Ducks in a Row: the Importance of Wetware
by Miki Saxon
Wally Bock writes one of the few blogs under the “leadership” banner that I like, mostly because he writes common sense, keeps it simple and (usually) sees leadership through a lens similar to my own.
In a recent post Wally writes about people.
People are emotional. Some economists write like they think it’s not so. Some philosophers think it’s bad. But it’s the way we are. Our emotions affect everything we do and every choice we make.
People are perceptive and insightful. We notice things and reach conclusions without the need for advanced programming.
People are creative. Human beings are natural idea generators. Just let us show up and watch us go.
People are both consistent and inconsistent. As a species we’re pretty predictable. Once we’re past young adulthood, our previous behavior is a good guide to our future behavior. But individually we’re a source of constant surprise.
People have knowledge. Knowledge is information plus context. On a good day, we can generate wisdom.
People have relationships. They are a source of strength and support and insight. They are also a source of biases.
People have lives. We have a life at work and a life at home and a host of other lives. They are all in play all the time.
That post reminded me of an ancient Cathy comic from the Eighties in which a computer salesman tells Cathy he knows hardware and software, but isn’t fluent in wetware.
Unfortunately, a lot of managers aren’t as fluent in wetware as they need to be to generate high levels of success for both their team and themselves.
For that matter, people in general aren’t always wetware aware, let alone fluent.
However, they seem to be both fluent and aware when it comes to meware.
The problem is that meware won’t raise productivity or drive innovation; it won’t produce responsible, well-rounded kids or create viable relationships.
When it comes to life, wetware is really all that matters, whether professionally or personally.
Flickr image credit: ThisParticularGreg
