>In looking at Webster's definitions of cynic and cynical, there is
>clearly a negative connotation attached to these words, a contemptuous
>distrustfulness of human nature and motives, even captious. But I still
>think the attitude has a place in the learning process ....snip...It's
>not always a bad starting point, is it? Harriett.
My response is the classic, "It depends." I think the starting point
needs to be clarified. I may very well have missed it, but I don't
remember seeing the word "trust" used in our recent conversations about
learning, learning styles, and regarding the use of cynicism.
Covey talks about "...deposits in the emotional trust bank." I have used
a trust model that has four levels (which I will describe moving from the
base upward):
Trust starts with building a foundation of "making and keeping
agreements." When people do that consistently they have made deposits or
laid a foundation to move up to the next level.
Credibility. Credibility means being believed. It comes from experience.
It is linked to making and keeping agreements. The beauty of credibility
is once you have it you can do away with a lot of fluff and wasted time.
People tend to accept you more for your word. You do not need to prove
something to the ultimate. People have seen you deliver it in the past,
they have seen your forecast come true or whatever. Based on their
experiences (or perceptions thereof) they are more willing to accept at
face value your thoughts, words and deeds.
Once people have a credible relationship they move to the third level
which is "openness." Organizations that operate at this level are great
places to be and to observe. People become more willing to share
information. If a person doesn't think their throat will be slit or the
messenger will get shot, a person is more willing to share what they
really think, observe, question, etc. vs. telling you what you want to
hear to avoid the above life threatening actions.
So where does that leave cynicism? The words used are important. When I
was younger, I did not necessarily believe this as a truth, but they do
matter. Cynicism about the facts, a pointed question about a person's
perspective do not seem to destroy an open environment so long as the
points made focus on the idea, the facts......once the cynicism crosses
the line and begins to attack the person it starts to erode the openness
of the organization.
Cynical comments can be useful, even challenging to move ideas, concepts,
whatever up to the next level. Like any tool cyncism can be used to
excess.
Which leads me to an aside. I have only been reading/participating on the
list for a year. So I still feel somewhat of a "newbie." A surprising
(to me) amount of discussion has recently covered: list management,
personal motivations etc.
I have a rule of thumb that I try to adhere to in our business and when I
am working a team member or team lead. One of my friends dubbed this
Mike's Rule Number 1: "Don't trash your neighbor (i.e., question your
neighbors motivation or judgment), but speak what's on your mind."
Perhaps, if we clearly focus our critical, but useful, remarks on the
facts and stay away from personal attacks we can continue to learn,
improve the usefulness of this medium, which sometimes feels awkward, and
move forward in our personal journeys.
Best wishes to all for the holidays and the new year!
Michael Bremer
Flow-Works, inc.
(lean manufacturing software for mixed model manufacturing)
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