Normalcy and Tech Management

The inspiration for this came from Chapter 26 in "The Myth of Normal" which resonated with my work experience (as a people manager) particularly well. I will focus on the concept of "Four A's" and if this gets you interested I suggest you get the book itself, which is a tremendous value at about $6 for the electronic version. For context, the whole book deals with aspects of our civilization that have grown to be considered "normal" yet have an outsized (negative) impact on human health at a cellular, individual, and societal level. In this setting, the Four A's are introduced as useful healing principles or guideposts.

Authenticity

This is the first principle, and something that I see gone terribly wrong whether at a workplace or on the Internet. (Got "self-promotion on LinkedIn", anyone?)

By definition, striving for some idealized self-image is incompatible with being authentically who one is. We have to begin with accepting ourselves fully, ...

Companies that have exhibited authenticity across all levels have been some of the most enjoyable career experiences for me and this is one aspect of the workplace I always try to replicate: whether in building a company or a small team.

Agency

Agency and autonomy in my view are what differentiate an enlightened organization with inspiring leadership from a "slave ship".

Agency is neither attitude nor affect, neither blind acceptance nor a rejection of authority. It is a self-bestowal of the right to evaluate things freely and fully, and to choose based on authentic gut feelings, ...

In a workplace, supporting authenticity means championing a "liberty to be yourself", and valuing agency involves fostering and expecting initiative while also being prepared to rationally analyze diffferent perspectives. The latter is key: many individuals and organizations will pay lip service to authenticity, agency, or both while stifling differences in opinion and forcing conformity.

Anger

With the third and fourth A's we get into principles that I find more relevant when it comes to direct management relationships.

Like authenticity, genuine anger is not a performance. Anger's core message is a concise and potent no, said as forcefully as the moment demands.

Anger may feel out of place when it comes to team dynamics (e.g. never a good thing at an all-hands), but it can be a healthy emotion that needs to surface at 1:1s. The concept of psychological safety is relevant here as well, and as a manager compassion and humility have been powerful tools that have helped me interpret anger: in others, and in myself.

Anger in its pure form has no moral content, right or wrong---it just is, its only "desire" a noble one: to maintain integrity and equilibrium.

Acceptance

From a management perspective, acceptance is most related to the "Disagree and Commit" principle, accepting the present while being mindful of future potential.

... Rather, acceptance is the recognition, ever accurate, that in this moment things cannot be other than how they are.

Bonus Reading

While working my way through the chapter I was reminded of two concepts worth sharing:

• Realpolitik, covered eloquently in the book "Diplomacy" by the late Henry Kissinger, is sort of like Acceptance at an international level.
• The CAMPS model by LifeLabs, which I have been happily using in 1:1s to zero in on aspects of the workplace that can benefit from improvement. In short, assign a 1-10 score to each of the following dimensions and pick the area with the lowest score to discuss in the 1:1 (repeat as often as practical...): Certainty, Autonomy, Meaning, Progress, Social Inclusion. Several of these CAMPS dimensions relate to the Four A's discussed above, even if indirectly, or in a many-to-many correspondence.