The status quo is powerful indeed. We add layers, patches and small improvisations, all to shore up something we don't want to reconsider.
If we had a clean sheet of paper, and could design something that actually worked, what would we do about:
The free market doesn't always do things as well as an enlightened institution can. And institutions often need our help to become more enlightened.
Sometimes, we need to take a deep breath and decide to do it again, better.
If you frequently run last-minute sales, don't be surprised if your customers stop buying things in advance. You're training them to wait.
If you announce things six or seven times, getting louder each time, don't be surprised if your customers ignore the first few announcements. You've trained them to expect you'll yell if it's important.
If you don't offer someone a raise until they find a new job and quit, don't be surprised if your employees start looking for new jobs.
The way you engage with your customers (students/bosses/peers) trains them on what to expect from interactions with you.
Drip, drip, drip.
Why not?
Why not make it more generous, more fair, more insightful than it needs to be? Why not deliver the service with more flair, more care and more urgency?
Why not do it because you can, not because you have to...
Highlights from an annotated list of 17 rules for the new world of work:
You are more powerful than you think
It’s bigger than you
Leaders are made, not born
Leveling up is a choice
They say you can’t, we know you can
Dance with fear
See, assert, change
Overwhelmed is temporary
Out loud, in public
Hard work is far better than busy work
The crowd is wrong. The critics are wrong. Useful feedback is precious...
Management matters. So does leadership...
“Here, I made this.” Or possibly, “Here, we made this.”
See the end before you begin the journey
Culture defeats everything
It’s personal
Applications are now open for the next two sessions of the proven altMBA workshop. It's time to level up.
No judgment, no responsibility.
No responsibility, no risk.
There's a fork in the road. If you seek out roles without responsibility, you might just find a sinecure.
This is the hot job for undifferentiated job seekers at the placement office, the job where a famous company will tell you what to do all day.
Alas, those are the jobs that will be deleted first. The jobs that come with little in the way of respect or stability. These are the jobs that big companies automate whenever they can, or create enough rules to avoid any variation if they can't.
The other choice is a job loaded with judgment calls. One where it's extremely likely you'll make a decision you regret, and get blamed for it. One where you take responsibility instead of waiting for authority.
It turns out that those are the best jobs of all.
[PS if you're organizing for social good, consider applying for this free program from Civic Hall in New York. I hope to see you there.]
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