8th Habit: People have choices

People have choices

(Book extract: The 8th Habit: Stephen Covey)

So what's the direct connection between the controlling "thing" (part-person) paradigm that dominates today's workplace and the inability of managers and organizations to inspire their people to volunteer their highest talents and contributions? The answer is simple. People make choices. Consciously or subconsciously, people decide how much of themselves they will give to their work depending on how they are treated and on their opportunities to use all four parts of their nature. These choices range from rebelling or quitting to creative excitement:

Now consider for a moment which of these six choices listed below

- rebel or quit

- malicious obedience

- willing compliance

- cheerful cooperation

- heartfelt commitment

- creative excitement

you would make under the following scenarios

First, you are not treated fairly. That is, there are a lot of politics at play in your organization; there is nepotism; the pay system doesn't seem fair and just; your own pay does not accurately reflect the level of your contribution. What would choice be?

Second, let's say you are treated fairly in terms of your pay, but you are not treated kindly. That is, you are not respected; your treatment is inconsistent, arbitrary; capricious, perhaps largely dictated by the mood of your boss. What would your choice be?

Third, let's say that you are paid fairly and treated kindly, but when your opinion is wanted, it is given to you. In other words, your body and heart are valued, but not your mind. What would your choice be?

Fourth, now let's say that you are paid fairly (body), treated kindly (heart), involved creatively (mind), but you are asked to dig a hold and fill it again, or to fill out reports that no one ever sees or uses. In other words, the work is meaningless (spirit). What would your choice be?

Fifth, now let's say that you are paid fairly, treated kindly, and involved creatively in meaningful work, but that there is a lot of lying and cheating going on with customers and suppliers, including other employees (spirit). What would your choice be?

Now notice that we went through all four parts of the whole-person paradigm - body, mind, heart and finally spirit (spirit being divided in two parts - the meaninglessness of the work and the unprincipled way that it was done). The point is, if you neglect any one of the four parts of human nature, you turn a person into a thing, and what do you do with things? You have to control, manage and carrot-and-stick them in order to motivate them.

I have asked these five questions all around the world in different settings and almost inevitably, the answer falls into the bottom three categories - people would rebel or quit, maliciously obey (meaning they'll do it but hope it doesn't work), or at best willingly comply. But in today's Information/Knowledge worker age, only one who is respected as a whole person in a whole job-one who is paid fairly, treated kindly, used creatively and given opportunities to serve human needs in principled ways - makes of of the upper three choices of cheerful cooperation, heartfelt commitment or creative excitement.

"Identity is destiny"

Can you begin to see the how the core problems in the workplace today and the core solution to those problems lie in our paradigm of human nature? Can you see how many of the solutions to the problems in our homes and communities lie in the same paradigm? The Industrial Age "thing" paradigm and all the practices that flow from it are the modern-day equivalent of bloodletting.