The Make Work More Human Blog
Read. Be inspired. Lead with Love.
Is it really possible to create a way of working based on love not fear? Yes. It’s not only possible. It’s essential. Learn more from this collection of more than 100 posts to inspire and guide you.
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I am a public servant
Sometimes the truth is that we are thrilled. We are delighted by our work and grateful for the privilege of contributing. We can’t wait to get to work each day. We love the challenges we face, the service we offer, the skills we learn, the way we express ourselves to the world in our work.
Do I have to say “love”?
Organizations and teams choose the words that resonate for them. Sometimes that word is “love” and sometimes it is a synonym like care, trust, respect, belonging, inclusion, empathy, compassion, or forgiveness, but always it is more human.
Everywhere I go: on a train from Nice to Ventimiglia
The 2nd class train from Nice, France, to Ventimiglia, Italy, is overflowing on this sunny weekday morning in September. Commuters heading to work mix with tourists like me on holiday. Luggage fills the aisles. Children sit on laps. Passengers stand in the vestibule between cars, sweaty and crowded.
Everywhere I go: in a café at work
When I was consulting to the US Army, I worked under a wonderful General. He was a humble, wise leader who treated people well. Even though I was just a contractor, he demonstrated that he valued me and my work. He gave me support, opportunities to grow, and recognition when I did well. Shortly after I left, he deployed to Afghanistan.
Everywhere I go: an airplane
Seated next to me on the airplane last week on a flight to Salt Lake City was Glenn, a friendly, talkative dentist from Alaska. He was headed to a dental conference while I was going to Park City to spend the weekend in conversation with friends exploring humanity at the center of our work.
Can we talk?
Arguably one of the most difficult issues we face as a nation is race. Our painful, ugly history continues to manifest as pain and ugliness in the present. And our challenges extend beyond racial equity and inclusion to gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, socio-economic status, ability.
Everywhere I go: in my backyard in Tacoma
Friends gathered in my backyard in Tacoma on a warm summer Sunday evening to enjoy dinner and catch up on life. Tom* retired in June from a thirty year elementary school teaching career, and Patty retired from teaching college just two years ago.
Everywhere I go: in Seattle at JuneBaby (Part 1)
Sitting at the counter eating at JuneBaby in Seattle, I chat with the young couple visiting from Connecticut next to me. When he learns about my love not fear work, he lights up and shares the street art of 5ivefingaz and Love More Than Ever. So much to love there! Check it out!
Everywhere I go: in Seattle at JuneBaby (Part 2)
Sitting on the other side of me at the counter of June Baby, I chat with a young Black woman vacationing in the beautiful PNW. She asks what I do, and when I tell her I advocate for more love and less fear in the workplace, she responds, “Oh wow. We need that in healthcare! The healthcare system that I work in is so full of fear and intimidation.”
The power of intrinsic motivation
Why do you work? What’s your motivation? Many people work in environments that are dominated by the “carrot and stick” approach of extrinsic motivation: do well and you’ll get a reward; do poorly and you’ll get punished.
Most workplaces are not awesome. A little awe can help.
Think of a time when you felt a sense of wonder. Perhaps you marveled at the grandeur of a towering mountain. Or maybe you suddenly sensed the vastness of the universe as the Aurora Borealis spiraled across a winter sky. Were you caught off-guard? Did you lose your sense of time but gain a sense of mystery? Then you probably experienced awe.
Why do we make the workplace so hard on ourselves?
Read the latest business news, research, or blogs, and talk with almost anyone who works, and you’ll hear the same themes: Struggles with disengagement, poor well-being, lack of diversity and inclusion, burnout, conflict, bullying and harassment, unethical behavior, poor performance, challenges to creativity, and lack of problem solving.
Learning to weave in Olympia
My last post described our need to weave together a stronger social fabric that both honors our common humanity and respects and values diversity. At A Human Workplace: Olympia on June 22, we took a first step by exploring and learning about empathy and diversity. Here’s what we did and what happened. But first, what seems most essential.
Weaving our human tapestry
The fabric of our society feels threadbare. A tattered cloth with gaping holes, it barely drapes us nor does it display its full beauty. We wish it were different but we seem to have lost our ability to weave that tapestry.
Listening from the heart
It’s hard to concentrate on writing tonight. You see, I’m excited…and nervous. Tomorrow morning more than eighty public servants are gathering from all over government to explore empathy and diversity at the June Human Workplace Meet Up in Olympia.
Love and hard times
We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Information and resources can be found on their website too.
Something’s happening
But we flourish when we are loved at work. We feel loved when we know our leaders care about us. We feel loved when our teams are like families and when we are supported during hard times. Every one of us. And then we do and give our best to our team and to our customers.
Lean without limits
Sesame Street famously asks children to consider, “One of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn’t belong?” These sorting activities are important for brain development and mathematical reasoning and from an evolutionary perspective for survival.
When humans aren't the center
At MakeWorkMoreHuman.com, we strongly believe that people should be prime. In fact, we can’t really imagine wanting to put anything else at the center of work. Maybe you can’t either. But the reality is that every day in many of our organizations and teams, something else besides people is considered most important.
Start your week with love
After I began to research, write, and speak about love at work, I happily found many others talking about love too. Sometimes the love they talk about takes the form of empathy or safety or respect. But these are all expressions of love, one of two primary human emotions.
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