dis.ease

A couple of quick bits:

1. I've had issues with Psoriasis for many years now. It's never been too much of a bother (though I admit the patchy elbows and shins are less than attractive). By and large, however, I have gone about my life pretty normally. That is (or was) until last year.
2. On a seemingly unrelated note, about 5 months ago, I became quickly acquainted with sick days. I contracted the much-hyped H1N1 virus and somehow also managed to layer strep throat on top of that. Yah, it was not a fun time.

So what do these two facts have to do with each other? At the time, I assumed nothing; turns out I was wrong. The flu/strep combination turned my mild skin issue into a moderate-to-severe dermatological phenomenon. Being homebased has never been so welcomed.

Who knew that Psoriasis was an autoimmune disease, not simply a skin irritation? Not me. Who knew that an infection like Strep could worsen, even trigger, skin inflammation? Who would connect such seemingly disparate dots?

An organization, a company, a team, a workgroup...these are all organisms with systems; sometimes these systems are interrelated, and sometimes they are not, at least that is how it often appears. The Truth, however, most likely lives within the grey area between these extremes. Everything within your team (and within the larger corporate structure) is related, sometimes not as closely as it seems, sometimes much more so.

We should remember that if our team is currently sick, if there is a patch of ill-will or dissension, we are not immune from its effects, regardless of how far away we position ourselves. And if we target/treat the cause (or think that we have), we might only be temporarily fixing the surface issue. The effects can be long-lasting and brutal in their resilience.

The company-as-body metaphor is certainly not a new one; many articles have been written on how the 'head' and the 'hands' need to work in concert. However, we must also pay attention to the dis.ease of the body. To be blunt, don't be so distracted by an illness in the throat that you fail to notice how it affects the skin.

So wash your hands in the real-world, but metaphorically, don't let yourself off so easy.

shanti,
mjh