The Book of Agreement

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CHAPTER 39CREATING A CULTURE OF AGREEMENT:MANAGING BY AGREEMENT,THE NEW MBA

I dreamed in a dream

I saw a city invincible

To the whole rest of the earth

I dreamed that wasthe new city of Friends,

Nothing was greater therethan the quality of robust love,it led the rest,

It was seen every hour

In the actions of the men of that city,

And in all their looks and words.

—Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Whitman’s words are appropriate for an organizational environment. In our personal and family life, love is the accepted context. We don’t use that term overtly to describe our organizational environments. And yet the energy of love is where real power comes from; it’s what drives high-performance teams and creates bonds in pursu it of a mission. ...