Is it Possible to be Too Human?

“It's easy to think that people will like you more if you do whatever they tell you to do, but it's quite the opposite. People don't appreciate pushovers - they use them.”

I was recently asked a question squarely related to the current crisis by good friend Lisa Burling:

Is it possible to be too Human in these COVID-19 times?

That got me thinking, and thinking, and thinking some more.............

I'm not convinced that one can become too human, however, there are certainly some tendencies within us human beings that will send us to another place where the lines become a little fuzzy.

• We all like to be liked......it's part of our hardwiring as a social creature
• Saying "yes" is much easier than saying "no"
• Delaying that conversation, because it might be uncomfortable, becomes the norm
• Solving problems that others could solve or "carrying their water" wins the day
• We confuse sympathy and empathy
• Lower our expectations and accept flimsy excuses that wouldn't fly in other times

We make a very slight move from Human to Pushover

It could be easy right now to slip into the habit of being the Pushover and without really knowing it, and confuse these behaviours with being Human.

It's also worth noting that once you start practicing the way of the Pushover, it can be very challenging to leave.

How fuzzy are your lines right now between being too Human and falling into the trap of becoming the Pushover?

Mark LeBusque is in the business of building Connection and Belonging in Workplaces, and believes that there are some Simple and Practical ways to drive up the humanness that we miss in the pursuit of complexity or the "next big thing".