If you're a Lord of the Rings fan (as any patriotic Kiwi should be), you'll remember in the Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam first set off on their adventure. Not long in, Frodo reveals to his friends the true nature of his quest and why he must destroy the ring alone. Having already pieced together the conspiracy, his friends had already made up their minds to go with him despite the deadly perils that surely awaited them. Sacrificing the safety, stability, and comforts of the Shire, the four set off on their mission to destroy the ring.
Post-Covid Tech troubles
If you've been working or following the tech industry in the last couple of years, you would have seen the meteoric rise through Covid come crashing down in the form of mass layoffs from many of the top companies in the world. According to trueup.io, there were nearly 2000 layoffs at tech companies in 2023, impacting more than 400,000 people. For those of us who saw companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple as beacons of high-performance cultures that put people first, the veil was torn. It became clear that these were not the radical rebels challenging the short-sighted, stock-market-serving status quo, but willing participants in the system. Once endearing internal language like Salesforce's 'Ohana' (Hawaiian for family) now rang hollow after cutting 10% of its 'Ohana'.
Should we have expected any different?
As these companies went public and grew to astronomical size, with the accompanying pressure from investors to maximise profits and minimise cost, is it any wonder that people were the suitable sacrifice to appease the balance sheets? In the corporate climate we've become accustomed to, it's the obvious way to 'right-size' the business. In New Zealand, we're following America's lead as usual to 'right-size' our businesses for the current climate, cutting 'non-essential' roles to preserve profit margins until the time is right to start hiring those same roles again.
There is now a flood of talent in the market competing for a slither of what was available a couple of years ago while watching their savings steadily decline. As desperation climbs, many are taking roles in environments just like the ones that cut them from their ranks, and oftentimes worse. The question in my mind is, should they? Going back to the perceived safety, stability, and comforts of these companies may seem like the right move to ride out this storm, but it's one you may come to regret, as I have.
Just like the 4 hobbits, many of us started our careers with hope and excitement, that despite the challenges we faced, we had a sense of purpose and motivation to change the world. Now, having faced the bureaucratic behemoths that dominate our world, it's easy to feel a sense of hopelessness and settle for the false sense of security they provide at the cost of our creativity and autonomy.
But what if we can't stand the thought of becoming disengaged and demotivated desk jockeys, doing the bare minimum to keep the paycheck coming?
The global financial crisis in 2008 gave rise to a new wave of companies that dared to dream differently, driven to reshape the future by creating the companies and products that our world needs, having a purpose beyond profits, and out-smarting the status quo. Now we have an opportunity to do the same.
That's why the Culture Coach was born; to help create and cultivate the companies that are making the world a better place for the people that live here. I believe that we can and must do better as companies, moving beyond the bureaucratic belief that people are instruments to be played by the business, to a belief that the business is the instrument to be played by the people to create a better tomorrow.
If you're thinking about starting your own business, or tired of feeling like you're renting your career, I'd love to help you get started. Whether that's bouncing business ideas, personal coaching, or helping envision the culture you want to create, I'm here to work alongside you. It can be incredibly tough to leave the comforts of employment, and I want to help make that journey a little bit easier for you.
If you're a leader within an existing organisation and want to break free from bureaucratic and ineffective structures that are weighing your company and people down, I'd love to chat about how we could create a better culture together.
If you're ready for an adventure where the path is not certain, the outcome unclear, but the mission is worth the cost, get in touch at hello@culture-coach.org. Join the dreamers and visionaries who view companies as vehicles to enrich not just the lives of customers, but also those who work with them and the communities they operate in.
As a famous hobbit once said, all that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.
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