They Walk Among Us

I don’t know how much time Mark Stelzner’s blog post about bad apples stayed on the front page here, but it wasn’t long enough. I like two things about it: it addresses the impact a single maladjusted individual can have on group performance, and it invites readers to take a look at how their own behavior in group contexts may be counterproductive. I raise my building pass and lanyard in praise.

Maladjusted individuals aren’t always bad, of course. Take a look at yesterday’s Urban Dictionary Word of the Day to see what I mean – positive traits like charisma and persuasive power can get a group all fired up – to do something dumb. It’s not only the bad performers whose powers get used for evil instead of good.

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Mark Danielson

I like that and I agree Kate: relentless enthusiasm and positive behavior to face the nattering nabobs of negativity. And Mark Stelzner rocks.

Andy Willis

WOW – so true Kate! I am one of these crazies that is always full of energy. My wife says I wake up whistling! I like helping to bring a group to a state of excitement for a good cause. I was once described by a friend of mine as a “let’s get in the truck and go” kind of guy.
having said all of that – until your comment – I have really not given much thought to the fact that this same kind of energy can be used to create movement towards a “bad cause”. Thanks for the eye opening thoughts – I want to see if I can see that happening in the world – as I am sure it does.

Franciel Azpurua Linares

But full of energy is not bad Andy! it is just a matter of channeling the energy… It seems to me that you have a great quality there – you can always say “let’s get the truck and go – to acomplish X,Y and Z”. But there are some people that are full of negative energy and sometimes that negativity rolls over other people as a tsunami. I have seen first hand how one person can cause havoc and enjoy it. It is almost as if they are fed by the dispair of others. Drama, they like it. I don’t think I will ever understand it… but it is an interesting process. I think I am going to print the blog post about bad apples and tape it somewhere here so everyone can read it. It is enlightening…