A few months ago, I was in a session with Ian McDonald, one of the co-authors of Systems Leadership - Creating Positive Organisations. We were discussing meritocracy, which is a big complex discussion for another day but it led us down the path of equality.
Even though the view of differing capabilities seems logical and hierarchies make sense (particularly when focussed on authorities and decision making), it needs to be acknowledged that positive organisations know how to treat people equally as human beings.
‘Being Human’ is something the business coach Mark LeBusque also promotes strongly. I love how he pushes the idea that we’re all humans and that our core values of kindness, trust and curiosity should always dominate. In fact, I think he would argue that being human makes you a much better leader.
Being a leader means you have the capability to think and manage multiple domains simultaneously. Others within an organisation may be more suited to work that is focussed and detailed and less complex (although possibly more complicated).
Does that make a leader 'better' than the other person?
Does holding a job title that has the word 'Manager' or 'Executive' make you a better person? You might be smarter, more capable, worth more money than the next person, but does it give you the right to treat them as a lesser human being? This seems to be how things play out in some organisations.
How people treat lower-level staff says a lot about the 'real' values of an organisation.
Are you guilty of pandering to a system that displays a lack of trust and enjoys diminishing people?
If you want to work in a positive organisation where you feel your contribution is heard, then think about the system you're in and the bias and judgements you might be displaying. You might just be reinforcing the negative!
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