skills.
7. Poor speaking skills.
8. Poor planning skills.
9. Lack of focus.
10. Lack of initiative.
11. Poorly motivated.
12. Overconfident.
13. Lack of versatility.
14. Uncooperative.
15. Disorganized.
16. Passive.
17. Sloppy.
18. Arrogant.

Workplace Types

Stay in the workplace long enough and you'll encounter the following types:

The Wizard. Brilliant, charismatic, and high achieving. Surrounded by capable people who, in time, become less capable and more dependent as they adjust to a personality-driven environment.

The Insecure but Self-Centered. Willing to talk about his or her problems and doubts for hours and then address the subject again next week. You thought all self-centered people were secure? Think again.

The Survivor. A finger is always testing the wind. Sensitive meetings are dodged. Decisions are delayed and ducked. Friendly to all but a friend to none. Never to be trusted.

The Scattered. Has a thousand bright ideas but few of them are consumated. Helpful in a staff role but lethal as an executive.

The Barracuda. Great at rough and tough turnarounds that take no longer than a week or two. Terrible at long-time relationships. Short shelf-life.

The Relaxed. Nothing is urgent. Nothing is a crisis. All is well. Everything will work out fine until the plane hits the mountain.

Quote of the Day

Not being ahead of time is not being on time.

- Javier Moreno Valle

Humor Break: Cake Wrecks

Some niche blogs are consistently good.

Lou Rodarte has gotten me hooked on this site, which features wizardry such as photo cakes.