From Seth Godin's Blog
"It's not business, it's personal"
It's too easy to blame the organization and the system and the bottom line for decisions that a person would never be willing to take responsibility for.
Whenever you can, work with people who take it personally.
Sychronicities are the universe's or God's way of showing you when you are on the right track. When I saw Seth's Blog this morning, I knew it was no coincidence. I had been thinking the same thing just hours before. The "It's not personal, its business" line is a way for businesses to dehumanize the situation & escape accountability. There is no way to deal with people without being personal. Instead of being a good manager and having a conversation around events, it is easier to objectify an employee, turn them into dollars and cents and deal with it that way.
Just like, "It is not you, its me", it is an attempt to soften the situation. It makes the bearer of bad news feel better about what they are doing. They are not hurting the person, because it is them with the problems.
Blame it on capitalism. That is the problem. Not you. Which is bullshit. Every day we make a decision to participate in the capitalistic system and abide by its rules. We have to accept accountability for that decision and tell the truth. Say"My priority right now is money. How can we make money together? If we cannot come to an agreement on that, then you can't be part of the picture" Or "I got a problem with you. This is what it is. Can we work through it? If not then we have to just let this go." That is the real conversation.