The Wisdom of West Wing Continued
Back on May 17th, I published “The Wisdom of West Wing,” noting that I would post more as I read more of the book. I just did some further reading and have selected the following quotes of interest to me:
p. 352 — “If we don’t allow talented people to live their lives outside pf their work, they are not going to be available to us to be on the show and be good. We do that in all kinds of areas. People get sick, and we keep them on payroll and tell them to get better. You’ve got to create that world.”
To me, this is another form of psychological safety that exists in an organization where people care about other people. If that sense of safety isn’t present people will be hesitant about devoting their full selves to the relationship(s) in the organization.
p. 372 — “That idea — that arguing honestly and ’til we’re blue in the face, can lead to the best outcomes.”
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Arguing honestly can make the “blue in the face” seem more like a commitment to search for the best outcomes rather than an attempt to “win.”
p. 373 — “We’re a group. We’re a team. From the President and Leo on through, we’re a team. We win together, we lose together. We celebrate and we mourn together. And defeats are softened and victories sweetened because we did them together” — Toby Ziegler, “WAR CRIMES”
This is a quote from one of the episodes (“WAR CRIMES”) which applies, of course, to real human interactions when groups of people commit to the success of one another. To me, it’s a form of servant leadership as people ask themselves “What can I do to help others succeed?” Everybody on a team thinking this way can result in everyone succeeding in the spirit of “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
p. 376 — “You’ll never regret showing up for your friends. … The more we show up for one another, the stronger the feeling of family becomes.”
This connects back to the prior quote
As before, when I have read more, I will pass on the quotes I find valuable.
