Gervais had a simple but savvy technique for starting to break down this deep defensiveness: he simply got people to talk about themselves—to, as we say, open up. Nadella writes that at the meeting we shared our personal passions and philosophies. We were asked to reflect on who we are, both in our home lives and at work. How do we connect our work persona with our life persona? People talked about spirituality, their Catholic roots, their study of Confucian teachings, they shared their struggles as parents and their unending dedication to making products that people love to use for work and
...more
What is fascinating about this is that is also the roots of failure and having the therapy take over. You need a culture of excellence enabled by vulnerability.