I have been reading “Four Days with Dr. Deming”.
His genius ideas helped Japan transform their economy after WWII.
Today I opened up “The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization.”
I found this incredible quote by Dr. Deming on page 2:
“Our prevailing system of management has destroyed our people. People are born with intrinsic motivation, self-respect, dignity, curiosity to learn, joy in learning. The forces of destruction begin with toddlers—a prize for the best Halloween costume, grades in school, gold stars—and on up through the university. On the job, punishment for the bottom. Management by Objectives, quotas, incentive pay, business plans, put together separately, division by division, cause further loss, unknown and unknowable.”
Don Clifton, the father of strengths psychology, may have agreed with Deming.
He said in “Soar With Your Strengths” (1992) that we destroy people all the time by having the wrong expectations of them.
Don envisioned a world where schools and workplaces help everyone discover and use their talents — and experience excellence.
But too often schools and workplaces destroy people or discard them.
There’s a global movement to change this. Let me know if you want to join it.
