In the last few weeks I have been thinking about why it is that we need to be reminding people to be kind and think about how the decisions we make may impact others. Why is this something we need to tell people? I am thoroughly perplexed and saddened at the same time.
When I look at organizations and workplaces in general, I am hopeful that we are making progress in creating cultures that are human and caring. Yet there are days when I am met with situations where people relate stories such as “today my boss told me that I am focusing too much on the 'soft stuff.” This often stops me in my tracks and I ask the question, "Well, what is considered the soft stuff and how much is too much?"
The amazing thing is the ‘soft stuff’ seems to equate to the time that is spent in supporting people, having conversations with them and providing them with the tools needed to thrive. I have also often heard from managers that the 'people stuff' is taking too much of their time or that it is adding to their workload.
As leaders this is your work!! It should not be seen as above and beyond nor should it feel like a burden.
So what is happening when we are still experiencing this type of attitude and mentality in organizations?
I believe we are stuck in old paradigms of leadership, cultures that still operate on outdated concepts of work, productivity and hierarchy. The traditional organization operates from a mechanistic view of work and how work happens. Organizations are seen as entities to control, standardize; where we look for ways to optimize processes and where efficiencies are at the root of our intention. This view has little if no regard for how these processes and means impact people and the human component of organizations.
Can efficiency and human practices co-exist? Of course they can. They need to be thought of with intention and care. In other words, when thinking of how to make something more efficient, the lens should not strictly be how can we save money. We need to also be asking how will this impact people? Have we asked people what they think of this process? Have we been mindful of what impact this will have on all parts of the system? Being human does not mean that we cannot be productive and successful; it simply means that we are productive and successful in a way that supports the human being who is responsible for the work. It also means that we create conditions where both humans and business can thrive; not one at the expense of the other.
About a month ago I had the privilege of being a co-host of an unconventional event called, 'Tomorrow's Workplace, Today'. People came together to challenge the paradigms and mechanistic view of organizations and to look at how to create human centric and caring environments. We came together to dream and design what tomorrow's workplace should look like. The conversations often revolved around the notion of love, kindness, letting go of ego and developing leadership skills that embrace all of these aspects.
It was a great conversation between people of varying generations, backgrounds, industries and beliefs. One thing that everyone had in common was the desire to create workplaces that feed our souls. We are entitled to be in environments that satisfy much more than just our security and monetary needs. It has long been proven that it is not money that motivates or inspires us to be our best selves. It is a need to feel connected; connected to a purpose, a passion and a desire to make a difference. In other words, it has been long known we do not work simply to pay the bills, we work to satisfy our human essence.
These are not complicated or new ideas and yet as a society, we are still struggling with very archaic ideas of hierarchy, power and control. Why is it that one human being needs to exert control over another in order to feel satisfied? This is a truly complex question which dates back many centuries to a time when we had a reason and a need to overpower each other. Those were times when we had to fight for our survival and there was a real need to show dominance over those who were our predators or enemies.
We are no longer in a world that requires us to operate from primal fear and yet we still tend to operate like we are. Our organizations are still structured in a way that perpetuates fear. We put in dozens of controls to ensure that no one has to use any judgment. Lack of controls may lead us to have to use some creative thinking, and we all know that adults need to be told exactly what to do and how to do it, otherwise we may spend our day just staring out a window (read sarcasm:).
The good news is that there are many, many, many people who no longer want to operate from these paradigms and beliefs and we are the change makers. We are the ones who will inspire and bring life to our vision. A world where organizations operate more as living organisms and not mechanistic entities built strictly on controls and ways to keep people in a box. It is time to liberate the potential of organizations and of people.
What are some practices that we can incorporate in the building of human centered organizations?
These are but a few ways in which we as leaders can think about creating more human centric organizations. The tide is shifting and a new day is dawning. Tomorrow's Workplace is indeed being designed today!
I would love to hear your thoughts and how you are building organizations that empower and create conditions that allow all to thrive.
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