We all need something bigger than ourselves to believe in.
Maslow got it wrong. And it is screwing up the way you lead.
Maslow ordered the pyramid in this way:
Basic Needs
Psychological needs
Self-Fulfillment
He is wrong.
And as I have seen clearly with my Dad (Merv Symes). The basic needs are meaningless if you don’t have a purpose. And you don’t have autonomy. And you don’t have community.
Want further proof. As Atul Gwande brilliantly noted in in his book Being Mortal highlighted – Go look at the energy in the nursing homes. Safety and sterility does not replace purpose and meaning.
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What does it mean for you as leader with your team?
Purpose:
Clarify Why You Exist, What You’re Building, The values that will guide how we will be behave and interact.
You wouldn’t believe how often you will go back to that clarity.
Autonomy:
Have you given a voice to your colleagues. In how we get better as a group and how we’re going to support them in their own development.
Have them focused on our future and their development OR they will get focused on what they are not getting. I’d rather work together. 🙂
Community: The Remote/Hybrid/In-Office continues to rage. As an organization, any version of your company can exist. The more remote you are, the harder it is to create community. The virtual world is a more transactional environment. All environments require clarity and intention around culture.
Does your community/organization care, support, and inspire?
