I was at an alumni event the other evening where we invited my college professor to talk about her book and experiences with female workers in the former eastern block, where her interviews depicted the inhumane conditions of capitalism versus socialism.
Most of her research was surprising to her, and to all of us in the room who listened to story after story about the things that were lost when the system in which they lived had crumbled.
For many of us, capitalism is not just a way of life, it’s the most humane way to work, or so we’d like to think. It’s unusual to hear a tale where people’s experiences were actually more humane in socialist conditions.
The very behaviors that we are applying to corporations today, are some of the humane behaviors these women listed in their socialist world which went away when they found new work in the western world.
And why should we care to know? Or change what’s not working? I’ve often hypothesized that anyone who really gives a damn at work, doesn’t fit into most of corporate America for various reasons. Passion turns into too much emotion. Or it poses a threat to the status quo, and so on.
Thankfully, the tides are now shifting and I’d assign a lot of credit to the younger (millennial) generations. They want to integrate purpose with employment. They want to find leaders to look up to, but they won’t respect just anyone. It must be earned.
At our company, we are focused on creating a community of citizens at work. Citizens who trust one another and who want to support and mentor others.
Mission in progress. We hope to report back incredible gains for the individuals that make up our corporations everywhere.
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