The Assumption of Good Will

The founders of the first software company I worked for were geniuses. They had a good technology, strong corporate partners, and excellent visionary skills; the standard kit for executives starting-up new companies. They also had a guiding principal which has proven to be one of the most powerful practices ever to enter a board room. This principal they called 'The Assumption of good will.'
Over my 20+ year career in software, working at 4 different start-ups, and given the opportunity to watch how many of our customers and colleagues treated each other, I grew to appreciate how lucky I had been in my career life. I went from a super-political, gossipy Fortune 100 company to the world of really smart people, all of whom were too intelligent and humble to ever feel the need to brag, over-exert any control that they might perceive they had over anyone else. All of us were secure in our knowledge set, willing to share it whenever asked by anyone, and unbelieving that anyone as brilliant as our co-workers could possibly be puzzled by what we did. Real, honest-to-goodness trust and respect were the norm, and anyone not on board with the prevailing corporate culture stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb, and tended to move on fairly quickly.

The genius of those first two founders was not only the practice, standards generated, and rewards-a-plenty from their good-will policy. They took it a step further in making it a requirement for employment at their company. So, they gave those not accustomed to their corporate culture a chance to learn how to adapt and fit in. I came from such a different environment as prior to my foray into the Corporate World, I worked, albeit briefly, on Wall Street for a Venture Capital firm run by 2 extremely wealthy, strong-willed twins whose dad had previously had a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and basically put them in business. I discovered that wealth was not the end-all and be-all of my world as the personalities associated with that environment were some of the meanest, greediest, most dishonest people I have ever met. Something always had a subtext, money was power, period. It drove me to drugs and inches away from taking my own life. I have always been one to experience things to learn about them as I was and am still a firm believer that experience is the greatest teacher. It's a shame they don't give out doctorate degrees for experiencing the actualities of what they teach or fail to teach in graduate schools. 

Now, I have tried to extend this practice in all of my life with disappointing results. Getting sober - really sober was the first and essential 'STEP'(oh I just hate that word 'step' sometimes) to cleaning up my own behavior. I admit, it has been very difficult to ween out things like sarcasm and judgment from my personal practice, although tolerance of those things in myself gets shorter by the day. Dishonesty, one of my most frequent lapses has surprisingly become quite easy for me as I have discovered the true freedom it offers me. I take myself out of occasions where lying is an option, and because I really don't feel like I have anything to hide anymore, I tell the truth. I have learned - again the hard way - that truthfulness is not the road to popularity. It's simply not worth it to me to 'get anything' if I have to lie about it. I have also learned that telling some people the truth - to their face - and thinking that they understand that I have no reason to lie to them is frequently a big mistake as many people that I encounter as an advocate for the rights of HIV Positive People, Seniors, and the Disabled are constantly in information control status. Just laying one's cards on the table is threatening to many more people than I ever imagined.

It is a self made hell one creates when everyone is suspect of 'something'.

The reason I have gone into this topic is my disappointment and frustration with people who marginalize and discount disabled people, especially older disabled people. I have lived in a wide variety of housing types including home ownership, market rate rental apartments, apartments supposedly specially appointed for seniors and disabled folks, and various room mate situations which I don't really count as my own housing. It is remarkable to me just how much malfeasance finds it's way into the affordable housing process especially when it is targeted for disabled folks. I just don't get it.

So, if you ever find yourself in charge of any group of people, big or small, and you think that an environment where everyone realizing that they are all in the same situation - working toward a common goal - would benefit by everyone being on each others team, so to speak, and truly wanting the best for each and every other person in the endeavor, then try it. Mandate 'The assumption of good will'. And mandate it in a way that allows for anyone who simply can't work that way to move on with no hard feelings and a good referral.

When this actually works, it blows you away. There is always the risk that all of your colleagues will turn against you and your new age, lovey-dovey pinko commie ideas, and you will be the one that needs to leave. I'm just sayin......