Creating We

The harm that divisive relationships wreak on organizations is like the harm cancer cells do inside the body.

When employees focus on what’s best for their careers instead of considering what’s best for their company, they create an organizational environment where people protect their territories, shift blame to others, focus on making their manager happy, and forget about their customers. To change employees’ attitudes and overcome these challenges, companies must become “WE-centric.”

Author Judith E. Glaser’s life-changing journey began with a discovery she made while working with her husband, the president of a pharmaceutical company researching a cure for cancer. His company pursued the idea of reminding cells how to be normal, that is, how to become healthy. In tests, the company injected a compound — a peptide — into cancerous cells to try to help those cells possibly revert to normal behavior.

In 2001, Glaser discovered that she had a fast-growing cancer. Instead of keeping the news to herself, as her mother had done when she had cancer, Glaser reached out to her friends and family and gained strength from their support. Her husband’s lab...