Being a good Human

Is ‘Being a good Human’ really worthy of a newsletter? Is it something an organisation who focus on sharing insights from neuroscience and behavioural science should be investing their time commenting on? Is it even something science has anything to contribute??

Well, we believe increasingly so. It is the answer to a huge range of problems that are being brought to our attention. Organisations are frequently asking for help with things where the answer includes helping their people to rediscover what it is to be a good human. In the last ‘BrainUP’ newsletter I spoke about what Transformation really entails. Being a human and understanding how we work as humans is obviously critical there. This week I have been working with an accountancy firm who are keen to grow in a healthy and responsible way, maintaining fantastic quality. I imagine most accountants these days will tell you; their job goes far beyond numbers. But do they realise just how critical ‘Being a good Human’ is to be growing their business??

Once again, we return to the underlying principles that govern human behaviours. What makes us do the things we do? What shapes our decisions? Is it just the facts and figures? If two accountants can offer me the same service on paper, which one will I choose? Even if one can offer me a cheaper service would I automatically go with them? Experience tells us that as humans we value more than just numbers. We want those that we work with to have good human traits. We want to be able to trust those that we work with. Believe they will behave fairly towards us. That they will be helpful I'm proactive. When we interact with them, would likely to expect them to be polite and positive.

If you are unsure whether any of these things are actually the case, consider how you would feel if they're absent. Imagine dealing with an accountant you didn't trust. Who you knew was giving a friend a far better deal than you for no good reason. Who, when you phoned up, would be rude and impatient and arrogant. I imagine you wouldn't be very impressed.

On the flipside imagine an accountant who was genuinely interested in your organisation and what you were trying to contribute to the world. Who asked questions that didn't just follow a set list but that helped them more deeply understand where you were trying to get to and what that journey was likely to look like. Who sought to understand your challenges and your hopes and fears. A person who appeared to believe in you and know that you had specialist knowledge and experience but that also, humbly, offered their own ponderings at times. They would be valuable, right? They would also make you feel good.?

Now a thought experiment, what if that accountant was an AI machine??

Would that make you feel as good??

From a research perspective, what we’re talking about here are prosocial behaviours; the things that make humans work well together. They often come with some cost. Most of the time that cost isn’t high. We’re happy to pay it. Sometimes it is a little higher and we trust that with reciprocity things will even out in time. But would these behaviours cost a machine anything? Would the relationship be the same??

I’d love to know your thoughts, and whether you are investing in helping your colleagues to be a good human!

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