There was an interesting discussion on an association listserver yesterday that started with a discussion of bereavement policies, and ended up talking a bit about human nature, the difference between work and fulfillment, and who is responsible for helping everyone achieve their potential(!).

Towards the end of the conversation, one person suggested rather harshly that (I’m paraphrasing here) work is work, and no one gets paid for achieving their potential (except Oprah, apparently), and that it’s not the boss’ job to ensure that workers fulfill their potential.

My response:

1. It absolutely is that way in many organizations.

2. It doesn’t have to be.

So why do we create these miserable workplaces? Is it always "their" fault? Why are we afraid to create workplaces driven by love and growth? I know there are power issues at work, and we are not all equally in charge. But we all have power…that we too often wield in the service of control and from a position of scarcity.

If you’re a boss, why WOULDN’T you want your employees to reach their potential through their work? I know you can’t guarantee it, but why on earth wouldn’t you try? Do you think your people would be LESS productive if they were reaching their potential and being paid at the same time?

I know, I know. You don’t have the time or resources to help your employees develop their potential. True. It may not work everywhere or for every individual. But it strikes me that we don’t have the time and resources simply because we built the system ASSUMING that we can’t do work and achieve potential at the same time. Maybe if we changed the system, we’d discover opportunities. We’ll have to change the rules. Kind of like Southwest, actually. But it’s scary to change the rules.

And I will add this today:

We too often frame the problems we have in organizations as beyond our control. This is true, of course, in the sense that no individual can control an organization. That really shouldn’t be the goal, actually. But even without control, we always have choice. Because we can’t control, we end up acting as if we have no choice. What if you had a choice about how you wanted to lead? Would you lead differently? Why aren’t you? And those questions apply equally to the CEO and the entry level employee (and everyone in between).