The New Inconvenient Truth: Human Skill and Character Development Has Shifted Away from the Home and To the Workplace

How can we expect the people we promote to management and leadership positions to know anything about bravery, transparency, honesty, empathy, vulnerability, fairness, and other empowering behaviors if, tragically, too many of us have never experienced consistent examples of these traits and behaviors in the homes in which we were raised?

The answer is, we cannot!

Let’s all face this inconvenient truth. We all want our managers and leaders to possess these wonderful, empowering qualities. In fact, we expect it. However, the reality is that without a conscious commitment to developing these necessary human skills and behaviors in the workplace, we are fooling ourselves.

The real truth leaders like you and I are facing is this: whether we like it or not, if we want our people to possess these qualities—if we want them to demonstrate these beautiful traits and exercise these skills within the workplace—it has become our responsibility to develop them within our people.

Let's all now once and forever shed this false narrative. The real majority of us do not come from incredibly healthy, empowering homes. Most of us carry disempowering, even unhealthy emotional "stuff" within us, and we not only bring this to our places of employment, but it is precisely this "stuff" that determines how we react and behave—especially during times of adversity. And it is THIS that collectively contributes to the social and cultural fabric of the workplace.

Our responsibility, therefore, whether we like it or not, is for all of us to not only (once and for all) come to this realization but for us to do something about it—that is, if we want a healthier and yes, profitable company. It is our responsibility to develop these skills and behaviors with our people. It is our responsibility to foster environments where people feel valued, understood, and inspired.

Imagine a world where every workplace is a sanctuary of growth, not just for professional skills but for personal development. Picture a place where bravery is celebrated, transparency is the norm, honesty is the foundation, empathy is felt in every interaction, vulnerability is met with support, and fairness guides every decision. This vision is not a utopian fantasy; it is an achievable reality, but it requires our unwavering dedication.

We must finally acknowledge that many of our people come from backgrounds where these traits were not modeled. That many have grown up in environments where fear overshadowed bravery, secrecy replaced transparency, deception took the place of honesty, apathy muted empathy, invulnerability masked vulnerability, and injustice ruled over fairness. This is a harsh reality, but one we must confront with compassion and resolve.

In sum, it is now THE WORKPLACE where the majority of these exemplary qualities will be nurtured and developed.

The question is, are you the type of leader that sees the writing on the wall and will do something about it?

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Andrew Kolikoff is a master of masters in creating profits for organizations by elevating people and company cultures to become the very best they can be... more productive, more engaged, more servant hearted.

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