[rysulliv]

In my experience(mix of large and small companies) the one that seems to really confuse people is ASK. It seems the when people run into a problem that they are unable to solve, the majority do not think to ask for help or guidance, but choose the path of self preservation and do whatever they can to hide or spin the situation. This of course inevitably comes back to cause them or someone else in the pipeline problems, but that doesn't seem to stop most people. Is it just too powerful of an instinct for the majority of people to overcome or are we just becoming a "Cover Your Ass" type of society? Then again maybe I am just frustrated this week :)

[Joeri]

Asking for help is an implicit admission of lack of skill or knowledge. People think this reflects negatively on them. In a good team it actually reflects positively, because it means the person thinks learning is more important than ass-covering, but then not everyone works in a good team.

[rysulliv]

You are exactly right, it is an admission of lack of knowledge. My thinking is that if the majority starts looking at learning and growing as a positive rather than a negative, then a lot more positive things will come of that. Now while this may take decades at large corporations, it is the kind of things startups and founders can implement in their small business and see some real change.