January 05, 2011

You And Your Company: One And The Same?


"Positive anything is better than negative nothing."

Elbert Hubbard
Late 19th century American editor/publisher

What do you think?

"Anything" and "nothing" seems a bit too absolute to me, as if there is no place for negative thinking.

Regardless, how does a manager balance their own tendency to be optimistic or pessimistic, with the need to do whatever is best for their company?

Is it acceptable to project our personalities into the actions we take on behalf of the companies we work for?

4 comments :

  1. I believe managers are supposed to subjugate their personal beliefs to those of the company they work for, but I've always doubted how well that can be done.

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  2. I agree that is so and can understand why it should be that way. However there are many cases where employees are asked to do what the company decides is in its best interest, things which many simply cannot do. They try out of fear of losing their job, but results are not always as hoped.

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  3. And quickly this spills over to questions of ethics when what a company wants its employees to do (Enron) is not ethical. But more often the practical problem is less dramatic; times when a company asks its workers do what they're not used to doing or don't want to do.

    How about the reverse, original question ("Is it acceptable to project our personalities into the actions we take on behalf of the companies we work for?")

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  4. i think things even out because there are varying degrees of positive and negative in all of us, and all of "us" combined is the company. but if you are asking is it ok to consciously try to force your attitude on others, no.

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