Around one year ago I started a series of posts about work. After decades in corporate life – many of which were both exciting and enjoyable – I felt nonetheless weary of ever-changing management fashions and jargon.
Much of it demeaned language and insulted the intelligence of those who studied it. A lot of it was and is merely banal.
Recently, we have been urged to be passionate about our work. If indeed we were passionate about our work, our colleagues, our customers and suppliers, most men would find themselves in the same boat as Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey, while women would be subjected to constant misogynistic abuse.
I wrote in the hope of avoiding jargon and pretention, focusing instead on practical advice that would be of use in coming to terms with the demands of corporate activity and mastering the techniques that help produce satisfactory individual and team outcomes.
If nothing else, I hoped the posts would spark thought and insights for readers.
My starting point was that sound relationships are a vital component of personal and corporate success. Working with others, being part of a team, managing groups of people, or being a leader – a term freighted with vanity, misunderstanding and fetishism – are critical to the achievement of personal and collective goals.
So the first post was devoted to how to build relationships at work. Subsequent posts dealt with particular aspects of working relationships, loyalty, trust and leadership.
Subsequently, other significant issues were discussed, crises, corporate strategy and the challenges of corporate gigantism.
For the sake of convenience for those wishing to visit or revisit these commentaries and to access future posts, they now occupy a dedicated corner of the site. I hope you find them interesting and useful.
The Making Work Work posts






