Mr. Denton... I'm not sure I know how to react...
You present yourself as a logical man that has little use for emotional outbursts. In the beginning of this little conversation, you pretty much were successful, with the exception of the remark about putting a pie in Byron's face. This last post was smack full of repressed emotion and downright cruel. You know what, it doesn't matter who and what ANY OF US are in real life... this thread is what it is. It is a support group for a group of people that are shifting the paradigm of how investing is done in a penny stock. It is a place where people let there hair down, have fun and get/share great information. It is a unique thread and serves its purpose well.
We have had a tremendous number of folks join this thread in the last couple of weeks. Why do you suppose that is? The "Rocketeer" culture has been adopted over at ICVI and INFE. Why do you think that is?
<BTW MOM, I think you should be proud of the way most of the folks reacted to Mr. Denton.>
For the most part, you presented your case with logic, without emotions and without insults. I for one, enjoy a dissenting view. It brings balance to the picture and makes us re-examine our beliefs. If one really tries to understand the dissenting view and respond to it either tends to solidify the beliefs or cause additional questions to be raised... all healthy processes.
Now, I am not a psychologist, sociologist or anything like that. But, I do know a little about leadership and teams. What we have here is what is known as a "Virtual Team." It is probably the most difficult type of team to lead effectively. Probably unwittingly (I doubt he has had the training), Byron has done a number of things that are textbook for bringing such a team through the earliest stages of maturity to a very high level of maturity.
Certainly, one of the dangers of a high performing team (but, not at the highest maturity level) is groupthink. This is a term that you brought up. And I have to agree that this is something that should be examined relative to this thread.
For those unaware of what this term means, it is a phenomena whereby a group of individuals have created a team that works very well together. They are good and they know they are good. Eventually, they begin to believe that they can do no wrong. They fall into the situation where decisions are made without fully considering the facts, fully exploring the alternatives and fully understanding the implications of their decisions. They pat themselves on the back and
congratulate each other for a job well done.
At first blush, it may appear that this group is exhibiting that type of behavior. However, I invite you to look a little deeper. Some key elements are missing. First and foremost, we still each have control of our pocketbooks. Decisions MUST be made on an individual basis - there is no getting around it. Many of us do own other stocks, an indication that the "herd mentality" has not fully taken hold. Lastly and most importantly... the continued fact gathering and analysis done here is phenomenal. Each and every fact is shared, mulled over, hashed and rehashed. Sure, dissenting opinions are not very well received here (and I wish we did better with that), but as long as comments are kept unemotional, they are usually responded to in kind. The unfortunate part is that many of those conversations do degrade... regardless, responding to contrary opinions in a logical manner is a healthy sign. No, I submit to you that groupthink is NOT a characteristic of this team.
As to the emotionalism and fun that we have around here well, all I can say is that it is a part of this thread's culture. I know you have asked me to quit clowning at least once... its OK. I know that not everyone appreciates that kind of behavior. I still clown because its part of the thread's culture. If that is not what you want, I suggest that the info thread is more suited to your tastes. BTW, you will not see all of Byron's "hype" there either.
In closing, I would suggest to you that you could have made your comments to Byron via PM just as effectively if you desired a behavioral change. Trotting them out to the entire group does nothing to serve your stated purpose, but instead, solidifies the relationship between team and leader. Surely, you must have seen that as a natural result of your actions.
Lazarus
P.S. To the group: I am (team) teaching a course in a couple of weeks called "Advanced Team Leadership" to a group of managers and directors. I had intended to use this group as a GREAT example of a high performing virtual team (no names, not even mentioning the thread specifically). Thinking about it this am, I think that I probably ought to get permission. What do you say? |
