Sunday, December 9, 2007

The Surprise Factor

Have you ever noticed the invisible forces running your life and organization. I call it the Surprise Factor: destabilizing events; people not communicating; seemingly simple things falling through the cracks; thoughtlessness; being surprised by employee and manager behavior; covering up; holding information close to the vest; not trusting one another; offense being taken when none is intended; important issues being ignored; not taking the time to plan; not knowing how to plan; the elephant in the room; tolerating the elephant in the room; misunderstandings; making up stories; spreading gossip; malicious compliance; judging one another unfairly; pigeon-holing one another; not liking one another; being afraid to ask or question or contribute; not hearing what's really being said; focusing on what's wrong; reacting out of false assumptions; lack of appreciation; intimidating behavior; being closed to new ideas; being addicted to looking good at all costs; passing the buck; lack of follow-through. It goes on and on. Well, have you noticed some of this stuff? What are the costs to you as a person? To your organization? Is there a root cause?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

These elements are not only common but pervasive in most organizations globally. Many managers and people in general are so busy judging others they have no time or motivation to evaluate themselves from whence most suffering and poor performance stems. Finding endless rationalizations for why the actions and performance of others negatively impacts our own attitudes, performance and actions is a full time job for many. Tom your advice, techniques and council is just what our work place needs. Having seen the effects of these debilitating conditions in numerous companies over the years and positive effects when these issues are addressed. I know that work place morale, productivity, creativity and I dare say profitability can all be improved and increased if proper techniques and commitment are employed