Words of wisdom for any organization

From David Plouffe in The Audacity to Win:

There have been plenty of organizations that thrive, for a time at least, under leaders who yell and scream and fly off the handle and are propelled forward by a culture of intimidation and even fear. But I believe that, ultimately, organizations are collectives of human beings. They will perform best and make their greatest achievements when there is clarity, calmness, conviction, and collegiality throughout the ranks.

The 2008 Obama campaign may be one of the best-run Presidential campaigns in history, and a lot of it comes down to attitudes like Plouffe’s. There’s a lot here that new managers in the software industry can and should learn from. Corporations, just like political campaigns and soylent green, are made of people.