Bad Corporate Culture Trait #1

Criticism

Criticism is the perfect bad culture trait. It plays to many natural tendencies, appears to add value and assumes no risk. Any group of 10 or more will have at least 1 person prone to criticism as a primary work tactic. Here's why it works so well in the office...

Us vs. Them

The typical critical employee generally gripes about a trait or condition of another group such as "management" or "finance" or "marketing" or what have you. This is typical watercooler talk and can vary from mild to severe. But regardless it is a foot in the door to bad culture. In this situation criticism is easy to hand out because the subject of the criticism is not present. Oddly, one of the underlying causes of this tactic is the need to be more included in a team. The negative employee is attempting to identify himself with the person he is talking to be on "their side" or win the employee over to "his side". Bad cultures tend to appear in companies that are not peforming all that well. Folks like to distance themselves from the problem and point fingers. The critical employee is trying to be on the wining side--we all want to be on the wining side so often we jump in this type of criticism without even thinking about it. We become problem solvers and we find the problem (them) and we begin to talk about how to fix the problem (lay blame).

I'm protecting the company

This is my favorite and the most insidious. I have seen many managers buy in to this tactic and *encourage* it in their employees. The basic premise is this, by poking holes in bad proposals, I am *saving* the company money. In a problemed company, this is the perfect strategy. Some one else has done all the work to research a proposal. The critical employee usually hasn't invested anything in researching the plan so being critical is very low effort. It seems to add value to the proposal by pointing out its flaws. There is a difference between pointing out a weakness and offering a solution than simply saying a plan won't work. It's a fine line, be careful how you navigate it. Finding problems in another plan is zero risk. No one is going to blame the critical employee for "finding" these problems. It is a great way for an employee worried about their position to divert all attention away from themselves. This is the real purpose to unconstructive criticism... A good offense makes a good defense. Never forget that when you deal with the overly critical employee. They are making low level fear based decisions. Find out what is making them fearful--that is the real issue.

Criticism swirls in on itself like building firestorm. The heat circulates and builds. More and more employees will be drawn in to it if it goes unchecked. Let it go too long and some employees will become so negative that your relationship with them will be forever broken. The critical employee is subconsciously looking for validation that something really is wrong. Once that validation is achieved then the employee can absolve themselves of all blame for everything wrong at work. They can then stop working--after all, the problem is "marketing", right? Nothing I do will matter because it's all them. Someone else is to blame--I'm covered.

What starts as mild watercooler chat can lead to widespread unjustified negativity. No organization is perfect--many flaws are certain to be present. The goal of all organizations should still be to do the best you can realizing that perfection is goal to be attempted, but never quite achieved. Always remember that in an imperfect world there will always be imperfect solutions.

Everybody Plays the Fool

No exception to the rule...

This Valentine's Day whether you're in the perfect relationship now or obsessively devouring a giant chocolate heart in depressed defiance it's good to remember this... Everybody plays the fool. Love is something of a dream and reality wrapped in to one person. Your own dreams blend with the person you love to create the bond you share. But dreams being what they are--deep desires for something we don't quite have--we all have loved someone (or will love someone) that is more dream than person.

You can still dream big. There will be great falls. You will live. You will dream again. Don't stop dreaming.

I think sometimes we fear failure. We think we will lose something we can't get back. Perhaps. But the purpose of life isn't to arrive at its end with everything. Live. Enjoy, despair, love, lose, dream and live.

Today, celebrate your dreams. Love is at least half dreams. Dreams that come true.

Everybody Plays the Fool

No exception to the rule...

This Valentine's Day whether you're in the perfect relationship now or obsessively devouring a giant chocolate heart in depressed defiance it's good to remember this... Everybody plays the fool. Love is something of a dream and reality wrapped in to one person. Your own dreams blend with the person you love to create the bond you share. But dreams being what they are--deep desires for something we don't quite have--we all have loved someone (or will love someone) that is more dream than person.

You can still dream big. There will be great falls. You will live. You will dream again. Don't stop dreaming.

I think sometimes we fear failure. We think we will lose something we can't get back. Perhaps. But the purpose of life isn't to arrive at its end with everything. Live. Enjoy, despair, love, lose, dream and live.

Today, celebrate your dreams. Love is at least half dreams. Dreams that come true.

Where Corn Don't Grow

As we sat on the front porch

Of that old grey house where I was born and raised

Starin' at the dusty fields

Where my daddy worked hard every day

I think it kinda hurt him when I said Daddy

There's a lot that I don't know

But don't you ever dream about a life

Where corn don't grow

I remember living in Nebraska and thinking that there wasn't all that much to do. I never thought of it as boring... it was just Nebraska. The Summers are hot. The Winters are icy cold. In the Spring you open your windows to the clean breeze and in the Fall you are surrounded by spooky corn fields on all sides. Even the city kids know their way to the country. Although we didn't think of it that way... it was just just Nebraska.

He just sat there silent

Staring at his favorite coffee cup

I saw a storm of mixed emotion in his eyes

When he looked up

He said Son I know at your age

Seems like this ol' world is turning slow

And you think you'll find the answer to it all

Where corn don't grow

I moved away to follow a paycheck. The dollars were undeniable. The choices were stay and muddle through or move and really see a career. Too young to know any better I went for the money. I still have that career, good money and a big city paycheck.

Hard times are real

There's dusty fields

No matter where you go

You may change your mind

'Cause the weeds are high

Where corn don't grow

Hard times are real. Small Towns or Big Cities it doesn't matter. Of course we can't tell that until we take those steps away from home. Life is like some strange dessert--you're pretty sure it must be good, but you don't know until you take a bite and then it's too late. Good to remember that it is still dessert and just politely smile either way.

I remember feeling guilty

When Daddy turned and walked back in the house

I was only seventeen back then

But I thought that I knew more than I know now

I can't say he didn't warn me

This city life's a hard row to hoe

Ain't it funny how a dream can turn around

Where corn don't grow

My Dad still lives back in Nebaska. I don't see him much anymore for a lot of reasons--some good and some I don't think about. Of course I knew everything when I was stupid. Strange how stupid I feel now that I know I am not wise.

I still feel Nebraska everytime the warm wind blows down from the north. I see it in the clouds of dust that roll behind a pick-up on a dirt road. I see it in everything that is the color of a dried corn stalk. I smell it in the Spring. I hear it in the thunder that rolls across miles of open fields. I search for it on the horizon and imagine that I can see it where the land meets the sky.

**Where Corn Don't Crow is copyrighted by Travis Tritt

Nothing Profound

I've been waiting for something profound or blog-worthy to happen before posting something. Unfortunately neither of these two things has accurred.

Well I guess Burning Crusade launched. That was pretty cool. BC is the World of Warcraft expansion that WoW players have been waiting 2 years for. Blizzard started teasing it before last Christmas even. I had nearly given up on WoW since I had 4 characters to the maximum level and just couldn't stand the thought of running any more up. But the expansion breathes some new life in to the game. The new lands opened up are pretty and the new quests interesting. Plus they upped the max level cap so all my maxed character have 10 more levels they can train.

While WoW:BC is cool to me... it doesn't much matter to anyone else. I find it interesting since it's sort of like a puzzle, a book, a chance to talk with friends (we play online together) and a game all at once. Now that the first 2 weeks past the launch is over I need to get back on track doing more around the house and other stuff.

Letsee... I did drive down to Springfield, MO to visit my buddies from Nebraska. Sounds odd, I know. But one of the brothers lives there and we all commuted to his house for a WoW/Kid weekend. But of course that was the weekend of the crazy ice storm in Missouri. The cable failed shortly after I arrived. We hung out for 2 days doing pretty much nothing but chatting and eating. I drove back on Sunday. Sunday night his power failed for the next 5 days. Poor Asa! Still it was fun to get out and see them. Plus another buddy in KC who had played with the guys but never met the guys got to meet them. I hope that sentence makes sense. It was a pretty crazy drive in the weather in retrospect. But we made it with really no issues. My VW Jetta is quite sure-footed.

I really do like the Jetta, but I do still miss my truck. Nice to have that bed once in a while. Plus some other things are just fun in a truck... like drive in movies, camping or just cruising dirt roads. Damn the gas mileage though. And oy do they want a lot for those things. Hard to justify on a family budget.

We still haven't hit the Powerball.

I should go back to work now... still trying to catch up.

The story of Bill

I recently had one of my wife's friends stay with us for a few days over the holidays. She's a colorful sort and a lot of fun to have around. My wife has been friends with here for about 10 years. They talk nearly every day. She's a pretty free spirit--always active and outgoing but never quite settled. Settled is, of course, over-rated at times.

A few years ago she had a "room mate" named, Bill. They dated a bit, but were not entirely compatible. However, the financial living arrangements made it difficult to go their separate ways. What I remember of Bill is all only from snatches of conversations I've heard from our friend. He had at least one son who was pretty much grown. Bill was divorced and had a hard time finding lasting direction in life. He seemed to flit from one occupation and/or scheme to the next. Never quite going busted, but never really doing well either.

Bill liked to drink and I guess drink a lot. While it didn't happen often sometimes Bill would just disappear for weeks. Friends and family would worry sick and eventually he'd show up somewhere.

Our friend did finally manage to get out on her own. Bill wasn't getting any better and it just wasn't healthy to watch someone you had been living with for years self-destruct.

Bill seemed to drop out of conversation for a long time. But he would pop in stories now and then. On one particular occassion, Bill showed up out of the blue at a bar that our friend happened to be in. He was functionally drunk and happy. He had on a fabulous hand woven scarf that he had made himself. At one point in time Bill thought he'd loom good for a living. After spending hundreds on materials and a loom and self teaching himself to weave he created exactly one scarf. It was red plaid with yellow and black patterns. It wasn't perfect but I would have never guessed it was hand made. When she admired the scarf on him, Bill, who was feeling nostalgic and giving to his old room mate, he immediately gave it over to her to keep.

This year, Bill died much too early. Poor self care, drinking and a number of other bad habits catch up with you eventually. Bill really didn't have anything material to speak of. What he did have went to his son. But now when I see that scarf on my friend... I can't get out of my mind that this may be the only lasting thing on this Earth of Bill. Perhaps the only thing lasting that I will encounter anyway.

I never met Bill. I have only stories. But now when I see my friend wearing the beautiful scarf Bill made I'm sorry he is gone. I wonder what will happen to the scarf as the years pass. I'm sure my friend will keep it and someday many years from now it will be unpacked by someone going through her things. They'll unwrap it and admire its bright colors and think about why this (hopefully very old) woman kept it. They won't know the story of Bill and she won't be around to tell them. But you'll know.

I think I will ponder the things that I may leave behind. I would like all of my friends and family to have something of me to remember and perhaps tell a story about.

The Talisman of Small Truth

(Based on a dream I had.)

There are a number of truths spread between the religions of the world.  Some of these truths are common to all faiths--these are the Small Truths.  Angels carry these truths in small talismans as a conduit to the Divine.

Ordinarly, communing with the All Knowing is automatic.  But in certain situations Angels can become cut off.  These talismans provide guidance and hope when all else is lost.  They are prized and powerful in the hands of an Angel.