Who Are "They" Anyway?

Rating:
Summary: Simple, logical advice to overcome a popular problem
Review: Succinct motivational business books have blossomed ever since the success of "Who Moved My Cheese?" This one addresses a topic we're all familiar with and may need to be reminded of every so often: accountability. While the problem and its remedies aren't new, they're presented in a fresh package here.

As has become the standard preamble for this genre, this book begins with a parable. A worker who has encountered a problem wants desperately to find a solution. But everyone he asks has an answer involving THEY. THEY make the rules. THEY need to do something. The worker tries to track down this elusive THEY, moving through the administrative levels of the business and to the board, the labor union, the finance department, and human resources. He finally comes to a realization while talking with other workers in the company bathroom and looking in the mirror. What if we use the words ME and WE instead of THEY? Doesn't that simple approach change everything?

The second half of the book addresses the process of putting the ME / WE concept into practice. Quizzes measure levels of accountability and personal responsibility. Quotes from successful people inspire us. A standard method is introduced for approaching problems, assessing needs, and setting goals. An added emphasis is that if you want to make change, you must realize that you can change only yourself. Then you can hope that your own behavior influences others. The chronically-negative folks and professional victims should be left alone to either stew in their own juices or to join the crowd when the mood strikes them. The goal here is to move from Whiner to Winner and from Victim to Victor. The book makes the transition seem fairly easy. Using it in real-life situations will be more challenging. While this book isn't a cure-all for this organizational ailment, it will at least get workers thinking.

"Who Are 'They' Anyway?" is obviously a promotional tool for the two authors. The book concludes with advertisements for supplemental materials and personal lectures or consultations. But the message is still a worthy one to consider. Read this book this afternoon, and a red flag will wave before your nose the next time a co-worker complains about a decision that THEY made. Perhaps you'll be bold enough to initiate the ME / WE practice at that very moment.