The Conundrum of Human Capabilities

Here’s a conundrum. The human capabilities that are most critical to success—the ones that can help your organization become more resilient, more creative, and more, well, awesome—are precisely the ones that can’t be “managed.” While you can compel financially dependent employees to be obedient and diligent, and can recruit the most intellectually capable, you can’t command initiative, creativity, or passion. These human capabilities are, quite literally, gifts. Every day employees choose whether to bring them to work or leave them at home.

Far too many organizations push out the initiative that people can bring to the table - it’s on you, as a leader (even if you’re not a manager, VP or the CEO) to encourage people to bring their full self to work.

What are some ways you encourage people to bring their full self?

Quote is from the book The Open Organization By Jim Whitehurst