For Pragmatic Eyes Only

■ People are always asking you: "what are you going to do?" So you probably regard «values» and «organizational outcomes» as rather mysterious and as distractions from the real work.

■ As a result: you see values as tasks (important tasks of course), never as guiding ideas or principles which shape tasks and influence the way that things are done. You also see objectives as tasks (or as activities, or as things to be done), never as hypothetical future states of affairs or organizational outcomes: outcomes that must be brought about through cooperation and joint activities.

■ Your view of the world breaks down in the Rationalist Stage. Tasks, activities, and things to do are then labeled by others as purely «tactical objectives» because they come and go, adapt and change. Since values and strategic objectives are meant to endure, it will seem to others that you never mean what you say or do what was agreed.

■ So what do you do?
You have two possible responses, both in keeping with your character:

You agree to values and outcomes in meetings to keep the peace and to show commitment. But your agenda is far too overloaded as it is to pay much attention or take on extra work.

Still you must do something. So you drop last month's initiative, make a few high profile statements, convene a meeting on values and produce one or two well-publicized results.

Then you wait and see what others do.

You reassure yourself that the whole idea is just the latest fad, and anyway pie in the sky. Still, you had better skim through the rest of this website so that you can toss the jargon around with the best of them.

Also brush up your resumé.

OR

You see the way the wind is blowing and realize that now is not the time to be left behind. You become determined to make a mind-shift. This means starting to work on your own attitudes and beliefs about achievement.

You tolerate feeling confused and arrange to have yourself led, persuaded, pushed and helped. You enlist someone you trust to see you through, never mind the expense to the firm.

You find books at airport shops that push the new approach.

You use your personality and develop your style to give the new ideas your stamp. You never abandon common-sense or neglect your intuition.

You make lists of key agreed values so you can memorize them.

Then you start expecting your staff to act on agreed values at once—and, surprisingly, you find you are starting to do so yourself.

You have made your choice and you are on your way: continue skimming and enjoy—or continue systematically to the next Stage: the RATIONALIST mode.

Originally posted: 17-Jun-2011