Shhhhh! Keep your voice down...

As a kid, I can recall some folks saying, "You know, if anyone wanted to take over the country, not a single gun would need to be fired.  Russia [or substitute whoever is our enemy du jour at any point in time] would simply have to walk right in and take over."  What was being referred to was the seemingly general state of apathy many people share.  Indeed, our society as a whole may be a nation of lovers, not fighters, and I think some of it stems from our self-satisfied state of affairs; times can be bad, but perhaps not bad enough - in our mind as a whole - to grab the muskets and fight (so to speak.)  While we remain loyal at large, we also often seek anonymity. We raise our voices, then often back down.  When asked, "May I have a volunteer from the audience," how many of us step forward?

We have a particular corporate client who seems to suffer a similar condition, albeit in a business context.  The good news is that several of their staff were aware of their oft fearful do-nothing attitude, and - as we know - the first step toward healing is self-awareness. The bad news is that the nature of their system prevented such healing, and many of these same people are no longer in the employ of this company - victims of the very thing they both feared and craved: change. As one former executive told me, it's as if everyone wants to wear shirts that match the wallpaper. Just stand against the wall and blend in, don't move, and don't draw attention to yourself. And another two weeks will pass, and - if you're lucky - you'll get another paycheck.

But it gets more interesting. If you performed above the call of duty, you'll have upstaged a higher-up, pissed them off, and gotten the boot. If you performed below expectation, well, that's under performing - and you'd be terminated. If you merely performed on par, then you'd clearly have brought nothing new to the table - and you're out.  And indeed, it sounds as though the squeaky wheel here did not get the grease; it got the axe.

In a progressive, willing-to-achieve-and-defend-themselves company, one that thrives on innovation, strength, and staying ahead of the pack, such things are not possible when based on a system of passivity, ambivalence, and fear.  Its vision and supportive infrastructure must be both conducive and receptive to new thought and bold execution.

Simply blending in means fading away.