The nature of work demands that some carry more than their counterparts. Some necessarily hold more than others. Some necessarily assume more responsibility. But there are no marginal players. The marginalized enjoy every good reason for their dissatisfaction. They cannot be dependable.

The best way to create a community of undependable players involves marginalizing them. Assume away. Take for granted.

Still, no matter how you might demonstrate your inclusiveness, some will manage to marginalize themselves, with the same effect as if you had marginalized them. Outreach offers some possibility for resolution.

What IS your strategy for enfranchising those who quite naturally disenfranchise themselves? Can you disconfirm their firmly held beliefs? Can you even recognize them?

Tonight, my Governor took calls from her constituents on live radio. About a third of the callers were disenfranchised. They started their comments with a pronounced, "Wool," by which I mean a poorly pronounced, "Well?" What followed was testament to disenfranchisement. One asked if the court order to pay back child support to an out-of-state ex-spouse didn't somehow violate the governor's desire to keep income within the state. Stunning disconnection. The governor invited off-line conversations: "Call my office! Leave your number! I want to get to the bottom of this," though every other listener understood that the caller was just trolling for excuses to sustain their victimhood.

God bless them, everyone, as Tiny Tim proclaimed. And bless the governor, who seems to understand that some quite naturally feel disenfranchised and need a special, personal invitation inside.

Whatever your position, and especially if your position seems lofty to another, take a step down and backwards. You need no defensive barrier, no protective guard to defend your position, no matter how obviously tenuous it might feel to you. Opening your arms wider when you feel assaulted will demonstrate your true power. Include them in your sphere, disconfirm their sense of marginalization. Ennoble. Include.

There Are No Marginal Players!