The Siren

By the time you hear the siren it's already too late...

The office, the workplace most of us olds are used to and the only one millions have ever known, is the perfect breeding ground for conflict, clashes, and any variation of shenanigans.

It's also a natural environment for discontent, alienation, humor, envy, and empathy. That's why the office is so often a setting for books,TV shows, and movies. It's a reflection of our reality and the fantasy of escaping the drudgery of an office was the motivating force in comedies (Office Space) and drama (Fight Club). There's a range of outcomes and most offices run relatively smoothly with no acts of terrorism or violence or even destroyed printers. But who didn't want to take their anger and frustration out on a printer?

Workplaces are the amalgamation of dozens if not hundreds of different people each with their own distinct and unique backgrounds, biases, tolerance for microwaved fish, needs, wants, behaviors...you get it. That's why managers and leaders need a lot of training, guidance, tools and support. The people within a business are, collectively, the biggest asset, their satisfaction needs to come before your customers.

You can't just hope they avoid burnout with a one hour seminar

I hosted Ashley Herd on an audio live this week and we discussed how vital these issues are; and how challenges need to be flipped into opportunities, being proactive/less reactionary is the best approach, and the path to growth needs to be clear to you people.

There's a reason her followship (fyi, over 64k now) has gone straight up and to the right on here and TikTok where her content is getting shared and seen by tens of thousands:

Is value, significance, meaning, worth being added or taken away? Is there a gap in the marketplace? Clearly, there is here. Generations of work culture was built around the idea of HR as Toby, as the fun police...but really, who else will hear the siren before it blares 'too late.' Once that tipping point is reached in your business and your best people are leaving, your business' value is tanked, its best asset just walked out the door.

You need that ear to the ground, solve the problem before it happens piece working with you as a strategic partner, thinking about what the people you are hiring need and want...especially in this market at this time with this new generation hitting the workforce

Whatever is happening in your workplace, whether you're shlepping into a city in a train or car, or up the stairs in your pajamas, you need to understand what's happening from a bigger picture point of view.

Whether we (and I'm just talking US here) are in recession or not almost doesn't matter. Each individual makes decisions based on their circumstances, situation, objectives, biases, previous experience....so there's no single template that works for all. But there are red flags to avoid in the, per Tiffany Aliche, 'recessiony' times we are in.

We wanted to go back to normal but there is no definition of normal; we don't even have a definition of recession - it's pretty absurd and shouldn't be left to vibes and feelings. A recession by any other name is still a recession. Inflation and rising interest rates plus less certainty have stunted the economy's growth and people need to take this as a siren to get something going that will improve their situation, whatever form or shape that takes. Don't just cope, build.

My second audio this week was with Lisa Carmen Wang, who is doing just that, building Bad Bitch Empire into a behemoth that will empower women to invest in the new, rapidly developing blockchain/web3 economy. Her mission is crystal clear - take women out of their good girl shell that actually inhibits growth once they hit a certain level of success because comfort and fear of risk-taking sets in, so they can change even more lives, create much more impact.

There was so much that stood out to me; my takeaway for the here and now is what she looks for in entrepreneurs to back with investment and support -

• Their hunger
• Their ability to execute

Changing established systems will take a lot of work, persistence, self-empowerment:

You need to ask yourself you own questions, find the answers, and overcome the obstacles in the way of solving your problems, make the impact on the world that you know you can.

That's the siren. Don't wait till you hear it.

I just hope this newsletter and the other content I'm putting out there and sharing in various formats is one resource among many - what challenges are you having and how can this community help you overcome them?