On defending his cabinet appointments yesterday morning, president-elect Obama had this to say:
Ah, if only more leaders were strong enough to consider a point of view that may not jibe with their own. Not just political leaders, all of them.
I have worked for persons who didn't like the idea of debate in the workplace, even when it was conducted in the interest of delivering a smarter and better result. After a while my existence at these organizations became absolutely pointless and I quickly lost interest in the work and ultimately employment. Not because I feel the need to fight each and every little battle. It's just that we don't live long enough on this Earth to go through life jumping off bridges or drinking instant grape beverage each and every time we're asked to do so.
My mentor in college, Jim Avery, once told me, "If two people think alike all the time, one of them is redundant." From the many pieces of advice I received in college that line will always remain in active memory (the other piece of advice: "Get out of Alaska as soon as you can." Well, I'm almost ten years Alaska-sober now and haven't touched an ulu in fifteen). The more you live and work around people who rarely present a different viewpoint, the softer your brain gets, the more complacent you become, and before you know it Wilford Bradley is the only one who makes any sense in the world.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Great post Greg......uh... I mean bad post I totally disagree. :)
Don't you mean Wilford Brimley?
Hey! I'm not a resident of Alaska, but an ulu is pretty handy.
Further, if you use a mezzaluna, I suggest you're at least half fooling yourself.
(Note: I do have family in AK, and have visited. Beautiful, but I don't suppose you'd find the kind of work up there that you've picked up in more southerly climes.)
JA
I like the philosophy of engaging in debate, but also having the ability to make and implement decisions. Letting people who might disagree with you have their say is one thing, it's quite another to have the vision, humility and courage to act on it. I know this is something I struggle with in my job, but I've found that if I *really* listen and think and try to see how other opinions align with my vision and what's best that often there are really good points that I otherwise might have missed. It's taking time, but I'm getting better at it. Let's hope it's the same with Obama.
Precisely. A single ingredient is not a recipe. Thesis plus thesis yields thesis.
Keith: You hope Obama will do as good a job as you? Dude!
That's a fantastic viewpoint, I wish there was some British equivalent of Obama, I really do.
> Don't you mean Wilford Brimley?
Dammit Internets, you have misguided me once again!
> Keith: You hope Obama will do as good a job as you? Dude!
Dude, Keith walks around in the comfort only brass can afford.
@zeldman - that's right! :)
That did come off kinda... funny. I guess I'm hoping Obama will do as good a job as I TRY to do. Wait... that's not... oh nevermind. :)
Don't we all really wish that Obama will be as good as Greg?
To be sure I agree 100%, but there is another side to this coin.
I think it is important to remember the opposite extreme. Back in ye olde days, President-Elect John Adams chose to keep on the cabinet of his predecessor—comprised of two warring factions spearheaded by their own prominent personalities Messieurs Jefferson and Hamilton. The result was a disaster for President Adams during his Presidency that nearly resulted in a disastrous war for a young nation.
Then again, that was 211 years ago. Anyway, my point is that if Obama wants to get anything done he'd be well off to manage his staffers strong personalities with strong opinions carefully. With the route he has chosen his abilities as a leader will be strained to their maximum.
Excellent observation, and great advice as well.
What may be overlooked is the ability to take responsibility for the decisions that are made and actions that are taken. Accepting the blame for the decisions that fail, and sharing credit for the decisions that succeed. How engaging can a debate be if its contributors constantly feel the burden of being blamed for the groups failures and never feel the joy that comes with a shared success?
Ironically, I often think of my favorite Wilford Brimley quote (from "The Natural") when I'm suffering through a meeting with people afraid to think differently:
I should have been a farmer!
> With the route he has chosen his abilities as a leader will be strained to their maximum.
In the spirit of the post, I respectfully disagree. When I was a production manager in the newspaper industry we put a sign up that read 'Check your ego at the door'. It worked pretty well. I welcomed different points of view (how do you learn anything if you don't look at all sides and angles?), but when a decision was made everyone knew it was time to get on board and go forward.
I think it's actually fairly simple to lay down the rules ahead of time and let people know that if they're causing problems, they're out.
> I think it's actually fairly simple to lay down the rules ahead of time and let people know that if they're causing problems, they're out.
Huh, I didn't know that managing a production office for a regional newspaper was as difficult as managing the the cabinet positions in the world's most powerful nation. That's amazing.
>That's a fantastic viewpoint, I wish there was some British equivalent of Obama, I really do.
ditto for us in Canada. Harper is the complete opposite of Obama.
> Huh, I didn't know that managing a production office for a regional newspaper was as difficult as managing the the cabinet positions in the world's most powerful nation. That's amazing.
The principle is the same, only the scale is different. It's like how Google works the same whether it's handling one search or one million searches. Humans are humans, that doesn't change.
Ah, but an even better example would how Obama scaled up his own organizational skills, from the community level, to the primary, to the general election, to the presidency. There are basic principles that do scale, whether you're managing ten people or ten thousand people.
So… perhaps Obamia has some Canadia in him…?
O how true. Though it is harder to make friends and get promotions as someone willing to debate, it is unnatural to always be a yes man or even to always be a diplomat (unless diplomat is officially your title lol). I have learned these lessons the hard way, but I wouldn't change a thing. Okay maybe I would change one thing: argue with a bit more tact in some situations. But still, having a forum to at least share a dissenting view, yes, that's crucial.