Reflections on two decades of cultural anthropology in the business sector.
1. I have gained very little respect for plebs. I have spent A LOT of time among folks who value family, friends, visual order, trendy patterns, gustatory stimuli, music, etc. And over time they are more and more redundant in my memory. QED, my memory works a bit differently, so I should try to avoid bothering folks with my opinions on their bad taste.
But I get bored, and bother them anyway.
2. Due to limited bandwidth, most people focus on very few output variables at a time, when crafting. So most of their craft looks like shit. I would call this their poor taste, but that would be uncharitable, and so instead I regularly remind myself to be less ablist in my approach to KPI setting and vendor selection. Disabled are as disabled do.
We do not hold it against them personally, yet objectively the discussions of their work do take other forms and lenses.
Objectibility is an illusion anyway.
3. Most people are crippled in terms of optimism. They crave affirmation, and lap it up like starving children. Many respond poorly to descriptions of their disability, because they do not have a broad enough lens to rationalise it in a self-content fashion. So as leaders, we do this for them, pre-chewing, and spoon-feeding the nutrients in consumable qualities.
That is the philanthropy of leadership.
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