Participate with Two Feet

I had an old boss who always said that you can choose to participate with two feet or don't be here. It seems that people have a problem with this idea, choosing to participate with one foot or pretend to participate but not really invest.

Look at the City of Bell situation. The voters, the state, city employees all were participating but not with two feet or not at all. How else do you explain the issue that happened in that city. People looked the other way, the state looked the other way and definitely there are more people in that city government that knew what was going on and chose to look the other way and thus damaging the city and creating such an embarrassment that it will take a long while to recover.

I think that part of participating is also being responsible to call out those that are not and those that are making your participation difficult or uncomfortable.

I had this opportunity to do this tonight and it did not go well. I forgot that I was the older in the situation and that my message delivery can be abrupt and condescending and puts people on the defensive. I apologize for that and want to make sure it is clear that it was not my intention to make things bad or myself affect a persons participation.

That being said. I still hold firm that a team is a group of two feeters. Everyone's input and paicipation matters from the lowest to the highest. If you think your actions don't count try being the boss. Every move you make is watched and scrutinized. I you are above the rules then everyone feels they are. If you have the most talent in the room and the most potential you also are scrutinized.

It's a hard burden but you need to behave like you are being watched and looked at on every team. This team fails based on the worst performance not the best.

Step up or leave. Show up or leave. Do your work or leave. Stop wasting everyone's time.