Dale Emery wrote:
> I am a member of several organizations that exist for reasons other than
> making money. One is a group of software development managers who get
> together every year for learning and love and support. Another is a group
> of consultants who get together every year for learning and love and
> support. A third is a rock and roll band that gets together to play for
> several local benefits every year. And then there's the Learning Org list.
> Then there's my consulting business, whose purpose is to help people
> (especially me!) enjoy more satisfaction and meaning in their work. I
> don't mind making money, but my goal is to enjoy myself and my work and
> the people I meet in as many ways as I can.
>
> I'll bet most of the screaming participants at that seminar are part of at
> least one organization that exists for something other than making money.
> I'm guessing you were surprised and temporarily knocked off balance by
> their reaction -- otherwise you would have thought of lots of ways to
> answer their question, perhaps by asking *them* to answer it.
I don't know if I was knocked off balance, as I did come back with
several questions. The thing that disturbed me was not that they didn't
see instantly what I was trying to say, but rather that they wouldn't
inquire into my reasoning.
Unfortunately the participants were the management team I work with on a
daily basis, which has changed the dynamics of our relationship. I have
a bit of a reputation as being a heretic, and to them my comments were
nothing more than profound validation of that fact.
Later that evening I talked to one of the managers there and privately
expressed my frustration with the lack of inquiry. His comment was,
"Ben, your constantly challenging traditional business wisdom; you
always want to examine assumptions, and point out blind spots; your so
esoteric and eccentric that nobody knows how to relate to you. Dumb it
down a bit, and things will work out."
In other words, stop thinking and act like everyone else and things will
be OK. . .they may have a point about relatability and eccentricity, but
that's where it stops. . .
--Ben
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>