Seth Godin wrote a post today about people becoming “machine-readable“. He argues that it’s a bad idea to become another cog in the machine. His advice echoes what I’ve heard elsewhere: if your current job depends on your efficiency, it’s time to find another job. Soon, humans will (only) occupy inefficient (creative, imaginative, inventive) positions, the rest being relegated (exclusively) to robots.
I hope to learn an inefficient skill this week at the Ethics & Compliance Initiative’s Best Practices Forum in Chicago. The topic: creating a speak-up/listen-up culture. I don’t think there’s an efficient shortcut to creating trust and making people feel safe. These states are still created by genuine human connections, by efforts that must first overcome our primitive instincts to expect danger at every corner.
It’s a valuable skill to have. And a rewarding one at that.
See you in Chicago.
The Ethical Leader 