Then she takes out a gingerbread person cookie cutter and cuts out a mold from each team's creation. The cookie cutter mentality seems quite prevalent in corporate America. Yet I believe organizations need to learn how to take advantage of the talent and contributions of all of its people. I think the modern workplace can be a learning laboratory. It brings together a diverse group of people with many valuable experiences.
Businesses can and do fail.
Yet the foundation for building a shared vision begins so much with the invisible elements of connection which are far more important than we think. To learn to listen for the opportunities. In every office, you hear the threads of love and joy and fear and guilt, the cries for celebration and reassurance, and somehow you know that connecting those threads is what you are supposed to do and business takes care of itself. Yes, sometimes we are all challenged with not knowing how to connect with others who seem so different from ourselves - and now the workplace is more diverse than ever. Yet we have the possibility to invite back into our lives part of ourselves long banished - and to enjoy them.