I started blogging many years ago when I left Sun Microsystems and self published a book that has been downloaded many thousands of times. This book, Danger Quicksand – Have A Nice Day was intended for the professional employee who has had enough experience to observe that dedication and hard work are not always a guarantee of success, and wonders what can be done to even the playing field.
It is being made available again so that those of you who are struggling to overcome work-related difficulties will have every chance to set things right again, no matter what your current financial situation is.
I will be republishing Danger Quicksand as a Kindle book on Amazon.com and will make it available as a Kindle Unlimited version also.
Here is a sample chapter:
The Good Workplace
You are going to read about some destructive work environments later in this book, so I would like to start by describing what makes a good workplace and a healthy working environment. This description is based on actual observation of several excellent workplaces I was fortunate enough to experience.
Even though it is now years later, I still revere the managers and CEOs who created these working environments and held them together against all odds.
A good workplace makes you feel a sense of purpose when you enter it. You see busy people who still take time to smile and make you feel welcome.
You are part of a team or group that is small enough for you to easily approach your manager on a one-to-one basis and discuss matters openly. You have a group to call your own and are not a lone employee in a vast sea of other individuals. The organization consists of many small teams which are organized into larger and larger groups and divisions. I
n a good workplace, there is camaraderie within the group. Your manager inspires you to excel and your contributions are appropriately acknowledged. You are made to feel like a vital part of the group and you find yourself helping others at every opportunity.
Your manager knows what you are doing and communicates his expectations clearly. Your manager inspires respect and loyalty by his everyday actions. You feel great pride being in your particular group.
Finally, a good workplace is one in which you know you have a future and you work hard to create it. The culture is one which you wholeheartedly support.
Good workplaces are not invulnerable. They can be brought down by action from within or from outside. Since these good organizations often grow rapidly, they sometimes recruit those who do not respect the existing culture. These people can pervert the culture and destroy the company from within.
Do what you can to keep a good workplace thriving by maintaining the culture that makes it work. Once the culture is destroyed, it rarely can be restored.