From Office Heroics to Healthy Workplaces: Rethinking Recognition
I recently read a post on LinkedIn describing two men deserted on an island. One immediately builds a raft and makes a plan. The other writes HELP in the sand and waits. The point the author was making was agency vs. complacency. Agency is owning your own destiny and your situation. Take the lead, act, don't hesitate, be the hero.
Most people agreed with that post, but I take the opposite position. We shouldn’t need to be heroes in our everyday lives, especially at work. This post, to me, is the basis of the HERO mindset. No, I’m not advocating that we ask for help and simply wait, hear me out.
We have all heard the accolades for THAT person at the office who “went the extra mile”, stayed late all those nights to get the work done, etc, etc. They are the heroes of the office. They make sure that everything gets done no matter what. Work-life balance becomes a distant memory for them. They and our bosses start to wonder why no one else is working as hard as they are. Sometimes, others start to feel like this is the only way to ensure their jobs are safe, or they are seen as doing enough.
Suddenly, things only get done at the last minute, when a heroic attempt is needed to finish, and everyone is starting to burn out. Our bosses are wondering why everything is a crisis. Why can’t things just run smoothly? Now there are no longer any heroes.
Instead of this spiral, let's rethink how we operate.
What about that person or team that created a plan early, asked for help, and found a way to not end up on that island?
They saw the deadline coming and knew what needed to be done well in advance.
These are the people we should be talking about.
These are the people we should be rewarding.
By reshaping who and how we recognize achievements, we can begin to reshape our cultures. We can reshape how we see ourselves and our employees. We don’t need office heroes, we need individuals and teams who can do their jobs and make sure that timelines are met, products are delivered, and people are happy. Recognize teams for the work they do and how collaboration delivers a better product.
We all need heroes, but we don’t need to be them, at least not at work. Let's get back to being heroes for the right reasons, because our children look up to us, and our neighbors and friends feel appreciated and seen by us.
This can not only transform our workplace, it can transform our lives.
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