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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Evolved Executive summary
Heather Hanson Wickman
The Future of Work Is Love in Action
27 mins
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The Evolved Executive
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Key idea 1 of 9
Businesses need to move beyond the restrictive models of the past and embrace adaptability.
The modern workplace is in serious need of change. In his book Dying for a Paycheck, author and business theorist Jeffrey Pfeffer explains how work-related factors, such as stress and overwork, account for around 120,000 preventable deaths every year in the US.
If this isn’t troubling enough, researchers at the Mayo Clinic medical center suggest that your boss has more influence over your health than your primary care physician. And yet according to Forbes, 58 percent of employees would trust complete strangers over their bosses.
All of this points to the fact that we need to change the way our workplaces operate, especially since many companies have not adapted to the times. In fact, they still use the same top-down hierarchical structure that became popular during the Industrial Revolution. This strict authoritarian model, with its emphasis on efficient supervision, may have made sense for managing factory production, but the business landscape has changed dramatically since then.
To see how much has changed, consider the fact that only 10 percent of businesses on the original 1955 Fortune 500 list still exist today. This has been referred to as the “Fortune 500 Disease,” but it’s really a sign of failure to adapt.
Today’s thriving companies don’t operate on strict authority and supervision. Instead, they’re flexible and adaptable, and their vision matches today’s fast-changing world. If today’s businesses hope to stay ahead of the pack, they can’t afford to ignore or silence their employees by scaring them into obedience. Instead, they need to encourage their employees to speak up and reach their full innovative potential.
When looking closely at traditional business models, it becomes apparent that leaders are also suffering. In the outdated model, executives take on all the responsibility and, therefore, all the pressure. They’re expected to know all the answers and fix any problems that may arise. With this burden on their shoulders, they’re bound to be racked with doubts and fears. But they won’t reveal these doubts by asking for help or advice and will shy away from innovative ideas, for fear of being challenged or losing their jobs if things don’t work out.
Today’s businesses need to encourage adaptability and risk-taking from their leaders if they hope to have lasting success. In the next blink, we’ll look at how leaders can evolve.
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What is The Evolved Executive about?
The Evolved Executive (2018) offers today’s business leaders a step-by-step guide on how to revolutionize their leadership and workforces for the modern era. Author Heather Hanson Wickman provides advice on how to move away from the bygone business beliefs and structures that strike fear in the hearts of employees, and adopt a more sensible, effective and loving approach. With these tips you can create a more productive and flexible workplace filled with empowered and motivated employees.
Best quote from The Evolved Executive
Little else in the modern world looks like it did in the 1920s. Why do our organizations?
—Heather Hanson Wickman
Who should read The Evolved Executive?
- Leaders looking to adapt to the modern business world
- Professionals who want a better way of working
- Executives eager to accelerate the evolution of their leadership
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