We hear a lot about best practices, but hardly anybody talks about worst practices. So as a public service, here are some of the best worst practices.
he mythology about best practices is that they universally improve every organization. The truth is more likely that organizations are so idiosyncratic that any practice born elsewhere probably needs tailoring before it can be imported. My old shoes are very comfortable for me, but they probably aren't for you.
Mustang stallions fighting. With tooth and hoof, stallions use these fights — most often — to settle differences of opinion about reproductive rights. The mares usually accept the result of these conflicts, though they do occasionally object. The social system of the wild horse functions to optimize the fitness of the next generation, because in Nature, there's little room for anything less than the best. Organizations can learn much from Nature's systems. Photo courtesy U.S. Geological Survey.
Worst practices are different — they're almost universally disastrous. We know this because, sadly, nearly everyone tries them. Here's a short list of some worst practices.
Provide only outdated equipment. Even better: make people share outdated equipment.
For security, lock all portable computers to desks
Never, ever train anybody
Use training as a reward. Provide it only to those who need it least.
To increase productivity, increase pressure
Let acrimony persist until it's truly injurious
Leave in place people who are clearly incapable of doing much of anything
Assign blame
Spend time defending yourself in case someone, someday decides to assign blame
Take credit for work done by subordinates or colleagues
Give credit to one person for what was a team effort, ignoring everyone else's contributions
Kill the messenger: punish people who deliver bad news
Kill the non-messenger: after you get bad news, punish those who knew about it but didn't tell you because you have a reputation for killing the messenger
Force consensus by shaming or punishing those few souls foolish enough to disagree with the "correct" position
Force consensus without allowing time for sufficient discussion
Make decisions autocratically even when there's time for consensus
Have favorite subordinates who can do no wrong
The worst thing about worst practices isn't their consequences; it's that we keep using them despite their consequencesHave troubled subordinates who can do no right, even when they do right
As team owner, publicly castigate team members
Publicly overrule a subordinate manager, citing information obtained from one of his or her subordinates
"Sit in" on a subordinate's meeting unannounced
Make the problem excessively complicated by raising herds of ancillary minor issues
Angrily say things that hurt people, damaging the group's ability to collaborate
Add new people to the team. Even better: do it in a way that raises questions about the abilities of incumbents
"Temporarily" transfer some team member(s) to another effort
Conduct "emergency" project reviews regularly
Increase the budget without warning
Decrease the budget
Circulate rumors that maybe we'll be cutting the budget
Tighten project scope to maintain schedule
Use (faked) schedule urgency as a way of managing spending
Remove or relax some requirements
After work is well underway, add new requirements or tighten existing requirements
Reassign some work from one team member to another
Assign the same work to two people (or teams) without their knowing it
Assign to one person work already completed by another
Assign work to two people, together, without designating either one as lead
Count how many of these you've seen. Even scarier: count how many you've done.TopNext Issue
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We often think about "playing the game" — either with relish or repugnance. Whatever your level of skill or interest, you'll do better if you see workplace politics as it is. It is not a game.
When we offer a contribution to a discussion, and everyone ignores it and moves on, we sometimes feel that our contribution has "plopped." We feel devalued. Rarely is this interpretation correct. What is going on?
Cutouts are people or procedures that enable political operators to communicate in safety. Using cutouts, operators can manipulate their environments while limiting their personal risk. How can you detect cutouts? And what can you do about them?
Many conversations follow identifiable patterns. Recognizing those patterns, and preparing yourself to deal with them, can keep you out of trouble and make you more effective and influential.
Organizations often pretend that feuds between leaders do not exist. But when the two most powerful people in your organization go head-to-head, everyone in the organization suffers. How can you survive a feud between people above you in the org chart?
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The Politics of Meetings for People Who Hate Politics
There's a lot more to running an effective meeting than having the right room, the right equipment, and the right people. With meetings, the whole really is more than the sum of its parts. How the parts interact with each other and with external elements is as important as the parts themselves. And those interactions are the essence of politics for meetings. This program explores techniques for leading meetings that are based on understanding political interactions, and using that knowledge effectively to meet organizational goals. Read more about this program. Here's an upcoming date for this program:
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When we talk, listen, send or read emails, read or write memos, or when we leave or listen to voice mail messages, we're communicating person-to-person. And whenever we communicate person-to-person, we risk being misunderstood, offending others, feeling hurt, and being confused. There are so many ways for things to go wrong that we could never learn how to fix all the problems. A more effective approach avoids problems altogether, or at least minimizes their occurrence. In this very interactive program you'll learn a model of inter-personal communications that can help you stay out of the ditch. In those moments of intense involvement, when we're most likely to slip, you'll have a new tool to use to keep things constructive. Read more about this program. Here are some upcoming dates for this program:
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he mythology about best practices is that they universally improve every organization. The truth is more likely that organizations are so idiosyncratic that any practice born elsewhere probably needs tailoring before it can be imported. My old shoes are very comfortable for me, but they probably aren't for you.
Top 
Next IssueAre your projects always (or almost always) late and over budget? Are your project teams plagued by turnover, burnout, and high defect rates? Turn your culture around. Read 52 Tips for Leaders of Project-Oriented Organizations, filled with tips and techniques for organizational leaders. Order Now!
Workplace Politics Is Not a Game
Plopping
Devious Political Tactics: Cutouts
Patterns of Everyday Conversation
When Leaders Fight
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Ever wonder if there isn't a better way to travel? Travel is essential, but the hassles of travel aren't. Read 202 Tips for Business Travel to learn how to convert business travel from a time-wasting hassle to a breeze. Revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
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Are you doing work you love? Are you less in love with the job? Bad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? Read Go For It! Sometimes It's Easier If You Run to learn what we can do when we love the work but not the job. It helps you get moving again!
The key to managing virtual or global teams is creating a sense of team despite the obstacles of separation. Read my tips booklet, 303 Tips for Virtual and Global Teams, to learn how to make your virtual global team sing. Newly revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
Are you managing a change effort that faces rampant cynicism, passive non-cooperation, or maybe even outright revolt? Read 101 Tips for Managing Change to learn how to plan and execute your change efforts to inspire real, passionate support. Check it out!
A Tip a Day arrives by email each business day. It's 20 to 30 words at most, and gives you a new perspective on the hassles and rewards of work life. Most tips also contain links to related articles. Free!
Do you ever wonder if all these meetings are really necessary? (They aren't) Or whether there isn't some better way to get this work done? (There is) Read 101 Tips for Effective Meetings to learn how to make meetings more productive — and more rare. Check it out!
