Really interesting observations. May I add two refinements?
First, there’s another dimension: the quality of people’s observations and of their ideas for fixing things. It’s great when people take enough interest to spot things that aren’t working well and even better when they have ideas about improvements. But they’re not always on quite the right track. Sometimes their thoughts are influenced by unrepresentative, one-off experiences, or by baggage they bring with them. Sometimes, before charging ahead with change, more needs to be done to consult others or bring them on board. And we all do better by taking some time to learn about a team before deciding it needs fixing and we’re the person to do that. (Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield writes well about this in his book An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth.)
The other thing is that the great observation you’re making applies equally to non-profit and public sector/governmental organisations (i.e. not just companies with owners), in which, in high-income countries, around 25% of us work. We often get forgotten in writing about work.
Really interesting observations. May I add two refinements?
First, there’s another dimension: the quality of people’s observations and of their ideas for fixing things. It’s great when people take enough interest to spot things that aren’t working well and even better when they have ideas about improvements. But they’re not always on quite the right track. Sometimes their thoughts are influenced by unrepresentative, one-off experiences, or by baggage they bring with them. Sometimes, before charging ahead with change, more needs to be done to consult others or bring them on board. And we all do better by taking some time to learn about a team before deciding it needs fixing and we’re the person to do that. (Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield writes well about this in his book An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth.)
The other thing is that the great observation you’re making applies equally to non-profit and public sector/governmental organisations (i.e. not just companies with owners), in which, in high-income countries, around 25% of us work. We often get forgotten in writing about work.
Thanks for this thought-provoking piece!
Also, did you see a difference between the percentage of people you worked with being in a certain category in profit vs. non-profit companies?
Good question. I have less experience of working in commercial settings but from what I’ve seen I’d say there’s no real difference.
Thanks Adam, yes, I completely agree with both points.
The quality of people’s observations varies a lot, and context and timing matter just as much as intent.
And yes, it’s true that the dynamics I described apply just as much in non-profit and government settings.