Leadership, teamwork, democratic workplace
A few years back, I made up a term for a kind of management system or style: cage free. It was a re-purposing of a term found on an egg carton. As you know nowadays there’s more than one way, including “gluten-free”, to market eggs. (There’s no gluten** in eggs.) And, claiming eggs are organic suggests something…
In Eastern Europe, during communist rule, a befuddled tourist found himself on a city bus without a ticket. As happens, the bus police boarded, demanding to see tickets. The tourist, along with a few villainous looking individuals was escorted off the bus. “The fine is 5 kopecks,” said the guard. “Plus 15 kopecks for…
“Glue Player” (GP) or Glue Guy (GG) is a recent management phrase borrowed from basketball and baseball usage dating back to the late 1970s. The term describes someone in a team “who holds everything together, often without seeking recognition for their efforts.” GPs have other attributes: they “lead from behind.” They let the stars…
One of my most frequently read old posts, “The Un-DMV” deserves a prominent spot on my WordPress platform. And, in a time of “pulse checks” for government employees – with many identified flat-liners – it is good to celebrate when an agency understands its purpose and carries out its mission with urgency and exceptional customer…
The donkeys were tired of being burdened with burdens and labouring all the days of their lives, so they sent ambassadors to Zeus, asking him to release them from their toil. Zeus, wanting to show them that they had asked for something impossible, said that their suffering would come to an end on the day…
AN Inquisitive Man was one day met by a friend who cordially hailed him: “Good morning, my good fellow! And where do you come from?” “From the Museum of Natural History, where I have just spent three hours. I saw everything there was to see and examined it carefully. It was all so astonishing that…
The resolution of Tom T. Hall’s mournful song about a hospitalized pig farmer set me to thinking about work, the dignity of work, and perspectives on work*. The song ends: “Well, the doctors say they do not know what saved the man from death But in a few days he put on his overalls and he…
Some years ago, I gave a talk to a large group of department heads about Leading from the Middle. It went fairly well, but one participant, seated as far from me as possible, never let up scowling. Was it me, something I said, or something she ate? I suspect it was my topic. Some managers are…