Steven Williams

“JUDGMENT Be wary of friends—they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.”
― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“For example, consider the
following from Diane, one of a few female lawers in a large law practice:
One late afternoon I was up on the 7th floor of our building, and I walked by a
room that is usually locked, but the door was open a bit and I could hear people
laughing and joking behind it. When I opened the door, I saw several of the other
lawyers, all male, sitting around, drinking alcohol, and having a great time. I
walked in and said, “What is this room? I didn’t even know it was here.” One of
the male lawyers said with a smirk on his face, “Oh, that’s because only the kings
have keys.”
In this law firm, a boy’s club was alive and well.”
― Daniel P. Modaff, Organizational Communication: Foundations, Challenges, and Misunderstandings

“One way was Taylorism. Frederick W. Taylor had been a steel company foreman who closely analyzed every job in the mill, and worked out a system of finely detailed division of labor, increased mechanization, and piecework wage systems, to increase production and profits. In 1911, he published a book on “scientific management” that became powerfully influential in the business world. Now management could control every detail of the worker’s energy and time in the factory. As Harry Braverman said (Labor and Monopoly Capital), the purpose of Taylorism was to make workers interchangeable, able to do the simple tasks that the new division of labor required—like standard parts divested of individuality and humanity, bought and sold as commodities.”
― Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present

“The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership (2005). He advises that a leader
“needs to be able to see the shades of gray inherent in a situation in order to make
wise decisions as to how to proceed” (p. 7). He encourages leaders to examine all
arguments without forming an opinion, using an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote for support: “The test of a first-rate mind is the ability to hold two opposing thoughts at
the same time while still retaining the ability to function”
― Daniel P. Modaff, Organizational Communication: Foundations, Challenges, and Misunderstandings