#265: Progress with those left behind

I worry about the people left behind by this recession. No, I don’t mean those who have already lost their jobs. I mean those who are still holding on, desperately.

Many of those who have lost their jobs are moving on. They have no option. But those left behind in the workplace? Are they moving or are they frozen with fear?

The outcome is more serious than you might realize. What is the golden rule when fear stalks the workplace? That’s right. Don’t be the one to mess up.

Suddenly you have very reasonable people at work, a clutch of yes-men and willing-women. You have lost your competitive advantage, your ability to progress.

You see, George Bernard Shaw was right when he warned that “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

So, good luck with your reasonable people.


I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2009 James Henry McIntosh

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