You know, I’ve both been managed and in management, and no matter which end of the production pipe I’m in, I can’t keep my mouth shut when I see an obvious breakdown in communication followed by that frustrated look of “But no one’s listening!” While I don’t have an MBA or anything, I have taken classes, attended training, and done the jobs. Is it possible I could have a unique perspective on all of this, or is it really smarter, more profitable, and in keeping with a positive atmosphere to keep silent when bouncing off of brick walls?
One more thing: I’m an extroverted pessimist, a very rare personality type, a drive to act when confronted with imminent failure. I see the worst, size it up, and begin making corrections accordingly. If a table wobbles, I find a cheap way to hide the shim for the short leg to restore balance. When I execute a solution, you rarely know a crisis was ever averted.
Sadly, over-thinking executives seem to be trained to fear words that oppose “optimism” because nothing good comes from “seeing the glass half empty.” Sorry, I don’t buy that; if you go through life with the actual belief that nothing is wrong until a crisis occurs, you’re going to be blindsided every time. Looking for the potential for crisis is an opportunity for correction while the writing is on the wall, a chance to refill before the glass runs dry.
Or maybe I’m full of it and clueless. Meh, I’ll write it up anyway.
To be continued…
Kevin A. Ranson : ThinkingSkull.com 