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(1986). Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving Approach.
"In other words, there must be something worth doing, but it also must have that unique part that only I can contribute. That's the key to achieving the vision. Joining a mass movement may keep me going as a person, but it won't keep me going as an innovator." (p. 97)
(2001). Beginning Perl for Bioinformatics.
(2003). The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mastering Project Work.
"Much of what we call 'project management' stands upon Taylor's flat-earth perspectives. When applied to repeatable manufacturing situations, his primitive notions have great utility. The same ideas fall apart when applied in more human, less mechanical contexts." (p. 7)
(1992). Beyond Therapy, Beyond Science : A New Model for Healing the Whole Person.
"Dr. Diane Fassel and I wrote The Addictive Organization. Since the publication of that book, thousands of people have spoken or written to us about their recovery and what has happened to them in their addictive organizations as a result of their personal recovery. Their words differ, and the stories are essentially the same. They go like this: 'I'm an addict [alcoholic, workaholic—whatever kind of addict, it doesn't matter]. I am in recovery and I feel good about my recovery. It's going well. My life has really improved and I basically feel happy. Because of my recovery and, I believe, the changes in me, my family is changing. We are all actually getting better. But...I am not sure that I can maintain my sobriety and continue to work in my addictive workplace. If I really put my sobriety first, I cannot continue to work where I do." Often, I suggest to these people that they attend Al-Anon, with the workplace as the addict in their lives." (p. 192)
(2000). Breaking the Watch: The Meanings of Retirement in America.
"For most individuals, the formal and public recognition of retirement is commonly marred by the pale content of the official rites mean to dramatize it. These ceremonies tend to be formulaic, predictable, and cliched...
The private and informal ceremonies created for retirees prove to be more fulfilling because of their style, their substance, their process, and their audience. They allow people to leave work on a good note, and give them a sense of control over this transition." (p. 54)
The private and informal ceremonies created for retirees prove to be more fulfilling because of their style, their substance, their process, and their audience. They allow people to leave work on a good note, and give them a sense of control over this transition." (p. 54)
(1999). Breakthrough Inc. : High Growth Strategies for Entreneurial Organizations.
"Conversation is the most powerful peacetime business and organizational tool ever devised....While others stress the word communication, to us the word conversation is the better approach for two reasons. First, communication, as the word is normally used in everyday life, is usually one-sided. Second, conversation implies an exchange of views, or as Julio Olalla says, 'a changing together'. Third, communication focuses on the act of getting an already designed and known message out, while conversation implies two or more people jointly seeking some knowledge, truth, or strategy that they individually have not figured out entirely." (p. 153)
(2003). Breathing For A Living.
"A team is a team because of their spirit, not always because they play perfectly together all the time." (p. 189)
(2003). Business Leaders and Success: 55 Top Business Leaders and How They Achieved Greatness.
"Deming's sometimes-gruff nature reflected impatience with managerial abuses of power. He thought that power carried a precious responsibility. 'Research shows', Deming said, 'that the climate of an organization influences an individual's contribution far more than the individual himself.' " (p. 206)
(2000). The bully at work: what you can do to stop the hurt and reclaim your dignity on the job.
"Groupthink is George Orwell's term from 19841, the dark futuristic novel. Psychologists borrowed the term to describe a group incapable of critically assessing the pros and cons of a decision. Because the group members feel so tightly connected, so cohesive, they prefer to see only one side of an issue. They are easily led by a forceful leader and busy themselves by falling in line behind the boss and kissing up to stay in good favor. They become a mindless, overprotective clique when assembled as a group, putting the political goal of squashing dissent above all other matters."2
- 1. (1949). 1984.
- 2. According to the Wikipedia entry on groupthink, it wasn't Orwell, but rather William H. Whyte, Jr., who coined the term, as he writes in 1952:
"Groupthink being a coinage — and, admittedly, a loaded one — a working definition is in order. We are not talking about mere instinctive conformity — it is, after all, a perennial failing of mankind. What we are talking about is a rationalized conformity — an open, articulate philosophy which holds that group values are not only expedient but right and good as well."
Wikipedia: groupthink
(2001). Business Is Combat: A Fighter Pilot's Guide to Winning in Modern Business Warfare.
"This book began with people and it ends with people, because ultimately they are an organization's greatest asset. It is individuals who innovate, not companies. It is individuals who persist against all odds, not corporate guidelines or a time clock."
(2002). Breaking Free from Stress: How to Find Peace When Life's Pressures Overwhelm You.
"People fear losing their jobs and worry about their performances. Too many leave their employment feeling drained and used up. Obviously this leaves little to give to others, particularly family." (p. 63)
(2009). Billy Budd.
"Now envy and antipathy, passions irreconcilable in reason, nevertheless in fact may spring conjoined like Chang and Eng in one birth. Is Envy then such a monster? Well, though many an arraigned mortal has in hopes of mitigated penalty pleaded guilty to horrible actions, did ever anybody seriously confess to envy? Something there is in it universally felt to be more shameful than even felonious crime. And not only does everybody disown it, but the better sort are inclined to incredulity when it is in earnest imputed to an intelligent man. But since its lodgement is in the heart not the brain, no degree of intellect supplies a guarantee against it."
(1985). Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Enjoy Helping Others Excel.
"Management by Encouragement
Scudder N. Parker once said, 'People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be—not what you nag them to be.' It is a very basic human need to have someone encourage us and spur us on to higher things." (p. 89)
Scudder N. Parker once said, 'People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be—not what you nag them to be.' It is a very basic human need to have someone encourage us and spur us on to higher things." (p. 89)
(1995). Building Community: The Human Side of Work.
"The best organizations consider the unique characteristics of each person: the needs of some for stability and others for variety; the needs of some for latitude and others for structure; the dependable delivery of some and the creative ideas of others; the open-mindedness of some and the rigid allegiances of others. What is consistent is that all people are treated with respect and dignity."
(1990). Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt.
"You'll find politics in every office, and I'm including a two-person hot-dog stand in my definition of an office. People are always jockeying for position, and the kinds of people I'm talking about are the only three kinds I'm certain are out there: sharks, shark-bait, and shark-proof. Which one are you?" (p. 49)
(2003). Beyond Blame: How to Resolve Conflicts with Friends, Lovers, and Co-Workers.
"Avoid even the appearance of blame. No surprise here. This is, after all, the main theme of this book....
"There is nothing that will sabotage any strategy you employ more quickly than the mere suggestion that you are blaming the other person for the troubles. Equally detrimental is for you to accept blame that is directed toward you. This compliance tactic (perhaps even driven by the misguided belief that one person can be at fault in a conflict) will only encourage further fault-finding in the future." (p. 223)
"There is nothing that will sabotage any strategy you employ more quickly than the mere suggestion that you are blaming the other person for the troubles. Equally detrimental is for you to accept blame that is directed toward you. This compliance tactic (perhaps even driven by the misguided belief that one person can be at fault in a conflict) will only encourage further fault-finding in the future." (p. 223)
(1996). Brutal Bosses and Their Prey.
"Bosses can make or break your day, your month, your year, your career. They have the power to ease or intensify adverse reactions to normal organizational stress. Empirical evidence broadcasts a consistent message: People reporting to more considerate bosses are less likely to suffer the ravages of burnout and more likely to experience work satisfaction than those reporting to less considerate bosses. In fact, as an innoculation against burnout, respect from a boss offers more protection than salary. Conversely, there is solid evidence that working for unsupportive bosses is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and even heart disease." (p. 69)
(2000). Beowulf: A New Verse Translation.
(1989). Before It's Too Late: Employee Involvement, an idea whose time has come.
"When I started working in employee involvement I was completely unaware of the psychological implications. But then we began to observe behavior changes of the workers, and began to hear comments from their friends and spouses. We were experiencing a dramatic and powerful change that extended beyond the confines of the workplace. We were dealing with a concept that was affecting the whole person.
It was then, and only then, that we realized how tragic it is when a management system doesn't understand the need for recognition, for self-actualization, and job enrichment...and doesn't understand that how we treat people will largely determine how they respond and perform." (p. 85)
It was then, and only then, that we realized how tragic it is when a management system doesn't understand the need for recognition, for self-actualization, and job enrichment...and doesn't understand that how we treat people will largely determine how they respond and perform." (p. 85)
(2005). The Big Moo: stop trying to be perfect and start being remarkable.
"Remarkable artists are always trying to find ways to put their own signatures on their work. They try to tell their own story. They simply can't perform like everyone else. The message: Be like an artist. Better still, be an artist." (p. 71)
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