Chapter 3

Why Does Negative Management Exist, and Can It Be Reduced?

Some readers may, at this point, be considering throwing this book out the window (please don’t do this if you are on an airplane!). I understand possible skepticism and ask that you bear with me as I go more deeply into the differences between positive management (PM) and negative management (NM) and what they can mean for your organization.

Negativity, Our Old Friend

To establish a foundation for the honored place of negativity in our culture, we should start with this uncomfortable fact: until the 20th century, life was extremely difficult for everyone except the very rich (and sometimes life was quite tragic for them as well). Average people suffered with poverty, hunger, ...

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