It is the holiday season around the world, celebrated by different religions in different ways. At this season, I wanted to reach out and extend best wishes to all the folks who registered at my website: bossesbossingbeingbossed.com.

For those of you who have visited the website you will note that it is an interesting combination of reflections, opinions, games, etc. It is built on a few central assumptions:

• When you give folks power over others, strange things happen – some of it is duty, some obligation, some ego, some power trips – but, the point is, power changes folks and it is the central dynamic in organizations.
• The basic model of organization behavior is flawed — the central idea is that it is the culture of the organization that produces individual behavior. Some of that is true, but it is also the influence of your parents, the challenges you had in growing up that you bring into the organization. Without understanding this – much confusion.

The website started the year with 180 registered members and now it is up to 700, and I have no way of explaining how or why that happened. Hopefully, those who visit will get something for themselves.

One aspect of the website is the coaching option……registrants can, using facetime of skype, have coaching sessions with me. And what is the benefit? For those who have taken advantage of this, reports are that is a great to be able to talk to an experienced professional, and get clarity about what is going on in your management style, your organization, etc. Too often when we try to discuss work issues we are faced with listeners who have their own agendas or those who are too close to us so there is no real reflection. What coaching offers is another choice – to talk, to be listened to and get a different perspective on organizational issues. It is an offer I hope many will take advantage of.

My closing reflection during the holidays is YOU ARE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY. Which means that during your growing up, in your family, you faced certain challenges and you met them whatever worked to defend you….and you now bring that into your company. For better and worse! Think of the angry employee, the passive employee, the suck up employee, the resentful employee, the showoff employee, and you have a basic understanding of that is going on. Several caveats:

• The basis tenant of psychology and psychotherapy is that you faced some basic trauma which must be uncovered and then all will be well.
• A mistake – it is not what happened but how you responded to it that is the fundamental issue.