Leadership, teamwork, democratic workplace
“WHENE’ER companions don’t agree,They work without accord; And naught but trouble doth result, Although they all work hard. One day a swan, a pike, a crab, Resolved a load to haul; All three were harnessed to the cart, And pulled together all. But though they pulled with all their might, The cart-load on the bank…
Democracy in the workplace has long been a theme in my research, teaching and writing, and for that matter, in my style of leadership. Typing Democratic Workplace in the search page for the blog’s archive, will get you to several mentions of the topic. Many workplaces, we are told daily, are incorporating AI Robots, or…
A week ago, a friend invited my wife and me to a Czech pub, Sveiks, Švejk! Ads proclaim the restaurant is inspired by the ‘Good Soldier Šveik’, the not so “simple”, good-humored, hero of the epic novel, The Adventures Of Švejk. That restaurant inspired me to revisit and then revise extensively my 2015 blog…
Three times now I’ve seen the Oscar and Golden Globe winning film, the enigmatic Flow/Straume. The last was an exceptional event with a full symphonic orchestra! Caption: At the Riga Arena, May 23, 2026, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra performed the film’s score, composed and conducted by Rihards Zaļupe. Since I’m always on the lookout…
I’ve learned much about myself through experiential education (EE) or adventure learning. Most of my EE take aways are personal and relevant less to a group than to my own ways of leading. Highly personal learning is often the case with team building events. Some people get little more out of it than another gripe…
Speaking of cliches, one was on prominent display during the frenzied ending of the USAs college basketball season, namely, stepping up. That overused term applies just as well to the workplace. Stepping up alludes to the notion that if a team or organization is not having a successful year, then they just need to “step…
An A.D.T. (American District Telegraph) Kid carrying a Death Message marked “Rush” stopped in front of a Show Window containing a Picture of James J. Jeffries (a champion boxer) and began to weep bitterly. A kind-hearted Suburbanite happened to be passing along on his Way to the 5:42 Train. He was carrying a Dog Collar,…
Teamwork rituals from the basketball team to the work team which are discussed below: Sportsmanship, win or lose. Free throws/penalty shots. Subbing out. Circling up. Helping hands, Communication-Talking and Information hoarding. I understand there are readers whose least favorite class was PE (gym) and who cringe at any linking of sports to the workplace. Bear…
I’ve written of roosters and wild turkeys to illustrate human behavior, especially in the workplace. While humans display compassion more than most in the animal kingdom, there are times when we are less than compassionate in how we treat the less able or the strange. I have another story. This one is about how a…
How a primal craft moved one leader from a world of invoices, inventories, and interruptions to a state in which simple satisfaction came through the act of shaping raw dough into a loaf of bread. I make my own bread, something I’ve been doing for many years. My sourdough “starter” comes from Oklahoma, the gift…