Chapter 1: A Shift Toward Sustainable Change
Six Shifts Required for Sustainable Change
Engaging in high-brow, 30,000-foot-level conversations about shifting away from the shareholder value model is a start, but we should never take the focus away from the people who do the work. They are the central characters and heroes in this grand storyline that we must remember and cherish. We must remember to engage in a greater conversation about what it takes to inspire people to do their best work so that companies profit and human lives flourish. We must remember that humans are inherently designed to be relational and experience positive emotions. In the workplace, it’s no different. We long for connection with others in the pursuit of purposeful work that produces meaningful results. Until we abandon systemic managerial thinking anchored in the fossilized ideals of the Industrial Revolution, where autocrats hold control, power, and decisions at the top, we will hold back the workforce—our most valued employees—from reaching their fullest potential.
To break the cycle of long-held corporate ideologies that still hold power over us—over them—a good starting point requires six major shifts:
Shift #1: Unlearn What We Have Learned
The first thing is to unlearn what we have learned—belief systems that have carried over from generation to generation as workplace norms over the last two centuries. For example, as children, we were taught many things that formed our belief system growing up. We were told what we could and could not do, what friends we were allowed to play with, and which we were to avoid for our “safety.” As working professionals and business leaders, for the most part, our current belief system keeps us safe too, but limits us from possibilities that may increase our success.
Here’s what I’m getting at. The real enemy that limits us is entrenched between our ears; those self-defeating thoughts and beliefs hold us hostage and keep us from growing. Not challenging our existing worldview and why we believe what we believe will only limit our own potential; it will keep us from exploring answers to challenging questions and cultivating new beliefs with unabated curiosity.
This brings me to a classic movie reference by an iconic Star Wars character. In the movie The Empire Strikes Back, the Jedi Master Yoda challenges Luke Skywalker to shift his mindset from self-limiting thoughts to one of possibilities. Yoda said: “You must unlearn what you have learned.”
This quote has triggered and provoked people’s thinking for decades. Think about what it means for your own life and leadership. We must unlearn many things first—things we perceive to be true and assumptions we make that limit us. One way to challenge our worldviews and beliefs is to test them. By not testing your belief system, it will own you and become your ruler because you never questioned it.
We’ve attained much knowledge from school, work, life experiences, the “school of hard knocks,” or through modeling behavior. But the world continues to evolve; we are in a new social, economic, and technological era, yet many of us hang on to information, knowledge, and ideologies that hold no truth to power. For example, people in management roles have not discarded the carrot-and-stick ways of motivating their workers; or managing through fear and intimidation. So, I want you to ask yourself one question: What else do I need to unlearn?
I had to take the Yoda lesson 25 years ago and really look at myself in the mirror because I was losing good people in a previous management position; I realized I had little clue how to lead them effectively. I was using carrots and sticks and pushing people in a direction I only wanted to go without inspiring them to a higher purpose. I had to be willing to go down deep to explore old habits and behaviors below the surface that were no longer working for me. To put it more succinctly, I had to unlearn and subtract old behaviors, learn, and add new habits.
The reality is that new generations of workers are motivated by more intrinsic factors that we will cover in later chapters. With that said, my hope is that you will begin to unlearn certain misbehaviors that stifle the human spirit and, in return, learn new behaviors that make people feel like they’re growing, like they’re being supported, and like their work has meaning and purpose.
Shift #2: Stop Seeing People as Objects
Historically, and still true today, as we look at what the workplace has become, most organizations see people as objects or functions—a means to an end in a transaction. If that’s how we continue to treat each other—like the only value someone has is how much they contribute to the bottom line—you can bet that our interaction will ultimately suffer long-term. Leaders must stop viewing people solely as profit-making “resources” for several compelling reasons:
Shift #3: Redefine the Role of Manager
Think back to your career and the people challenges you have faced. Most of us have been in varying degrees of boss-to-subordinate relationships, reporting to managers with different experience levels, personality types, and ways of seeing the world. Those work relationships adversely affected many of us; we may have lost our jobs, health, or dignity. Or perhaps worse. And if you haven’t, you’re probably due for a run-in with a boss who leads with an iron fist. Fear remains a prevalent way of managing in the twenty-first century—often with unfortunate consequences (I’ll expand on this in Shift #5). This is far from being the best way to lead human beings to give their best.
Here’s the problem. The current management model and mindset were never about creating value in human beings doing the work. We need to change how we view the role of manager and reverse the ideas and stereotypes projected onto us by the media of what it means to be the boss and be large and in charge. If you consult your dictionary and look up some definitions of the word “manager,” here’s what you’ll find: “Someone who controls all or part of a company and manipulates resources and expenditures.”
Looking at this definition, two words have an immediate, negative impact: “controls” and “manipulates.” To reinforce this current definition and what we should associate with the word
manager, you’ll find these synonyms in the dictionary: “Controller,” “big gun,” “head honcho,” and my personal favorite, “zookeeper.”
In stark contrast, here’s what the dictionary says we should associate with the word employee: “Cog,” “desk jockey,” and “working stiff.” On a curious note, “working stiff” was first heard in the 1930s and used to describe your average person who works at a not-very-interesting or-stimulating job and for wages that mean a paycheck-to-paycheck existence. That’s your working stiff.
The dictionary associates the word “work” with these synonyms: “daily grind,” “struggle,” “pain,” and “drudgery.” Putting it all together with tongues firmly planted in cheek, we are cogs working for a zookeeper going about our daily drudgery.
But in all seriousness, this is the reality for many people in the workplace. We’ve built our organizations around this idea that managers drive people like cattle and that employees are expendable parts. Eventually, we’ll hate our work and our boss. It’s only a matter of time because these are the experiences we have carried with us from job to job. These experiences, in most places of work, carry with them an immense amount of stress for employees.
In today’s business climate, we must challenge our current worldview of who a manager is and what a manager does daily. One common denominator about management is still foreign for many: every interaction should foster productive and positive relationships that lead to results. Arriving at this place means unlearning and subtracting a few things here and learning and adding a few things there.
Shift #4: Change the Business Narrative (and Lingo)
So much of what constrains leading with love concerns the irresponsible use of power by those at the top. They are also the ones who control the business narrative. As we’ve already covered, most business leaders continue to believe that a business’s purpose is only to make a
profit, which is short-sighted thinking. Sure, making money is necessary for businesses to survive and thrive, just like I need oxygen to live. But a business’s purpose must be more transcendent and contribute to making people and society better and healthier. Money, in the long run, thus becomes a byproduct of higher aspiration.
This is what we need to teach our business schools whose curriculums indoctrinate students into the narrow, profit-only narrative. The other reason for this shift is that these old ideas are not debated. The study and the history of economic thought are taken as a given and for granted. It’s business as usual.
Another reason to change the profit narrative is that profit-driven business leaders perched in their Ivory Towers don’t want to be perceived as weak or soft in the public eye. They must keep their tough exteriors and appear indestructible for fear of getting run over and losing their power.
The business lingo also must change. It’s common to come across violent and predatory business metaphors, often used without much thought. Moshe Engelberg, author of the game-changing book, The Amare Wave, explains that expressions like “crush the competition,” “capture customers,” “exploit the market,” and “make battle plans” have permeated the business landscape for decades.1
Engelberg forces us to look inwardly and ask ourselves whether business truly needs to adopt a warlike mentality. Is using violence-laden, predatory, and warlike language in our work necessary? As leaders, we should pause and reflect on the impact of such language on our businesses and ourselves. Engelberg advocates for a more caring approach rather than perpetuating a hostile and combative environment where the goal is to overpower and dominate customers and competitors. We can cultivate a healthier business climate by recognizing that we can succeed by replacing violent and malicious language with words
promoting empathy, cooperation, and understanding. Ultimately, treating customers, competitors, and partners respectfully and with dignity leads to more positive relationships and long-term success. Though it may be met with initial resistance, embracing compassionate communication is worth the effort. The benefits of creating a workplace that values empathy and caring extend beyond mere financial gains. Engelberg writes that it uplifts our companies, nurtures a positive atmosphere, and allows us to connect on a deeper level with our stakeholders.
Shift #5: Eliminate Toxic Fear
All fear is not bad. In fact, some fear is necessary to activate the extra gear we need to overcome adversity. Swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all, has talked about being terrified every time he got in the pool before a big race. While some people’s fear response is to choke under extreme pressure, Phelps’s fear and mental toughness drove him to fight harder and be one of the fastest human beings to ever move through water.
Fear can also work against us to the point that it commandeers our brains, rendering us temporary idiots. The amygdala, often called the “emotional brain,” swiftly activates the body’s emergency response mechanisms when we perceive potential danger. Unfortunately, things go wonky when the amygdala decides that, under duress, there is no time for any reason and logic, and action must be taken now. Before you know it, you are in a full-blown fight or flight response, and a flood of adrenaline and cortisol is gushing through your body, which has short-circuited any attempt to react to the danger appropriately. Welcome to your Amygdala Hijack.
As you’ll recall, my Amygdala Hijack moment happened after I stepped out of the shower and fell face-first onto the bathroom tiles, unable to move from the waist down. Under toxic management, the intense fear and stress had been building up for months. My instinctive response was to flee from the source of my fear—a high-level project that felt like walking on a tightrope without a safety net.
At what point does fear become so extreme that it inhibits our ability to make rational choices? A thought-provoking concept is the notion of “EuFear,” coined by Andrew Colin Beck. EuFear (eu being the Latin prefix for “good” or “positive”) characterizes a unique emotional state where feelings of joy and fear harmoniously coexist.
Beck’s EuFear model centers around the EuFear Scale, a spectrum encompassing a range of fear magnitudes within favorable experiences. This scale spans from a state of “No Fear” (1 on a scale of 1 to 10) to one of “Full Fear” (10 on the scale).2
Beck’s framework proposes that neither complete absence nor extreme abundance of fear is ideal. For instance, in an organization devoid of fear, employees might lack the motivation to take initiative and get stuff done. Or worse, perhaps other employees, completely unafraid of consequences, might act inappropriately or take heedless risks that cause the business harm. Without consequences for inaction and no accountability measures in place, people often don’t take risks or make the extra effort. Conversely, teams operating under perpetual full fear might encounter severe drops in performance. In full fear, team members fight and work in a panicked state, many in pressure-cooker settings under scrutinous bosses. There’s a complete absence of creativity and flow. The amygdala’s hijack process is in full gear. Furthermore, a constant bombardment of full fear can induce undesirable physical responses, such as heightened heart rate and reduced oxygen levels. Or, in my case, a collapsed lower back and work disability.
According to Beck’s research, the ideal level for functional fear rests at around 4 on a scale of 10. At this juncture on the continuum, individuals encounter positive, constructive fear that aids in maximizing performance. A leader’s role is to keep an employee’s fear level at around 4 or 5, just enough to keep people engaged and motivated without experiencing fight, flight, or freeze.
Richard Sheridan, who wrote the foreword for this book, is the co-founder, CEO and “Chief Storyteller” of Menlo Innovations, a software and IT consulting firm that has earned several awards for its workplace culture. He said one of his biggest jobs as a leader is to “systematically pump fear out of the room.”3
Sheridan explains that the negative “full fear” motivational tactics managers picked up from their mentors and other role models must disappear so that people feel safe. “If they feel safe,” says Sheridan, “then you start getting the things everybody wants from a learning organization: creativity, innovation, invention, imagination, human energy.”4
Shift #6: Make It All About the People
In the normal course of a busy workday, we hop from meeting to meeting, write reports, put out fires, and have tunnel vision about strategy, profit margins, hiring, or downsizing. We worry about delivery and pleasing our customers; we focus solely on the results but forget the relationships. We forget the people. Poet and civil rights activist, the late Maya Angelou, said:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Most of us remember our best bosses because of how they made us feel as employees, but most importantly, as human beings. It should come as no surprise that actionable love, shown in how employees are treated and cared for, has repeatedly been proven to raise performance, increase value and loyalty, and improve employee engagement. But rarely do scholars, thought leaders, or the media intentionally call out these building blocks of the best workplaces as firmly embedded in a foundation of love.
Until now.
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1 Moshe Engelberg, “The Violence in Your Business Language Diminishes You and Your Company,” Inc., January 2023, https://www.inc.com/moshe-engelberg/the-violence-in-your-business-language-diminishes-you-your-company.html
2 Andrew Colin Beck, “Eufear: Embracing Our fears’ Positivity,” Issuu, August 11, 2013, https://issuu.com/andrewcolinbeck/docs/eufear
3 Chet Marchwinski, “Rich Sheridan on How to Succeed by Building a Strong Learning Culture,” Lean Enterprise Institute, January 27, 2015, https://www.lean.org/the-lean-post/articles/rich-sheridan-on-how-to-succeed-by-building-a-strong-learning-culture/
4 Ibid
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