Goodness is not an exclusive club Sometimes, in an effort to differentiate ourselves and our groups or to make ourselves stand out, we tend to accentuate what makes us unique. Marketing and strategy refer to this as differentiation and positioning. The tragedy is when we embrace an “us vs them” perspective, drawing lines, and adopting […]
In between gullibility and skepticism We cannot be too trusting; we may be fooled especially by those who act in bad faith. This makes us gullible. We cannot be too doubting; we may lose opportunities of relating with those who act in good faith. This makes us unhealthy skeptics. The challenge, yet again, is to […]
To freely flourish is to not be afraid of inquiring What is a dumb question? Oftentimes, students or people in general are afraid to ask questions because we might ask “dumb questions” – questions that reveal our lack of knowledge and understanding of a subject matter. Now that I’m on the other side of the […]
What others say versus what we say about a person Oftentimes, professionals in a field that deals with people frequently can build a “public persona” or a reputation that may not necessarily be who the person really is. Do we settle for what we see on the surface or do we risk getting to know […]
Taking a stand breeds natural opponents I recall someone expressing that if a person has never encountered an opponent, then that person likely never took a stand in any contentious issue. Maybe this is why suffering is not necessarily punishment; it is a natural by-product of pursuing change for the good. Luke 9:7-9. Herod the […]
If managers were medical doctors The tragedy of mainstream and greedy capitalism is that the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer. But if managers were medical doctors, would managers search for opportunities to maximize profits or opportunities to address disengagement and quiet quitting behaviors in organizations? If managers were medical doctors, would managers […]
The convenience of reacting versus the journey of insighting If we look at stories, media, and most popular platforms of communication, they are designed to stimulate “engagements” and “interactions”. In a sense, the structures that surround us make it very easy to react. But does liking, haha-ing, and sharing really mean we are engaging the […]
The nature of light is to conquer darkness Light cannot and does not choose who it touches; it merely drives darkness away. Hopefully, managers and organizations become like light; satisfying the real needs of all their stakeholders because their very nature is to radiate their light. Luke 8:16-18. Those who enter may see the light […]
Can organizations serve multiple “masters” without degenerating? Ever since I was an undergraduate student (maybe even during high school), I have always wondered whether individuals or organizations can serve multiple stakeholders without sacrificing one. Jim Collins, as he popularized in his book Built to Last, contended that organizations that are truly built to last are […]
If organizations were the soil and its people were the seeds… Do we protect the seeds from being trampled by vultures? Do we remove rocks that dry the seeds out? Do we remove thorns that choke the growing plants? Or do we make sure the soil is rich and fertile, so that the seeds may […]