You're Paid To Work, Not To Think!

This was the catchphrase of my early career.

Imagine if it was now...

"You're paid to think, and while you're here, if you have to do some work that's ok."

For so long, so many people have had their identity tied up in #work.

And now we face an existential crisis of sorts as #AI looms with the intent to take a lot of the "work" away from us.

If I am not defined by my work, then who am I?

Many employees have been conditioned to do, not think. Yet the biggest desire I hear from leaders is this...

"I wish our people would think for themselves."

We are about to have one of the biggest leadership crises the world of work has ever seen.

We have conditioned people not to think. We've delegated tasks, not outcomes to people.

We've not allowed people involved in the work to be involved in decisions about the work.

We've hired people to do #jobs not achieve outcomes.

We've worried about when they punch in and out of work, not how much they punch out.

We've created ecosystems based on "I'm the boss and you are my subordinate." instead of an ecosystem of leadership where collaboration can thrive.

We've had top-down leadership, instead of all-around leadership.

We've answered to someone first instead of something first (#purpose).

We've stifled innovation and collaboration because we are too busy being busy.

"We don't have time to think because there is soooo much work to do!"

I could go on and on here...

Well, all of that is about to change.

AI IS GOING TO TAKE YOUR JOB AWAY FROM YOU.

Wait. What? Why? How?

Ok, hear me out...

It won't replace you, but it will replicate the robotic part of you.

It will take the mundane work away from you. It will take the robot out of you.

You won't have to work as long or hard to get the same results.

Going forward into the future you will be able to be paid to be human!

Herein lies the existential crisis...

We don't know what it means to be human in the workplace!

And that is why there is a looming leadership crisis.

Perhaps now you will understand why I keep articulating forcefully and clearly that it is time to lead different!

It's Time To Lead Different.

"We lead people, and we manage resources. And people are not a resource!" - a Clarism

At Circle Leadership, we are here to evolve the world of work. We constantly share our definition of leadership.

"Leadership is about helping other people become the best version of themselves, so they can do their life's best work, while in our care and beyond." - Dave Clare

Other than the fact that you don't need a position or title to demonstrate leadership, one of the key components of this definition can be found in the last sentence. It's about seeing people as humans first, employees second.

We need resources for humans, not humans as a resource.

And AI is a massive resource for us!

Humans in the "workplace" need leadership more than ever to help them identify what it means to be a human being in the workplace, not a human doing work in the place.

What Does the Future Hold For Us?

Can you imagine a world where work positively impacts people and the planet?

I can.

To start, we need to reimagine the definition of the word "WORK"?

Perhaps, we need to understand that working 8 - 10 hour days and being busy isn't a badge of honour, but a failure of humanity?

What if we could get as much or more done in 4 or 6 hours, and instead of working longer, we had more time to spend with our family, and friends or pursuing a hobby or interest?

"I dont want AI to do paintings for me. I want AI to take the work away from me so I can spend more time painting!"

The truly human skills are creativity, curiosity, imagination, and intuition.

What if you could get up and use this every day to make your world a better place? I know I would feel like I have made a more meaningful contribution to my world, and the world around me.

"Everyone wants their lives to be more meaningful. It's our responsibility to give them work that is meaning full." - a Clarism

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and go to think.

#ArtificialIntelligence #leadership #humain #humanbeing #humandoing