Wilson,K MAJ 355WG/MQ wrote:
> Lon Badgett stated:
>
> "IMHO and speaking as a former field grade officer, the U.S. military is
> not a superb example . . . Moreover, there is an astounding amount of
> evidence that when that individual or the conditions change, so does the
> motivation and the excellent performance."
>
> As a current field grade officer I disagree with Lon.
This dialog may have gone as far as it can, but I'm glad you both spoke
the truth as you see it. I was not a field grade officer, I was a senior
noncom, retiring as a First Sergeant. During my 20-plus years of service,
I saw just about all of the same organizational phenomena that I've seen
outside the military. Stupidity, stubborness, sloth, greed, jealousy,
petty behavior--yes, they were all there in spades. So were honor,
discipline, courage, perserverance, intelligence, flexibility, hard-work,
generosity. Where ethics, principles, respect and leadership abounded, I
usually found these latter qualities. I work in a community mental health
organization now. I have found all of these same qualities (negative and
positive) in this organization. I guess, as an LO advocate, there's
plenty of work for us to do. And, Lon, I had some great learning
organizations (small ones, yes, but "ones" nonetheless) during my last
ten years. Thank you both!
--Richard C. "Doc" Holloway, Limen Development Network - olypolys@nwrain.com
" All of the greatest and most important problems of life are fundamentally insoluble . . . They can never be solved, but only outgrown. This 'outgrowth' proved on further investigation to require a new level of consciousness. Some higher or wider interest appeared on the patient's horizon, and through this broadening of his or her outlook the insoluble problem lost its urgency. It was not solved logically in its own terms but faded when confronted with a new and stronger life urge."
-Carl Jung
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>