For 250 years we have operated our businesses by an Industrial Age model. We’ve been in the thrall of the machine. Machines are efficient and predictable. They don’t wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or need you to care about their feelings. If they break down, we fix or replace them without emotional drama.
Humans, on the other hand, are unpredictable and emotional. And this is a problem for an Industrial Age business. So, we have, over the last two and a half centuries, developed sophisticated processes and systems, norms of workplace behaviour and structures like teams and the hierarchy which attempt to minimise the unpredictability of people so we can forecast, control and be as productive as possible.
But we aren’t in the Industrial Age anymore.
Not only are employee expectations of work (and life) changing, but what we need from our human employees is changing too. It isn’t enough that they turn up and do repetitive tasks all day, void of emotional connection. In fact, more than ever we need their hearts as well as their minds. We need them to go above and beyond, to look for continual improvements, to have robust discussions, to tolerate risk and uncertainty, to challenge conventions and to bring their diverse perspectives and approaches to bear to solve new problems and embrace new opportunities.
Which means that it’s time to reject, once and for all, Victorian Age notions about people and how we lead them.
When we treat people like machines, we get machines. Worse than that – we get second-rate machines. People cannot turn their emotions off, no matter how they might claim they are able to leave their feelings at the door. With the pace of technological change, any activity which requires emotion-free analysis of data and flawless repetition is best left to AI and Bots. This means we can finally tap into the innate humanity of our people, maybe for the first time.
To do this we need to rethink how we lead and the culture we create at work. The biggest shift leaders need to make is to create trusting environments.
There are two elements of trust – being trustworthy and being willing to trust.
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, levels of trust in major institutions like governments and the media are dangerously low. We do not trust politicians or journalists to tell us the truth, and even suspect that they might be intentionally trying to mislead us. The same applies to our perception of business leaders[1]. However, we are more likely to have a greater level of trust in the leaders of our own organisation. Proximity generates trust, but it is still conditional. Your people are looking at you, with some justified scepticism, and asking “Can I trust this person?”.
When people cannot trust the sources of information, dysfunctional cultures are created. People play politics, carefully managing their reputation (often at the expense of other people because survival is the safest strategy). They don’t engage with change because change poses a threat and they don’t believe their leaders when their leaders say “Don’t worry, your job is safe”. When people don’t trust their leaders they do not bring their whole selves to work. It’s just too risky.
This means you must become a person whose words and deeds align. This takes bravery. It means standing up for principles even when that will cost your organisation financially. It means speaking up in meetings even if discussions become uncomfortable as a result.
Beyond that, people are looking for leaders to take a stance on social issues such as fair wages, ensuring communities are safe, paying fair corporate taxes and being willing to retrain employees when technology threatens jobs. Being trusted is about being someone others can rely on to tell the truth.
But it’s not enough to be worthy of trust. Leaders also need to examine the limits they put on their willingness to trust others. You expect people to trust you, but you don’t really trust them. This is another Victorian Age belief which persists today – Most people are trying to get away with something, therefore we need to minimise the opportunity they have to take us for a ride, make self-serving decisions, and steal the office pens.
Much of how we organise people, make decisions and assign activity is based on this belief. Information is reported up the hierarchy so that senior people can make decisions which are then cascaded back down for implementation. Information is withheld from junior people who cannot be trusted to handle it. Expenses must be signed off so that people don’t steal from the business. People need monitoring so they don’t slack off when working from home or they need to come to the office so we can see them with our own eyes.
The limits we put on our willingness to trust them will be reflected in their willingness to trust us. People who don’t feel trusted don’t share their ideas. They don’t speak up. They become dependent on their manager to give orders and stop thinking for themselves. And, in lieu of any sense of agency over their own working lives, they are tempted to take the organisation for whatever they can, thus reinforcing our beliefs and justifying our lack of trust. It’s a vicious cycle.
In a world where technology will be able to do so much more than ever before, including most of what human employees spend their time doing today, we have an opportunity to utilise the humanity of people in a brand new way. When people’s humanity is their most valuable quality, we need to create a culture which is fundamentally humane, where that humanity can thrive. And that starts with a culture of trust.
About the Author
Blaire Palmer is a former BBC journalist turned keynote speaker on the future of leadership and work, who has worked on flagship Radio 4 programmes like Today and Woman’s Hour. For the past 24 years, Blaire has worked with organisations helping to drive real change in their businesses and create places where people can come and do their best work. Currently, Blaire speaks internationally at conferences and events, calling on audiences of senior leaders to rethink what leadership means in the modern era.
Her new book Punks in Suits is a call to arms for leaders to embrace change and a practical guide offering clarity on the most pertinent workplace challenges of the modern era.
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