CHAPTER 3

Authentic Organizations: Is Yours One?

The CEO of a large, successful, high-tech, fast-growth company wanted to start a conversation about the company’s values. He had one of his executives, Linda, gather the top management team and hire a facilitator to provide some outside expertise. During the ensuing retreat, whenever the CEO raised his hand to talk, all the other hands went down. The team always deferred to the CEO and his point of view. When the CEO was out of the room, the team talked about a laundry list of issues and problems that were values related. In the CEO’s presence, however, no one would say a word about those concerns.

The CEO had no clue about the effect he had on his team. The work environment was politicized, making ...

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