The HR flack was speaking about our internal initiatives. She was soliciting ideas. "Our attitude is 'let 1,000 flowers bloom' on this." - Consultant Ninja experienceOur world is full of pithy sayings like this, and I have sensed a rise in its usage in the past year. Few people ever consider the source of it.
"Letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting progress in the arts and the sciences and a flourishing socialist culture in our land." Mao Zedong, February 1957After this speech, Mao Zedong listened carefully and thoughtfully for six weeks. Criticisms were diligently recorded, along with their source. Then, Mao had those who spoke up executed or sent to prison camps.*
It pisses me off that HR staff, who lecture us about cultural sensitivities and diversity, choose to quote a mass murderer. Next time I'll ask them to use a quote from Hitler.
* Mao, the Untold Story