Defying doom

STEPS

for Defying Doom

Don’t kill the messenger

My mother always taught us that if we did not have anything nice to say, it was better to say nothing at all. And yet what I find myself doing these days, after 20+ years of experience in large multinational corporations, is rattling the cages of my colleagues —superiors, peers and subordinates alike — in an attempt to raise awareness around the urgent need to change. My approach, which would indeed bother my mother, is to hit people with facts and figures that are undeniable, unpleasant and alarming. I am doing this on purpose because I find that the need to change is general and widespread, and yet the responsiveness of individuals who could make a difference is relatively low.

The first challenge ...